Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Department of Human Services Announce Expansion of School-Based Health Services
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that the state has been selected to receive funding to improve school-based health services. Medicaid and CHIP cover over 41 million children, and this program presents an opportunity to provide health care for kids where they spend a significant amount of time: at school. Some care is easiest to provide at school, such as preventive medicine, mental health care, physical and occupational therapy, and disease management. Providing care at school can help ease transportation for parents, reduce stigma and missed school-time. The funding was made available by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation aimed at curbing gun violence and mental illness in schools, which both Senators supported in Congress. “Providing health care to students at school — where they spend a significant portion of their time — helps them thrive,” said Senator Smith. “We need to expand school-based health services to help meet students where they’re at and better support young people’s mental and physical health, and that’s exactly what this initiative will help do. It removes many barriers to access, such as trying to figure out how to leave school in the middle of the day, and promotes health equity.” “Schools provide vital mental and behavioral health care on-site to many Minnesota students,”said Senator Klobuchar. “This grant will allow schools to do even more to provide students with the convenient and accessible support they need to do well in the classroom and live healthy lives.” “Schools are a critical place for reaching and supporting young people in Minnesota. With these resources, we will be able to do even more
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Investment for Utility Upgrades in Granite Falls
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced a grant from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to the city of Granite Falls, Minnesota, for electrical grid upgrades in support of local businesses. This grant will provide an updated utility infrastructure, providing businesses with reliable service during future natural disasters. This EDA investment will be matched with $1.9 million in local funds, is expected to create or retain 275 jobs, and generate $1 million in private investment. “A modernized power grid enables rural communities to keep pace with investment into local businesses,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This federal funding will enable Granite Falls to upgrade its electric utility infrastructure to make it more resilient against future natural disasters.” “Reliable electricity is vital to every thriving community, and Granite Falls is no exception,” said Senator Smith. “This grant will strengthen electricity grid infrastructure in Granite Falls, support local business and improve the lives of the community.” This project is funded under the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, which provided EDA with $483 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas that received a major disaster declaration occurring in calendar years 2021 and 2022. ###
Following Letter from Klobuchar and Smith, HHS Expands Relief For Rural Health Care Providers
For Immediate Release: October 28, 2020 Contact: Jane Meyer (Klobuchar), 202-430-7973 Katie McElrath (Smith), 202-365-5865 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that following their letter earlier this month to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, the Administration has expanded relief eligibility for rural health care providers and updated requirements to preserve providers’ access to funding from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) created as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. “As we continue to face challenges from the pandemic, rural areas are in need of critical support,” Klobuchar said. “This announcement is
U.S. Senators Klobuchar and Smith Encourage Minnesota Farmers Facing Losses from Severe Weather to Apply for Disaster Assistance by October 30 Deadline
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/27/2020]— U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Minnesota farmers hit by severe weather to submit applications for disaster recovery assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) by the Friday, Oct. 30 deadline. The WHIP+ program compensates producers for losses due to severe weather in 2018 and 2019, including floods, snowstorms, tornadoes and drought. In 2019, Sens. Klobuchar and Smith led the Minnesota delegation in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide federal assistance to Minnesota farmers overwhelmed by significant wet weather during harvest. Flooded fields created unworkable field conditions for many producers. Harvest for sugarbeets, corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes and other
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Opposing the Nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/26/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement after voting to oppose Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. “Today I voted to oppose Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Barrett was nominated to fulfill President Trump’s repeated promise to appoint Justices who would dismantle the Affordable Care Act and overturn Roe v. Wade, two things that the American people overwhelmingly oppose. I am dismayed that rather than work to pass legislation to help the American
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Pens Op-Ed for The Hill: Telehealth “Has Emerged as a Valuable Lifeline for Millions” During COVID-19
For Immediate Release: October 26, 2020 Contact: Katie McElrath katie_mcelrath@smith.senate.gov 202-365-5865 WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/26/20]—Today, an op-ed penned by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) appeared in the The Hill newspaper that highlights the emerging role that telehealth is playing in connecting patients to caregivers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In her piece, Sen. Smith cites how telehealth has helped people in rural, urban and tribal communities connect to physical and mental health professionals from home. This allows them to take precautions to protect themselves from the virus while still accessing care. Sen. Smith also urges Congress to take up her bipartisan COVID-19 Telehealth Program Extension Act to invest an additional $200 million in this
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