Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues, Demand VA Improves Care for Victims of Sexual Assault
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), led by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT), joined her colleagues to send a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging the Department to take immediate steps to improve the readiness of VA facilities and staff to address the needs of veterans after experiencing a sexual assault. The letter comes as a result of a concerning VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report finding significant shortfalls in care provided by VA to veterans who seek care after sexual assault. The letter was also signed by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Patty Murray (D-WA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Angus King (I-ME), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). “We urge the Department to work expeditiously to implement the recommendations in the [OIG] report and take a more proactive stance towards preparing facilities, both emergent and non-emergent, and staff for how to respond to encounters related to sexual assault,” wrote the Senators to VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Despite the low volume of emergent acute sexual assault victims presenting in VA emergency departments and urgent care centers, we expect the Department to ensure our veterans receive the best possible health care and services, either onsite or via a warm handoff to a community provider.” The Senators highlighted VA’s “unacceptable” shortfalls in providing
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Federal Grant to Build New Child Care Facility in Ely
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $1,200,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant to remodel an existing building into a child care facility. The newly renovated facility will house the Ely Area Community Foundation Happy Days Childcare Inc. and provide residents with expanded child care services. “Finding child care is a challenge for far too many parents,” said Klobuchar. “We secured this significant federal grant to expand child care services and give parents in Ely more options.” “Access to affordable child care is essential, both for the safe and healthy development of our kids, and because it allows parents the freedom to pursue their careers and contribute to the economy,” said Smith. “This investment in Ely that I helped secure will create a new child care facility that will help hundreds of families get much needed child care services.” Senators Klobuchar and Smith are members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, which oversees the USDA. This federal funding was secured through the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Program grants can be used by communities across the country to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community in a primarily rural area, such as health care facilities, public safety services, educational services, and more. ###
Klobuchar, Smith Announce over $13 Million in Rural Development Funding to Improve Water Systems and Wastewater Management in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded grant and loan funding to Minnesota totaling $13,206,000 to improve water systems and wastewater management the cities of Easton, Isle, Dumont, Verndale, and Wood Lake. “These investments in our water infrastructure are an important step forward to replace aging water and sanitary systems in our state and ensure public health,” Klobuchar said. “Investing in the cities of Easton, Isle, Dumont, Verndale, and Wood Lake will continue to benefit our waterways, water infrastructure, environment, and economy for years to come.” “Water systems and wastewater
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Support for Actions to Prioritize Propane Shipments to Alleviate Shortage in Midwest
WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced their support for actions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to prioritize propane shipments to alleviate the ongoing shortage in the Midwest. FERC issued an order accepting a proposal by Enterprise TE Products Pipeline Company LLC, providing emergency transportation service of propane to the Midwest region for a 30-day period. According to a 2017 Minnesota House of Representatives study, more than 200,000 households in Minnesota rely on propane as their main source of heat. “This announcement from FERC is an important step in helping to deliver
Senate Banking Committee Unanimously Passes Sens. Smith & Tillis Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/20/2019]—Today, the Senate Banking Committee unanimously passed bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and members of the Senate Banking Committee, that would extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program for seven years. After Committee passage, Sen. Smith highlighted how the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) makes it possible for Minnesota to host major events, including the 2018 Super Bowl which generated more than $350 million for the state’s economy. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program was established in response to the scarcity of affordable insurance coverage for terrorism risk in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Since then, the program has improved the availability
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Extension of Crop Insurance Premium Flexibility for Farmers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced that the United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) is deferring accrual of interest on 2019 crop year insurance premiums to support farmers affected by recent flooding and extreme weather. Producers will now have until January 31, 2020, to pay their 2019 crop insurance premium without accruing interest. For any premium that is not paid by that date, interest will accrue consistent with the terms of the policy. “Many farmers in Minnesota were unable to get into their fields this fall due
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