Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Funding to Upgrade, Relocate Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith announced she helped secure funding for Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower relocation project. The $10 million in funding will support relocating the non-standard tower currently at the airport, a tower which was commissioned in 1963. The airport coordinates over 67,000 arrivals/departures per year, contributes over $700 million to northern Minnesota’s economy, and supports over 6,000 jobs in the area. “The Duluth International Airport provides critical service to northern Minnesota, from commercial service to cargo, military and medical flights, yet it’s operating with a 70-year-old tower – the third oldest in the nation,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make DLH safer and more efficient. It’s exactly the kind of project we aimed to support through the President’s infrastructure law.” In 2023, Smith joined the Minnesota delegation in sending a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that they expedite reviews and approvals required for Duluth International Airport (DLH) to apply for grant funding to build a new air traffic control tower. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to expand Terminal 2. The project will add two new gates to the terminal’s north side, Gates H15 and H16. The funding comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Senators Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport.” “MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.” The $20,000,000 grant was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which received a $5 billion boost through the President’s infrastructure legislation. The program funds safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned traffic control towers. Several investments have been made in Minnesota’s largest airport since President Biden signed the infrastructure legislation that Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, including five new boarding bridges, new electrical substations for baggage claim, the north security checkpoint, and airport police, as well as new walkways, ramps, and slopes to support passengers with disabilities. The law has also funded a portion of a project to rehabilitate and
Senators Warren, Murray, and Smith Raise Further Questions About the FDA’s Oversight of Digital Health Devices
Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, U.S. Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), member of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting additional information from the agency regarding its Software Precertification (Pre-Cert) Pilot Program. The FDA established the Pre-Cert Pilot Program in 2017 to test the feasibility of a “precertification” system for developers of software as a medical device (SaMD), such as mobile health apps, medical software, and health information technology.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Urges Regulators to Protect Key Data Used For Community Planning, Fighting Discrimination
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/25/2019]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—who has been holding meetings to discuss the need for affordable housing across Minnesota—and her Democratic Senate Banking Committee colleagues are demanding that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) continues to collect vital information designed to determine whether financial institutions are serving the housing needs of their communities, identifying possible discriminatory lending and enforcing antidiscrimination laws. The CFPB has proposed to end the collection of some Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data that is currently collected on home mortgages. This data is one of the primary tools to measure trends and disparities in mortgage
In Wake of Difficult Weather, U.S. Senator Tina Smith Encourages Minnesota Farmers Experiencing Harvest Delays to Contact Crop Insurance Agents
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/25/19]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is encouraging Minnesota farmers participating in federal crop insurance to request more time to harvest after extremely wet and snowy conditions this fall forced many to experience delays. “It’s absolutely critical that we do everything we can to support farmers who’ve been facing bad weather, trade uncertainty and low commodity prices,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “If you are a farmer with crop insurance, I urge you to contact your insurance agent to request more time to harvest. And I’ll keep working to bring stability and predictability to Minnesota Ag.”
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith & Susan Collins: Bipartisan Resolution Recognizes October as National Principals Month
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/25/2019]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—both members of the Senate Education Committee—are pleased that their bipartisan resolution declaring October 2019 as National Principals Month passed the Senate. This resolution recognizes the important role principals play in ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education. “School principals are community builders, academic leaders, facility managers and so much more,” said Sen. Smith. “They’re responsible for creating school environments where every child can succeed, and where teachers and faculty can get the support they need to educate students and help shape them into future leaders. We need to do all we can to
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