Latest Releases
Senators Smith, Shaheen Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Access to Affordable Housing for Families in Rural Areas
[Washington, DC] – This week, U.S. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced legislation to ensure that thousands of low-income tenants in rural areas are able to maintain access to safe and affordable housing. The Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act would protect access to affordable housing for families in rural areas that are often elderly or disabled, who are at risk of losing rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service (RHS). “Without access to housing, nothing else in your life works. Not your job, your health, your education or your family,” said Senator Smith. “As Chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, I have worked with stakeholders to expand access to affordable housing, but we also need to make sure that people who already have a place they call home can keep it that way. And that’s what this bill does. Our measure would help families and elderly Minnesotans stay in their homes.” “The pandemic exacerbated housing insecurity in New Hampshire and across the nation, and that was felt especially hard in rural communities,” said Senator Shaheen. “As Americans recover from the economic hardships of COVID-19, addressing the affordable housing crisis is pivotal. Every Granite Stater deserves to be safely housed, and it’s crucial that Congress acts now to lessen the impact of the affordable housing crisis on vulnerable families. The Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act would help address these obstacles by providing resources
Senator Smith Reintroduces Legislation to Provide Free Emergency Insulin on Rx Companies’ Dime
WASHINGTON [5.11.23] – This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) reintroduced legislation to hold insulin manufacturers accountable for excessive increases in the price of life-sustaining insulin. The Emergency Access to Insulin Act would provide emergency access to insulin for people in Minnesota and across the country who can’t afford the skyrocketing price of the drug that they need to stay alive. “Over a million people are rationing their insulin so they can afford it. And sometimes, they are paying with their lives,” said Sen. Smith. “This bill will allow states to set up a program to provide insulin on an emergency basis, put insulin manufacturers on the hook by requiring them to foot the bill for these programs, hold these manufacturers accountable for gouging the price of insulin, and promote market competition to drive down the price of insulin. This bill holds the right people accountable. To the greedy practice of wielding market power to continually increase prices and make billions off a drug that has been around for over a century, this bill says—no more. This is about providing Minnesotans and Americans with the insulin they need to survive.” “We’ve seen firsthand over the last several months that the pressure we’ve put on drug companies to lower insulin costs is working, and today’s bill is the next step in our fight to make insulin affordable for every American who needs it,” said Rep. Craig. “I’m grateful to Rep. Phillips and Sen. Smith for their partnership on this important issue.”
Sen. Tina Smith’s Priorities to Improve Career and Technical Training Become Law
WASHINGTON, D.C [07/31/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s (D-Minn.) priorities to expand workforce development were signed into law by the President today. After passing in both houses of Congress, several measures championed by Sen. Smith—aimed at helping Minnesotans and Americans get the training they need to land careers in high-demand fields—became law as part of bipartisan education legislation. “Not everyone wants to or has to go to a four-year college, but everyone should be able to get the skills necessary to lead their own lives and create opportunity for themselves and their families,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “My
Sen. Tina Smith’s Bill Would Help Students Access Mental Health Services in Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/02/18]—U.S Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is pressing for new legislation to make sure students in schools across the nation are able to access the mental health services they need, where they are. Young people experience mental health conditions about as often as adults—about 1 in 5 struggle with severe mental health problems—but they often have a hard time getting services. Schools are an ideal setting to identify students who need mental health services and quickly connect them with help. Sen. Smith’s bill—the Mental Health Services for Students Act—would help schools partner with local mental health providers to establish on-site, mental
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Announces Comprehensive Bill To Address Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
DULUTH, MN [08/08/18]—U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said today that for far too long the health and financial well-being of families in Minnesota and across the country has been harmed by the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs, and she announced plans to introduce legislation designed to hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable for high prices and bring down costs for both consumers and taxpayers. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee, made her announcement at a “Health Care Cost” listening session in Duluth, where she met with local care providers and health experts as well as residents from across
Sen. Tina Smith Urges Trump Administration to Take Immediate Steps to Reunite Children and Families
WASHINGTON D.C. [08/15/18]— U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) called on the Trump Administration to immediately take action to reunite the over 500 immigrant children still separated from their families. Sen. Tina Smith—along with 16 of her Senate colleagues—stressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen how each passing day that DHS fails to reunite separated children with their parents unacceptably traumatizes these children and their families, including causing psychological and physical developmental harms to children. “We call on DHS to take immediate action to locate every deported parent abroad whose separated child remains in government custody,” wrote Sen. Smith
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