Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Bill to Improve Rural Health Care Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON [01/06/23] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Co-Chairs of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, announced that their bipartisan bill to improve rural health care was signed into law by President Biden. The State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Reauthorization Act of 2022 will reauthorize a key program that supports health facilities in rural areas across the country. “When I meet with families, farmers, businesses and community leaders in greater Minnesota, one of the first issues that comes up is health care,” said Smith. “This bipartisan legislation will help make sure State Offices of Rural Health have the resources they need to expand and improve health care services in rural communities. I’m proud of our work to get this bill signed into law and help address the unique health care needs of rural America.” “As a doctor, I have seen how this critical program benefits clinics and hospitals in rural areas across Wyoming. I am pleased to see the president sign our bill to reauthorize this important program into law,” said Barrasso. “Now, we can ensure Wyoming’s Office of Rural Health continues to have the necessary resources needed to give our patients the highest quality of care they deserve.” This bill supports State Offices of Rural Health by extending a successful law on information-sharing, technical assistance, and care delivery in rural settings. Under the bill, the program will be reauthorized for five years, which will preserve the program’s flexibility to meet the needs of providers and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Statement on Recent Decisions by FDA and Justice Department Protecting Access to Medication Abortion
WASHINGTON [1/6/22] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement on recent announcements by the FDA and Justice Department regarding the availability of abortion pills: “These two decisions by the Justice Department and the FDA are big steps in the right direction and will ensure millions of women across the country have access to medication abortion. But these decisions can be overturned by a future administration and we need more permanent solutions. By attacking and undermining access to safe and effective medications, Republicans are saying that government – not women, not their health care providers – should decide what’s best for women. As we enter the new year, I will continue working to pass my legislation protecting access to medication abortion and restore the reproductive freedoms Republicans have ripped away.” This week, the FDA announced that abortion pills will soon be available for purchase at local U.S. pharmacies with a prescription. Additionally, the Justice Department cleared the U.S. Postal Service to deliver abortion pills in states with strict anti-abortion laws.
In Floor Speech, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Shares Stories From Minnesota Air Traffic Controllers Hurt by Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON D.C. [01/10/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), took to the Senate floor to share letters from Minnesota air traffic controllers hurt by the ongoing government shutdown. Sen. Smith had asked Minnesotans to share stories on how the shutdown has affected them, and received dozens of letters from air traffic controllers not receiving pay. Among the several letters she read on the Senate floor, Sen. Smith shared a letter from a new father named Joseph from Lakeville, MN. Joseph said that his son Oliver was born on New Year’s Eve and has been in intensive care since, and said that both he and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses Trump Administration to Ensure Federal Contractor Workers Receive Back Pay Amid Shutdown
WASHINGTON, D.C. [01/10/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—along with 33 of her fellow Senate Democrats—called on the Trump Administration to direct federal agencies to work with contractors to provide back pay to compensate contractor employees for wages lost during the current shutdown. While Sen. Smith is working on legislation to ensure low-wage federal contractor employees receive back pay, she and her colleagues are also urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to use existing authority to partner with federal contracting officers and use provisions to modify terms of contracts so employees receive lost wages. “Contract workers and their families
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Continued Fight to Secure Back Pay for Federal Contract Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/13/2019]—Tonight, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement highlighting the need to secure back pay for federal contractor employees who went without pay during the recent government shutdown. Sen. Smith expressed disappointment that reports indicate her bipartisan legislation is not included in the budget agreement to avoid another shutdown, but said she will keep fighting for these workers. “During the longest federal government shutdown in history, thousands of Americans who serve as contractors to the federal government lost over one month’s pay, through no fault of their own. These are people who work as security guards and clean office buildings, and work
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. [01/16/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), along with her colleagues Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), introduced legislation to secure back pay for the federal contractor employees who continue to go without pay during the current government shutdown. The bill—the Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act—aims to help low-wage federal contractor employees—including janitorial, food, and security services workers—who have been furloughed or forced to accept reduced work hours as a result of the government shutdown. You can read a summary of the bill here, and you can
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