Latest Releases
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES ABORTION CLINIC DIRECTOR TAMMI KROMENAKER AS STATE OF THE UNION GUEST
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that Tammi Kromenaker, the Clinic Director of the Red River Women’s Clinic in Moorhead, MN, will be her guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Thursday, March 7th in Washington, D.C. The Red River Women’s Clinic spent nearly 25 years in Fargo, where it was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider for most of that time. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in 2022, the Republican Governor of North Dakota enacted one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. To continue serving patients in desperate need of care, Kromenaker moved the clinic to the neighboring city of Moorhead in Minnesota, where abortion rights are protected under state law. “When North Dakota banned abortion statewide after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Tammi Kromenaker sprang into action, moving Red River Women’s Clinic across the bridge from Fargo to Moorhead,” said Senator Smith. “Now, Minnesota is an island for abortion care in the Upper Midwest, and thousands of people in the region and across the country count on Red River Women’s Clinic for their health care. Every day, women walk through the doors of RRWC ready to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. And every day that freedom is under assault by the forces dedicated to a national abortion ban. The story of Tammi and her clinic represents the absolute chaos for Americans after the Supreme Court ruling, and her commitment to continuing to provide health care for women in a
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez Introduce Legislation to Protect Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence from Economic Abuse
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Survivor Financial Safety and Inclusion Working Group Act, a bill aimed at increasing support for survivors of intimate partner violence within the financial system. The bill would create an interagency working group comprised of the federal financial regulators and relevant stakeholders, including a representative of historically underserved communities. The working group would be tasked with collecting data on the impacts of economic abuse of survivors carried out through regulated financial institutions. The working group would also provide recommendations on how Congress and federal regulators can help financial institutions improve existing products and services and launch new ones to meet survivors’ financial and safety needs. “It can be impossible for someone trapped in an abusive relationship to escape if they’re unable to land on their feet,” said Senator Smith. “Abusers in intimate partner relationships use financial insecurity as a tool to trap their victims. This legislation will help protect survivors of economic abuse within the financial system and ensure they have a chance at safety, healing, and long-term financial stability.” “Intimate partner violence is a scourge in our society, with over 10 million men and women being physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every year. Most survivors also report experiencing economic abuse from harm-doers, making it extremely difficult to build the financial security necessary to escape a dangerous situation,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “It’s clear that financial institutions must do more to reduce economic abuse of survivors. This
U.S. Sens. Smith & Collins’ Bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Act Moves Forward in Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/31/19]—Today, the Senate Health Committee voted to move forward bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) that aims to improve research, prevention, diagnostics and treatment for tick-borne diseases. Their bill now heads to the floor for full consideration by the Senate. The Kay Hagan Tick Act unites the effort to confront the alarming public health threat posed by Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, which have risen exponentially from approximately 30,000 cases in 2003 to an estimated 450,000 last year. The bill was renamed in honor of former Senator Kay Hagan, who recently passed away
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Secures Key Priorities, Helps Preserve Minnesota Transportation Funding in Senate-Passed Bipartisan Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/01/2019]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) successfully fought to secure a number of her priorities in the bipartisan package of spending bills passed by the Senate this week, including efforts to support beginning, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers, Native health, the health of the Great Lakes and two rural housing amendments authored by Sen. Smith. “Part of my work to make sure Minnesotans’ voices are heard in Washington is working to put real dollars behind our priorities, and that’s what I pushed to do in the appropriations bills we passed in the Senate,” said Sen. Smith. “I fought for transportation, rural
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Wants to Help Bring Mental Health Resources and Awareness to Farmers and Producers, Rural Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/31/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make sure Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Employees—people who work with farmers each and every day—prioritize the need to destigmatize mental health care in rural communities, and collaborate to determine best practices to respond to, and help, farmers and producers facing mental stress. The Seeding Rural Resilience Act—introduced by Sen. Smith’s Democratic colleague and working farmer Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)—aims to curb the alarming rate of suicides in rural America. “Minnesota farmers
Klobuchar and Smith Announce Establishment of Domestic Hemp Production Program
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) – both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee – announced the establishment of a domestic hemp production program. The program, as required by the 2018 Farm Bill, creates a consistent regulatory framework for hemp production across the United States. Hemp pilot projects under the 2014 farm bill will continue until the new regulations go into effect for the 2020 planting season. The Domestic Hemp Production Program will help expand production and sales of domestic hemp, benefitting both U.S. producers and consumers. “A consistent regulatory framework for domestic hemp production will help
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