Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Push for Improved Veteran Emergency Care
Washington, D.C.— Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith (both D-MN) and the entire Minnesota delegation sent a bicameral, bipartisan letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough urging the agency to improve veterans’ ability to receive emergency care. Specifically, the letter asks VA Secretary McDonough to revise existing rules to treat all emergency transport reimbursements the same way, regardless of a veteran’s service-connected disability rating. “By processing emergency transportation services as beneficiary travel, the VA leaves a large group of veterans with unpaid emergency transportation bills,” wrote the lawmakers. “This places an unjust burden on a population already facing rising medical costs across the board. From 2017 to 2020 alone, the cost to cover charges for emergency transportation services has risen at a rate of almost 18 percent.” “In light of the sacrifices our veterans have made, we must fulfill our obligation to provide those who have served this country with a high standard of care,” they continued. “While the VHA has played a critical role in providing necessary benefits for veterans, we call on the Administration to amend [these] regulations to provide the coverage of emergency transportation services that was intended under the VA Mission Act.” Under the 2018 VA Mission Act, emergency transportation and treatment at in-network, non-VA facilities became eligible for reimbursement. However, the VA is currently processing emergency land or air ambulance service claims as beneficiary travel, which restricts coverage to veterans with a disability rating (that is, the designation given to the severity of a
Klobuchar and Smith Announce Significant Federal Funding to Help Minnesotans with Heating and Energy Costs this Winter
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that Congress approved more than $18 million in federal funding to help Minnesotan families afford their heating costs and utility bills this winter. “As Minnesota prepares for winter, families shouldn’t have to choose between heating their homes or buying other necessities,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will be critical to helping families and seniors across our state pay their energy bills and keep their homes warm. I’ll keep working to ensure Minnesotans have the support they need to stay safe this winter.” “As global energy markets respond to the pandemic and Putin’s war in Ukraine, we need to make sure Minnesotans have the support they need to heat their homes this winter,” said Smith. “For low-income families, high energy prices can force an impossible choice between heating their homes and other essentials like rent, food, or medicine. I’m proud of our work to secure this funding, which will help families in Minnesota afford their heating costs and utility bills in the coming months.” These resources will support the Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides families with payment assistance to support their home energy needs. More than 127,000 households in Minnesotans received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP last winter, with households receiving an average assistance benefit of $1,615. More information can be found by calling Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program at 1-800-657-3710 or by visiting the website energyhelp.us.
Sen. Tina Smith: Bipartisan Bill to Help Patients in Minnesota, Across the Country Pay Lower Prices for Prescription Drugs One Step Closer to Becoming Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/26/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said today that a measure she helped push through the Senate—which would help patients in Minnesota and across the country pay less for their prescription drugs—has also passed the House, clearing the way for the President to sign it into law. Sen. Smith said The Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act prohibits “gag clauses” that prevent pharmacists from telling customers that they could save money by paying cash rather than using their insurance. It passed the Senate earlier this month. “Medication is expensive enough as it is, there is no reason that drug industry
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Outlines Bipartisan Steps Administration Can Take to Help Farmers in Minnesota, Across the Country
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/26/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, pressed the President and other top Trump Administration farm and trade officials to quickly take several meaningful steps to address the growing economic unease being felt by farmers and ranchers in Minnesota and across the country. In a letter sent Wednesday, Sen. Smith outlined several immediate steps the President and top Administration farm and trade officials could take to open markets for farm products and provide relief to farmers hit hard by trade uncertainties and falling farm prices. “During my recent conversations with Minnesota farmers, I
After Months-Long Tour of State, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Improve Access to Child Care in Minnesota, Nationwide
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/01/18]—After hearing from families, business, and community leaders across Minnesota throughout this year, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) has introduced legislation to address the growing child care shortage across the state. Sen. Smith said the shortage is not only hurting Minnesota working families who often must travel many miles to find child care, but it’s also stifled local businesses’ ability to attract workers, and it’s cut short many communities’ efforts to grow and prosper. Her legislation, the Child Care Supply Improvement Act, would provide assistance for child care facilities, support child care providers in areas related to safety and
Senator Tina Smith Helps Bipartisan Conservation Bill Move Forward
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/02/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that a bipartisan measure that she helped push through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today will invest in protecting and enhancing important Minnesota land and water resources. The bill, which Sen. Smith cosponsored, would permanently authorize and fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has invested millions of dollars in Minnesota in the past several decades. The bill is now expected to move to the full Senate. You can watch a video from today’s hearing of Sen. Smith highlighting the importance of the LWCF to Minnesota here. “In Minnesota,
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