Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) was named the ranking member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs’ Subcommittee on Economic Policy.
“Standing up for rural American communities is my top priority in the U.S. Senate, and with this new role helping lead the Subcommittee on Economic Policy, I’ll have a stronger voice on the policies that help bolster local jobs and economic growth in small and remote towns across North Dakota and the country,” Heitkamp said.
The North Dakota senator will lead the committee along with Tom Cotton (R-AR). Heitkamp also serves on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship.
“Enabling small businesses, workers, and families to thrive will help keep North Dakota rural communities strong,” Heitkamp said. “Our subcommittee has oversight over a host of issues, including flood insurance and small business lending, so I’ll be able to bring more focus to affordable flood insurance that keeps communities safe when disaster strikes and access to the tools that encourage innovation, investments, and job growth here at home. I’m excited to build bipartisan economic solutions that rural families, small businesses, and entrepreneurs in North Dakota and across the country need to thrive.”
Among her accomplishments, Heitkamp spearheaded the Privacy Notice Modernization Act, which passed in the U.S. Senate in December 2015. The bill, now law, reduces unnecessary burdens on community banks and local financial institutions by requiring banks to alert customers only when privacy and information-sharing changes actually occur.
She also championed the passage of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act in an effort to reduce skyrocketing flood insurance rates.