Senator Al Franken (D-MN) questioned a panel during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing on why medical device manufacturers do not have as many incentives to create treatments for rare diseases as do drug manufacturers. Franken said he would be specifically requesting the General Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate and analyze how the incentives for the drug industry compare to those in the device industry.

The hearing was billed “Treating Rare and Neglected Pediatric Diseases: Promoting the Development of New Treatments and Cures.”

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Access to transportation, particularly for elderly in rural Minnesota, will be a top priority when the Older Americans Act (OAA) comes up for reauthorization next year, Sen. Al Franken told a gathering of elder care advocates in Minneapolis over the weekend.

“Seniors want to stay in their homes as long as possible. That’s why transportation becomes such a big issue,” Franken said, speaking to a dozen elder service executives gathered at a senior housing facility operated by the Volunteers of America.

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(Washington, D.C.) — Senator Al Franken is co-sponsoring legislation that would strengthen penalties imposed on companies or individuals that knowingly violate food safety standards and endanger lives. In 2009,…

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Mayo Clinic researchers will get $1.5 million for diabetes research, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

“We must confront the epidemic of diabetes facing our state and our country. This funding will help ensure that the Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic has the resources it needs to maintain its role as a leader in the research and prevention of this disease,” says Franken, a DFLer from Minnesota.

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Sen. Al Franken is calling for a full federal investigation into this week’s Enbridge Energy oil spill in Michigan, which sent more than 1 million gallons of oil into a river that empties into Lake Michigan.

In a letter to Cynthia Quarterman, who leads the Pipeline and Hazardous

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DULUTH- A hike one year ago for 3 friends is now a “March for Freedom.”

“It’s been extremely up and down; of course I thought this would end within weeks,” says Cindy Hickey, Shane Bauer’s mother. Yet 365 days later, the detained American hikers, Minnesotan Shane Bauer, his fiancée Sarah Shourd and friend Josh Fattal are no closer to being released. The 3 set out on a hike and were captured for allegedly crossing into Iranian territory.

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Duluth, MINN. —–It’s been one year since three U–S hikers were arrested for allegedly crossing the Iraq border and straying into Iran.

Protests and marches were held around the world today in an effort to get Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal released from Iran’s control, where they have been locked up for one year.

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Staff members Daniel Fanning and Marc Kimball from U.S. Sen. Al Franken’s office listened to senior advocates and residents Friday at Two Harbors City Hall.

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Minnesota Senator Al Franken may spend most of his time in D.C., but his mind is often on the state’s food: getting it to needy children, pumping up farmers markets, and even bragging about the sweetness of our corn.

1. You recently announced a $1 million grant for Minnesota food shelves to create nutrition programs for children living in poverty. Has the recession made this a growing problem in our state?

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At Netroots Nation Saturday night, Sen. Al Franken devoted his keynote address, the final one of the convention, to the issue that is the single most critical one for the netroots: the corporate takeover of free speech and preserving net neutrality.

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