Al Franken's Blog, page 83
November 17, 2011
Princeton Union-Eagle: Franken right at home in Princeton for a day
First-term U.S. Sen. Al Franken had a three-stop tour in Princeton last Friday, topping it off with entertainment before putting up in the area for the night.
His time here began with a "windshield" tour of the Sylva Corp. wood chip facility and a wood harvesting site, seeing the sites through the windows of a large van. Next he toured the Haubenschild dairy farm which generates electricity and later presented a flag to the VFW post and spoke to the veterans there during a dinner a the club's meeting room.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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November 16, 2011
Post Bulletin: MF Global actions may cost Minnesota farmers, elevators millions
On Halloween, the commodities firm MF Global Inc. filed for bankruptcy, and the effect is being felt in rural Minnesota.
It was three years to the day since VeraSun filed for bankruptcy, which also had an effect.
VeraSun was a clear bankruptcy situation, said Bob Zelenka, executive director of the Minnesota Grain and Feed Association. The impact was more isolated and the amount of money involved was less than what's possible with the bankruptcy of MF Global.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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MPR: Franken jumps into medtech fray
DFL Sen. Al Franken is the latest in a series of Minnesota lawmakers drafting bills to speed up the approval of medical devices.
Franken's bill, released Tuesday and co-sponsored with fellow Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and John Kerry (D-MA), eases some conflict of interest rules affecting outside experts on Food and Drug Administration review panels and lifts an FDA rule that caps profits for devices that treat rare conditions. Easing that rule is intended to encourage companies to develop devices that would otherwise serve a very small number of patients.
"My legislation would remove unnecessary barriers so that these critical medical devices get to the patients that need them as quickly and safely as possible," said Franken in a written statement.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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Minnesota Independent: Franken signs on to constitutional amendment to limit money in politics
Sen. Al Franken and 16 other senators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would return the authority to regulate money in political campaigns to state and federal governments, an ability that was partly undermined by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizen United decision.
The Senate amendment, which has a recent House counterpart, would give Congress and states the authority to regulate money spent in federal and state political campaigns.
Franken formally signed on to support the Senate amendment last week. It was proposed at the start of November by Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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November 14, 2011
Princeton Union-Eagle: Franken seeks to improve healthcare for vets
Sen. Al Franken from Minnesota predicts that the bill to use federal money to build bridges, highways and railways will soon become law.
Speaking to the ECM Publishers Editorial Board Friday, the senator does not see the bill to provide thousands of jobs to teachers, firemen and policemen passing.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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St. Cloud Times: Franken touts Royalton's installation of solar panels
Just because things haven't changed much in Royalton over the years doesn't mean there is aversion to the concept.
Royalton has taken some steps into the future in the past two years with the installation of solar panels at City Hall and a new energy-saving attitude. The big change brought a big name into town Saturday: U.S. Sen. Al Franken.
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Star Tribune: Franken to propose bill to speed approval for innovative medical devices
U.S. Sen. Al Franken said on Monday he will introduce legislation that could speed up the time to get innovative medical devices approved for the market.
His bill calls for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ease its requirements on all devices for medical conditions that affect fewer than 4,000 people a year. The bill would allow medical device firms for the first time to make a profit on such products.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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November 10, 2011
Pioneer Press: MF Global fallout hits grain elevators
The collapse of MF Global is sending shockwaves across rural Minnesota, where grain elevators and some farmers are stunned to find their commodity accounts threatened by the distant scandal.
Although relatively few Minnesotans directly used the trading services of MF Global, the failed derivatives broker played a larger behind-the-scenes role in commodities futures trading. That has spread the fallout from the collapse, and some Minnesotans are alarmed to find a portion of their commodity accounts have been frozen – and seem to be at risk.
"Minnesota's farmers, co-ops and grain elevators trusted this company with their accounts, and it appears that their money was mismanaged and possibly lost," said Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken.
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Monte News: Guest Commentary: Remember our obligation to our veterans
On Veterans Day in 1985, President Reagan spoke of those who laid down their lives for our country. "Most of them were boys when they died," he said, "and they gave up two lives — the one they were living and the one they would have lived."
When, today, we honor the men and women who have returned from military service, we must do more than thank them for the life they gave up while serving overseas. We must do everything in our power to help them live that second life — the one they should be able to enjoy when they come home.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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Huffington Post: Electronic Medical Records Rarely Encrypted: Expert
Electronic medical records, which the Obama administration would like to see widely used, are rarely encrypted so a data breach could be triggered by the simple theft of a laptop or misplaced thumb drive, a privacy expert told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Regulations require healthcare providers to report data breaches unless the data lost had been encrypted.
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