Al Franken's Blog, page 27
July 20, 2015
MPR – Franken: Schools need more mental health counselors
U.S. Sen. Al Franken says a new federal education bill needs to require schools to have more mental health counselors.
Congress is in the process of re-writing President George W. Bush’s signature education legislation known as No Child Left Behind. Schools have not been able to properly address students’ mental health issues, Franken said on MPR News with Tom Weber.
The post MPR – Franken: Schools need more mental health counselors appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 17, 2015
We Won’t Stop Until The Bullying Stops
Early this week, I went on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes to discuss the epidemic of bullying against LGBT students in our schools.
Despite this glaring problem, the Senate this week failed to pass my plan to fix it.
Am I disappointed in this glaring failure to protect LGBT students in America? Yes. The inability to institute some protections for some of our most vulnerable children is an enormous disservice.
But I’m not going to stop fighting this fight. The bullying of LGBT children has reached epidemic proportions:
30% of LGBT report missing a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe.
Nearly 75% say they’ve been verbally harassed in school.
More than 35% report being physically attacked.
We wouldn’t look the other way if racial slurs were being slung at African American children in schools. We wouldn’t look the other way if a Jewish child were beaten up for wearing a yamaka.
And we shouldn’t sit by while thousands upon thousands of LGBT children are relentlessly bullied and harassed in school.
Children can’t learn if they’re afraid to set foot in their schools. So no, despite this recent set back, I will not stop fighting to protect LGBT children. I won’t quit until these kids have the protection they deserve.
-Al
The post We Won’t Stop Until The Bullying Stops appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 15, 2015
KSTP: US Postal Service Considers Creating Harmon Killebrew Stamp
A Minnesota sports hero may have his face on a postage stamp in the near future.
The U.S. Postal Service is considering featuring Twins Hall-of-Famer Harmon Killebrew on a stamp, so Minnesota’s federal delegation sent a letter of support urging the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee to choose him.
The delegation includes U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, along with U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, John Kline, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Erik Paulsen and Tom Emmer.
The post KSTP: US Postal Service Considers Creating Harmon Killebrew Stamp appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 13, 2015
BuzzFeed: Al Franken’s LGBT Student Rights Amendment May Get Full Senate Vote
Sen. Al Franken said he plans to press the full Senate on Tuesday to vote on legislation that would ban LGBT discrimination at public schools and require campus officials to intervene when an LGBT student is being bullied.
The Minnesota Democrat said in an interview with BuzzFeed News that Senate leaders have indicated his amendment will go before the full chamber after years of unsuccessful attempts.
Forty co-sponsors had signed on to the amendment as of Monday, including one Republican, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Franken said. He expects the Senate will approve his legislation with more Republican votes. Still, Franken said he believes the vote will be “very close.”
The post BuzzFeed: Al Franken’s LGBT Student Rights Amendment May Get Full Senate Vote appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 9, 2015
Brainerd Dispatch: Franken pushes U.S. Chamber on tobacco lobbying
Following news reports that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is lobbying internationally to advance the interests of big tobacco, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) joined seven of his Senate colleagues Wednesday in urging the Chamber to stop undermining global anti-smoking measures.
The Chamber’s decision to wield its influence to fight regulations aimed at curbing the use of tobacco products has led to significant backlash in recent days. On Tuesday, in response to the revelations and ensuing controversy, CVS Health ended its membership with the Chamber.
The post Brainerd Dispatch: Franken pushes U.S. Chamber on tobacco lobbying appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
New York Times: An Income Tax on Carried Interest Couldn’t Be Avoided
The private equity industry has killed the idea of taxing carried interest as ordinary income. Several times. And yet it returns, relentlessly, like a “Game of Thrones” reanimated wight from beyond the wall.
The post New York Times: An Income Tax on Carried Interest Couldn’t Be Avoided appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 7, 2015
CNN OpEd: What Congress must do for LGBT kids
By Al Franken and Randi Weingarten
When Kyrstin Schuette, a Minnesotan, and her girlfriend started dating during freshman year in high school, none of the other students — with the exception of a few close friends — knew about their relationship.
But that all changed on a school trip when another student found out and spread the word. Immediately, the harassment began.
Kyrstin’s property was vandalized, and students called her names and pushed her around in the hallway. Several times, Kyrstin was threatened and told she should kill herself and that the world would be a better place without her.
Kyrstin started skipping school. She was bullied on social media. She reported the torment to her teachers and the principal. Their response? Sadly, but not unexpectedly: Keep your head down and don’t be so open about your sexual orientation.
After two years enduring the bullying, shortly after her 18th birthday, Kyrstin attempted suicide. While recovering, she met other LGBT youth who also faced relentless harassment simply for who they are. Eventually, she finished her education online, became an advocate in the LGBT community, and even helped out with Franken’s Senate campaign.
Kyrstin made it, but not every LGBT kid does. In May, after facing years of bullying at schools in Wyoming and California, 16-year-old Adam Kizer took his own life. His family has spoken openly about the bisexual teen’s struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress. Like many LGBT students, Adam felt there was nowhere for him to go.
It’s our responsibility as adults to protect all children. And we know that a significant number of young people across the country are being bullied for their sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact, according to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, more than 30% of LGBT kids report missing a day of school in the previous month because they felt unsafe.
On top of that, 25% of LGBT students have been physically hurt by another student because of their sexual orientation, 55% of transgender students report physical attacks based on their gender identity or gender expression, and 28% of LGBT youth drop out of school because of harassment.
These are staggering statistics, and they underscore two important things. First, it’s nearly impossible for a student to learn if he or she is afraid to go to school. And second, we need to take action.
Current civil rights laws protect children from bullying due to race, sex, religion, disability, and national origin. What’s missing? The same rights for LGBT kids. Inexcusably, there is still no federal law that explicitly prohibits the bullying of kids based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s wrong, and it’s long past time we do something about it.
This week, Congress is taking up a comprehensive bill to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act, the major federal education law. As the Senate debates the bill, we’re going to fight to include a measure Franken has been working on for years to establish statutory protections against discrimination in public schools based on a student’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act would forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. It says that a school has to listen — and do something — when a parent says “my child isn’t safe” or a student bravely reports problems.
The post CNN OpEd: What Congress must do for LGBT kids appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
July 3, 2015
Winona Daily News: Al Franken visits Winona, talks mental health challenges in criminal justice system
People with mental illnesses are making up an increasing percentage of jail inmates in Winona County and across the U.S. Once in jail, it’s hard for people to get the help they need, and many end up leaving jail in worse condition than when they were arrested.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken met with Winona leaders Thursday afternoon to discuss challenges, collaborations, and next steps relating to mental health in the criminal justice system.
Across the board, they agreed on several key issues. Access to care, both outpatient and inpatient, remains out of reach for many due to lack of hospital beds and psychiatrists. Jails are no place for people struggling with mental illness, but many of them end up staying — and returning — because there is nowhere else to go.
The post Winona Daily News: Al Franken visits Winona, talks mental health challenges in criminal justice system appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 30, 2015
Star Tribune: Obama to discuss overtime changes in La Crosse
On Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin, President Obama will promote extended overtime protections, which affect 90,000 Minnesota workers, White House officials said.
In a conference call Tuesday with reporters advancing the Midwest trip, White House officials said, currently only salaried workers making less than $23,660 annually are eligible for overtime. However, now workers who earn up to $50,440 annually would be eligible for overtime pay once they surpass 40 hours of work in a week. Meaning once an employee works 40 hours a week they are eligible for one and a half times their hourly wage.
The policy change potentially extends overtime eligibility to nearly 5 million white collar workers. Minnesotans make up two percent of the white collar workers affected by the change.
The post Star Tribune: Obama to discuss overtime changes in La Crosse appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Duluth News Tribune – Our view: Rural health care woes demand action
Al Franken is far from the first one to sound an alarm about the lack of health care access and the shortage of health care workers in rural America. Entire TV shows (“Northern Exposure”) and movies (“Doc Hollywood”) have been based on the problem.
But the U.S. senator from Minnesota told the News Tribune editorial board Tuesday that a report he and his staff prepared during the past six months, including information and input from 28 community roundtable discussions statewide, can go a long way toward finally finding and funding solutions.
“It will have influence,” Franken vowed of the report, “Stepping Up to the Challenge: Keeping Rural America Healthy,” which was released Tuesday at the Minnesota Rural Health Conference in Duluth. More than 500 rural health care providers, local officials and policy experts were at the conference.
The post Duluth News Tribune – Our view: Rural health care woes demand action appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
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