Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Ed Markey, Bob Casey Introduce Warehouse Worker Protection Act to Address Dangerous Warehouse Quota Systems
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.), all members of the Senate Labor Committee, introduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, legislation that would protect warehouse workers by prohibiting dangerous work speed quotas that lead to high rates of worker injuries. The Senators introduced the legislation alongside workers and union leaders, including Teamsters Vice President Tom Erickson – the first Minnesota Teamster to take international office in over a decade – and Ladell Roberts, an organizer with Teamsters Local 120 in Blaine, MN. Large companies seek to maximize profits by using quota systems that push workers to their physical limits, resulting in high injury rates that can be permanently disabling. A new report released by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and other worker groups demonstrates that one in fifteen Amazon workers sustain injuries. Amazon represents 79 percent of large warehouse employment but 86 percent of all injuries. Recent data shows also that more than half of workers reported that their production rate makes it hard for them to use the bathroom at least some of the time. “When workers have the power to come together and organize for better working conditions and safer workplaces, we all do better. These big companies hold a lot of power, and with their productivity metrics and quotas, they are literally controlling the lives of workers minute by minute,” said Senator Smith. “With this bill, we are saying, enough. We’re putting accountability back in this system and power back in the hands of workers subjected to systems that drive profits for billionaires while they
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Federal Funding for Solar Energy for Tribal Communities and Low-Income Households
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced two grants that will expand residential solar projects in Minnesota. The first grant will help increase solar adoption in lower-income communities who are often excluded from clean energy projects. The second award will help build solar energy capacity for Minnesota Tribal communities. These “Solar for All” grants are made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which both Klobuchar and Smith helped get passed into law. “When it comes to clean energy, I’ve always said we can either lead or follow. I think Minnesota should lead, and that’s exactly what these grants will enable us to do,” said Senator Tina Smith. “These grants will make solar power to accessible Minnesota communities who have traditionally been excluded from the energy transition, bringing them an energy source that is both clean and affordable.” Minnesota will benefit from two Solar for All grants. The Minnesota Department of Commerce will use their $62,450,000 funding to deliver financial support and technical assistance to low-income areas and communities historically left behind in the clean energy transition across Minnesota. The Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association, in conjunction with their partners GRID Alternatives, the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, and the Native CDFI Network, will use their $62,330,000 to deploy Tribally-owned residential solar, along with storage and necessary upgrades, for the benefit of the 35 Tribes located in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. ###
U.S Senator Tina Smith Introduces Marijuana Reform Legislation to Protect Health, Safety, Civil Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/3/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to address health and safety considerations for implementing the legalization of marijuana at the federal level. As a complement to critical work to address the racist impacts of the failed federal prohibition on marijuana, Sen. Smith’s Substance Regulation and Safety Act of 2020 (SRSA) will ensure that the federal legalization process protects the health and safety of consumers, patients, drivers, and youth. The bill would remove marijuana from the nation’s list of illegal controlled substances, ensure the same federal oversight of marijuana products as tobacco and alcohol now have, and put racially-sensitive safeguards in place to combat cannabis use by
At the Urging of U.S. Senator Tina Smith, HUD Secretary Ben Carson Extends Critical Deadline for Housing Counseling Organizations at Risk of Losing Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/1/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) says that Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson heeded her call to extend the August 1, 2020 deadline for housing counselor certification for HUD’s Housing Counseling Assistance Program by at least one year. The move will help ensure counselors will be available to financially-strapped Americans facing evictions, foreclosures, and housing instability during the current economic crisis. Smith led a group of Senators—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)—in pressing Secretary Carson for this extension so that counseling agencies can continue to get members of their organization certified to assist people in Minnesota and across the country who need help. Many agencies would have been unable
Sen. Smith Introduces Legislation to Expand Coverage for Lung Cancer Screening
WASHINGTON, D.C. [7/31/20]–This week U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)–a member of the Senate Health Committee–introduced legislation to expand coverage for lung cancer screenings to help detect cancer in more patients earlier. Her legislation would require commercial health plans to cover lung cancer screenings for individuals 40 or older at no cost sharing to the patient. Sen. Smith’s legislation—Katherine’s Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act—is named in honor of Minnesotan Katherine Bensen, who is courageously fighting stage 4 non-smoking, non-small cell lung cancer. Katherine is a daughter of former Minnesota U.S. Representative Rick Nolan. Sen. Smith says that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer among
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Fights to Secure Coronavirus Relief for Independent Turkey Farmers Who Were Left Out of Past Packages
WASHINGTON, D.C. [7/30/20]–This week U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)–a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee–introduced legislation to secure aid for independent turkey farmers who were left out of past coronavirus (COVID-19) relief packages. Despite suffering losses, independent turkey farmers were not given access to COVID-19 relief for agriculture. Sen. Smith’s bill would direct Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to include independent turkey farmers in future aid programs. “As we work to help the agriculture industry weather the pandemic, we can’t leave out hard hit independent turkey farmers,” said Sen. Smith. “This is especially important for Minnesota—the number one turkey producing and processing state in the country. My bill will provide them with relief to help during these uncertain times. Looking forward, I’ll keep fighting to provide Minnesota
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