Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Debbie Stabenow, Reps. Paul Tonko, Brian Fitzpatrick, David Trone Reintroduce Legislation Expanding Mental Health Care Access, Increase Medicaid Reimbursement Rate
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Health Committee, joined by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, to announce reintroduced legislation to expand access to mental health services for low-income families and children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities. The Medicaid Bump Act would increase the federal reimbursement rate for mental and behavioral health care services under Medicaid, which covers one fifth of all Americans with mental health disorders. A House companion bill was introduced by U.S. Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY-20), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and David Trone (D-MD-06). “Too many people don’t have access to the mental or behavioral health care they need, and providers struggle to provide that care because they don’t get reimbursed enough for their services.” said Senator Smith. “This bill will improve equity in mental and behavioral health care by helping patients access the care that they need and ensuring providers get paid fairly. I want anyone suffering from a mental health issue to know they are not alone. We can all help break the stigma by talking about it, and then we have to go to work to get people the services they need.” “We should treat health care above the neck the same way we treat health care below the neck. Currently, too many folks don’t have access to affordable behavioral health care in our country. Senator Smith and I introduced this bill to help close the gap in services and help people get the care they need,” said Senator Stabenow. “Mental and behavioral health services should be readily
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Meat Processing Facility in Waseca
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, announced federal funding to increase the meat processing capacity of Morgan’s Meat Market LLC in Waseca. The grant funding will go towards adding a smokehouse and vacuum stuffer, which will increase worker safety, reduce cleaning time from 3 days to only 4 hours, and increase processing capacity while saving time. “Agriculture is key to our state’s economy and to stay ahead, we must continue investing in our farms and food businesses,” said Klobuchar. “This federal grant will go toward bolstering capacity, improving worker safety, and upgrading efficiency at Morgan’s Meat Market in Waseca.” “A strong meat processing industry is critical to maintaining a stable economy in Minnesota, especially for Minnesota’s poultry and livestock farmers,” said Senator Smith. “By increasing capacity at Morgan’s Meat Market, producers will have another processing option. This helps farmers get a fair value for animals and also helps keep prices down for consumers at the grocery story.” The funding comes from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Local Meat Capacity grant program and will give Morgan’s Meat Market LLC in Waseca $250,000 for these upgrades. ###
Klobuchar and Smith Join Colleagues to Introduce Sweeping Police Reform Legislation
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined colleagues in the House and Senate to introduce comprehensive police reform legislation, the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The bill works to end the racist and excessively violent policing in our communities by banning dangerous practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants, prohibiting racial profiling and requiring transparency about police activities, and reducing the barriers to holding police officers accountable for misconduct and violence. “As George Floyd’s murder and countless other national tragedies have made clear, we must take action to fix a broken system and the Justice
Klobuchar, Smith, Colleagues Call for Investigation into Racially Discriminatory and Violent Policing at Minneapolis Police Department
MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), along with 26 colleagues, are calling on the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct an investigation into the patterns and practices of racially discriminatory and violent policing in the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). Klobuchar and Smith were joined by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jon Tester (D-MT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Officer-Involved Death in Minneapolis
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/26/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement after a video surfaced showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, who died soon after. “We are once again traumatized by the tragic scene of a black man pleading for his life at the hands of a white police officer. We cannot look away from this injustice and terrible loss of life. “Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo have called for an immediate federal investigation. That’s the right thing to do. We must learn exactly what happened, secure justice, and hold the people involved accountable. It is in our power to end this pattern of abuse
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Blasts Nation’s Top Consumer Protection Official For Pushing New Rule that Guts Needed Payday Lending Protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/20/20] – U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn) has blasted the nation’s top consumer protection official for helping shepherd a new rule that will gut payday lending protections needed by financially-vulnerable Americans, saying the “corrupt” process used to develop the rule was badly tainted by the work of political appointees who manipulated economic data to get rid of current consumer protections. Sen. Smith, in a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Kathleen Kraninger this week, called for an immediate halt to the current rulemaking process, and for an investigation into the serious improprieties uncovered about the process. The
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