Al Franken's Blog, page 26
August 6, 2015
LA Times – Rep. John Lewis and Sen. Patrick Leahy: Restore voting rights
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the bill many historians regard as the most influential legislation passed by Congress in the last half-century. It transformed our nation by opening access to the ballot box to racial and ethnic minorities, the disabled, seniors, non-English speakers, poor and rural voters. On Aug. 6, 1965, our nation took a historic step by creating a more fair, more just democracy.
Even though the 15th Amendment, enacted after the Civil War, established that the right to vote should not be “denied or abridged,” state and local laws often nullified that mandate. The participation of millions of Americans in any part of the electoral process was rendered nearly impossible.
The post LA Times – Rep. John Lewis and Sen. Patrick Leahy: Restore voting rights appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
August 4, 2015
Craig Daily Press – U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: Finally a fix for No Child Left Behind
It’s probably a safe bet that at one time or another, all of us have been on the receiving end of well-intentioned but misguided policies coming out of Washington. Unfortunately, our public education system is no different. Whether you’re a parent, student, teacher, school administrator, or none of the above, you have likely heard of the problems with No Child Left Behind.
This law was a 2002 update of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is the chief federal law addressing K-12 education. There were some good and important changes in No Child Left Behind, but it was riddled with serious issues that we saw firsthand as parents and that I experienced in my role as superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
Star Tribune: Minnesota knows how to clean up its energy
Dr. Amy Bonifas has seen the impacts of air pollution on children. As a Brooklyn Center physician, she does all she can to protect her patients from asthma and other respiratory diseases, but she says doctors can’t do it alone. They need help.
On Monday, President Obama took a common-sense step in approving the first limits on carbon pollution from power plants. In Minnesota, power plants cause one-third of carbon pollution emissions, but until this week, these emissions faced no national limits. The Clean Power Plan will cut carbon emissions nationwide by 32 percent by 2030.
What does this mean for Minnesota? The plan sets individual state goals and adopts a flexible approach that lets Minnesota choose how to reach its goal. The state can tailor its plan with a mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, switching to cleaner fuels or running efficient plants more often.
July 30, 2015
Medicare is Golden
Medicare is celebrating it’s golden anniversary this year — 50 years of protecting seniors.
Now, I could go on and on about Medicare. About how difficult it was for seniors before Medicare became law (only about half had hospital coverage, and even fewer had coverage for doctor’s visits). Or how hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans rely on it (roughly 819,000).
But instead, I’ll just ask this question: How many people do you know that have Medicare?
I bet you know at least one person — if not more — that get their health insurance through Medicare. It’s an incredibly successful program. And with the Affordable Care Act, we made it even better. Today, seniors don’t have to worry that one hospital visit could send them into a financial spiral.
I’m all for strengthening and improving Medicare. That’s one reason why I supported the ACA, which closed the prescription drug donut hole, provided for more preventative services, and extended the life of the Medicare Trust fund.
And there are more improvements to be made. For example, I support allowing Medicare Part D to negotiate with drug companies to lower the cost of drugs. I’m also working to expand the Diabetes Prevention Program (which I added to the ACA) to improve seniors’ lives and save taxpayers money.
Extremists in Congress have a very different idea of what “improving” Medicare means. They want to privatize the program, turning it into a voucher system. Basically, they want to hand seniors a voucher and say “Here you go, good luck finding insurance.”
That’s not improvement. That’s a road to where we were 51 years ago.
Medicare is golden. Changes to Medicare should be aimed at extending the life of the program, making it more efficient and effective — not dismantling it.
-Al
The post Medicare is Golden appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 29, 2015
Brainerd Dispatch: Franken introduces bill to combat payroll fraud
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., along with Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced legislation on Wednesday to address the growing problem of payroll fraud, which occurs when an employer misclassifies a worker as an independent contractor rather than employee. The bill is designed to take action against improper misclassification practices and prohibit companies from using worker misclassification to avoid taxes.
“When workers are misclassified, they often are denied basic workplace protections like minimum wage, overtime pay, workers’ compensation insurance, and retirement benefits,” Franken said in a release. “This legislation would crack down on misclassification, a practice that is hurting our workers, costing taxpayers, and putting businesses that play by the rules at a competitive disadvantage.”
The post Brainerd Dispatch: Franken introduces bill to combat payroll fraud appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 23, 2015
Consumerist: Sen. Al Franken Calls For Federal Investigation Into Apple Music
In response to concerns arising from the recent launch of Apple Music, U.S. Senator Al Franken called on both the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the possibility that the tech giant may be creating an anticompetitive environment in the streaming music market.
In a letter sent yesterday to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FTC Chair Edith Ramirez, the senator from Minnesota notes that Apple’s restrictive agreements with app developers — especially those that compete directly with Apple Music — may “have the potential to limit choices and raise prices for consumers.”
Franken points out that Apple currently charges a non-negotiable 30% fee on revenues from in-app purchases of subscription services made through apps operating on Apple devices. This extra cost for these services can result in higher prices for consumers, but Franken says that companies are restricted from explaining this to consumers or from pointing out that they can get the service for less elsewhere.
The post Consumerist: Sen. Al Franken Calls For Federal Investigation Into Apple Music appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Star Tribune: Minnesota lawmakers ask Obama to address human rights issues during Africa visit
Before President Obama left Thursday for his visits to Kenya and Ethiopia Minnesota lawmakers urged him in a letter to prioritize human rights on the trip.
“Minnesota is home to a large Ethiopian and Somali diaspora that adds rich cultural diversity to our state,” the letter states. “We are proud to represent them and ask that when you visit Africa you address issues of concern for our Ethiopian and Somali communities.”
The letter is signed by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and Tim Walz and Republican Rep. Tom Emmer.
The post Star Tribune: Minnesota lawmakers ask Obama to address human rights issues during Africa visit appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
KEYC: Sen. Al Franken Urges For Boost In Biodiesel Volumes For 2016 And 2017
Senator Al Franken is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to increase its proposed volumes for biodiesel production for 2016 and 2017.
Franken is among a bipartisan group of 36 senators around the country who signed a letter to the EPA to stress the need for the hike.
The EPA has increased its biodiesel volume to1.8 billion gallons in 2016 and 1.9 billion gallons in 2017, but lawmakers say that increase is still not enough.
The post KEYC: Sen. Al Franken Urges For Boost In Biodiesel Volumes For 2016 And 2017 appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
WCCO: Sen. Al Franken Sounds Off On Apple’s Music Business Practices
Senator Al Franken is joining the ranks of Taylor Swift by taking on one of the country’s most powerful companies. He’s asking the attorney general to look into the business practices of Apple.
Sen. Franken said he thinks the company may have too much control over the streaming music industry. He wrote this letter to the attorney general, saying he’s afraid Apple Music may undermine the consumer’s ability to make choices and pay lower prices.
The post WCCO: Sen. Al Franken Sounds Off On Apple’s Music Business Practices appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 20, 2015
Time: Garrison Keillor to Say So Long to Lake Wobegon
Garrison Keillor, the creator and host of A Prairie Home Companion, says he is retiring next year.
Keillor has hinted at retirement before, but this time he’s serious, the Associated Press reports. He has set up sometime-guest host Chris Thile to take over as host after Keillor’s last show in July 2016. Thile, who is a member of the bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, will carry on the show’s musical heritage.
The post Time: Garrison Keillor to Say So Long to Lake Wobegon appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Al Franken's Blog
- Al Franken's profile
- 651 followers
