Latest Releases
Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect U.S. Agricultural Exports
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in introducing bipartisan legislation to protect American food products from unfair trade practices by foreign countries. Common food and drink names such as parmesan, asiago, romano, and bologna are used around the world to describe products to consumers. However, due to geographic indication to European locations, the European Union has begun using economic and political influence to implement unfair trade practices under the guise of protecting geographic indicators. These unfair trade practices have the potential to block United States agricultural products from being sold in international markets. The Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include and define a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging of products. The bill would also direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with our foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for ag commodities in those same foreign markets. “Agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota’s diverse economy and international markets are vital to the economic success of our farmers,” said Senator Smith. “Unfair trade policies from the European Union forcing American producers to change the name of their product will hurt our farmers and their ability to sell products overseas. This legislation would ensure they are able to continue selling their products in foreign markets and
Senator Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Address Teacher Shortages in Low-Income Areas and Communities of Color
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), introduced a bicameral bill that would address severe nationwide shortages of early childhood and K-12 teachers that disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. Exacerbated by low pay, school leadership instability, and poor teaching conditions, schools in low-income communities struggle to retain experienced, qualified education professionals. On average, teachers are paid 23.5 percent less than other college graduates working in nonteaching fields, and teachers in low-income schools are more underpaid than teachers in more affluent schools. The Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now (RETAIN) Act creates a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, mental health providers, and school leaders in Title I schools and for educators, program providers, and program directors in Head Start, Early Head Start, and Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funded early childhood education programs. The tax credit increases as these professionals become more experienced to incentivize retention. “Public school teachers work every day to meet the academic and emotional needs of their students,” said Smith. “And yet they remain largely underpaid. This is contributing to teacher shortages, which disproportionately affect students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. That’s just wrong. The RETAIN Act will help raise teacher pay, address teacher shortages and ultimately help students get the best education possible.” “We have a teaching shortage in communities across Illinois and the country because we pay our
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Presses Swiss Pharmaceutical Giant Novartis to Ensure Improper Company Actions Aren’t Pushing Up U.S. Prescription Drug Prices
WASHINGTON D.C. [08/23/18]— Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pushed for answers from Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on improper financial and lobbying efforts – including a $1.2 million dollar payment to President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen – that could be contributing to high prescription drug prices for people in Minnesota and across the country. In May, Novartis confirmed that it erred when it paid Cohen through a shell company to help influence Trump Administration health care policy. Those payments came after Novartis had already agreed in 2016 to comply with a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order to establish
Sen. Smith Presses to Enhance Nation’s Energy Storage Capabilities
WASHINGTON D.C. [08/24/18]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said legislation she is introducing would significantly increase America’s energy storage capabilities and help expand the role that renewable energies like wind and solar play in the nation’s energy portfolio. “Expanding the nation’s energy storage capabilities will not only help expand use of renewables like wind and solar energy but will contribute to our nation’s energy and economic security,” said Sen. Smith. “This bill will help to significantly improve our nation’s efforts to store energy, and jump start energy storage research and the deployment of energy storage technologies.” Sen. Smith’s “Advancing Grid Storage Act” would authorize $500 million over
Sen. Tina Smith Introduces Comprehensive Bill To Address A Top Minnesota Issue: Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
WASHINGTON D.C. [09/05/18]—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 introduced legislation—which is also supported by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar—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, said her measure will increase transparency for drug companies that are setting exorbitant prices, end the restriction that prevents the federal Medicare program from
Sen. Tina Smith Blasts DeVos Proposal That Would Leave Minnesota Students at Hands of Predatory Career Training Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/13/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Education Committee—stood up for students in Minnesota and across the country by calling on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to withdraw a proposal aimed at striking down a rule to protect students and borrowers from career training programs that leave students saddled with debt and poor job prospects. Sen. Smith said students in Minnesota and across the country deserve to know which career training programs are successful, and which programs have a history of providing a low-quality education and overly-expensive degrees that have little value on the job market. Under
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