Senator Hassan Applauds Bipartisan Vote to Overturn DeVos Rule that Favors Predatory For-Profit Colleges Over Defrauded Students

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded the successful bipartisan vote today to overturn the Department of Education’s “borrower defense” rule, a proposal that will effectively deny students who were cheated or defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges of the debt relief that they are entitled to under law. The vote to overturn the proposal was agreed to in the Senate with both Democrats and Republicans voting in favor. The House voted to overturn the proposal earlier this year, and the resolution now goes to the President for his consideration.

Senator Hassan Calls for Answers on Non-Consensual Pelvic Exams

WASHINGTON –  U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today sent letters to leading medical organizations requesting details on the practice of trainees conducting non-consensual pelvic exams while patients are unconscious. The letter follows recent reporting on this issue.

Shaheen, Hassan Sponsor Renewed Bipartisan Push to Permanently Fund LWCF, Address Maintenance Backlog on NH Federal Lands

(Washington, DC)— U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) that they’ve cosponsored bipartisan legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Restore Our Parks Act (ROPA), which provides mandatory funding for deferred maintenance at the National Park Service, the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service. The LWCF helps preserve and maintain critical lands for national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and recreational areas in New Hampshire and across the country. The bill – the Great American Outdoors Act – was introduced yesterday by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Senators Hassan, Shaheen to Honor World War II Army Rangers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Army Rangers Veterans of World War II, in recognition of their extraordinary service. All members of the World War II-era Ranger Battalions were volunteers, whose service contributed greatly to the military success of the United States and our Allies.

Senator Hassan Statement on VA Barring GI Funding for Colleges & Universities with Deceptive Marketing, Enrollment Practices

WASHINGTON – Following the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) announcement that it will end GI Bill payments to five colleges and universities due to deceptive marketing or enrollment practices, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement:

Following Request from Senator Hassan & Colleagues, FDA Finalizes Rule Banning Use of Electrical Shock Devices on Children and Adults with Disabilities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, issued a statement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s final rule to ban the use of electrical stimulation devices on children and adults who experience disabilities. The announcement comes following a February 10 request from Senators Hassan, Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and other colleagues urging the Food and Drug Administration to finalize the rule. The rule was first proposed in 2016, but years of delays and missed deadlines allowed for electrical stimulation devices — which attach to the skin and allow another person to administer electric shocks — to continue being used as a form of punishment and behavioral control.

Heeding Hassan Request, FEMA Extends State Deadlines for Grant Program to Strengthen Security at Nonprofits, Houses of Worship

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it would extend the deadline for states to submit applications for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program that allocates funding to help protect houses of worship and nonprofits from foreign and domestic attacks. The announcement comes after Senator Hassan heard from houses of worship in New Hampshire about the short timeline to apply for the grant, and raised those concerns at a hearing yesterday with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.

Senator Hassan Presses Administration Officials on Ensuring Those on the Front Line in NH and Across the Country Have Necessary Resources to Combat Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today questioned Robert Kadlec, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, during a committee hearing about ensuring that public health officials, fire fighters and emergency medical technicians on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak have the resources and support that they need to contain and respond to this evolving public health challenge.

Shaheen, Hassan Vote in Support of Coronavirus Response Legislation, Send Bipartisan Bill to President’s Desk

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statements after voting in support of bipartisan, bicameral Coronavirus response legislation. The bill passed the House of Representatives yesterday and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law. 

Heeding Hassan Request, FEMA Extends State Deadlines for Grant Program to Strengthen Security at Nonprofits, Houses of Worship

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it would extend the deadline for states to submit applications for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program that allocates funding to help protect houses of worship and nonprofits from foreign and domestic attacks. The announcement comes after Senator Hassan heard from houses of worship in New Hampshire about the short timeline to apply for the grant, and raised those concerns at a hearing yesterday with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.

Senator Hassan Urges Department of Homeland Security to Bolster Protections Against Ransomware Attacks on Health Care Facilities Amid Coronavirus Emergency

WASHINGTON – During a hearing today, Senator Maggie Hassan urged Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, to bolster the Department’s efforts to protect health care providers against ransomware attacks amid the coronavirus emergency.

Following Bipartisan Push Led by Senators Collins, Hassan, Department of Education Halts Cuts to Rural, Low-Income Schools

Washington, D.C. — Following the Department of Education’s announcement to halt a change to the methodology that determines which rural schools are eligible for funding through the Rural Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released a statement on this major win for more than 800 rural, low-income schools nationwide:

Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Reauthorize Older Americans Act

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate yesterday unanimously passed bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), to reauthorize and strengthen critical programs under the Older Americans Act.

Shaheen and Hassan Applaud Bipartisan, Bicameral Agreement on Coronavirus Response Legislation

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statements after the Committee released bipartisan, bicameral legislation to bolster the national response to the Coronavirus.

Collins, Hassan Lead Bipartisan Group Urging Education Department to Protect Funding for More Than 800 Rural, Low-Income Schools

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a letter that was signed by 19 of their colleagues, expressing their strong opposition to an abrupt decision by the Department of Education that jeopardizes funding eligibility for more than 800 rural, low-income schools. In their letter to Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Senators objected to the Department’s abrupt change to the methodology that determines which rural schools are eligible for funding through the Rural Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program. The change is being implemented without notice to Congress and after funding for fiscal year (FY) 2020 has already been appropriated.

Senator Hassan Introduces Bill to Support Passenger Rail Connecting New Hampshire and Boston

WASHINGTON –  U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan today introduced the Capital Investment Grant Program Improvement Act to help spur federal investment in passenger rail from Boston to Nashua and Manchester. The bill would increase funding for the federal Capital Investment Grant program and prioritize projects connecting smaller cities to existing passenger rail in larger cities, making it easier for New Hampshire to secure the grant funding needed to move forward with passenger rail.

In Response to Alarming Growth of Online Child Sexual Abuse Imagery, Senator Hassan Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Urging Review of Federal Efforts to Crack Down on These Heinous Crimes

WASHINGTON – In response to the alarming growth of child sexual abuse materials available online, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today led a bipartisan, bicameral group of her colleagues in sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging a review of the federal government’s efforts to crack down on these heinous crimes. This bipartisan letter follows reporting from The New York Times, which found that technology companies reported 69 million online photos and videos showing the sexual abuse of children in 2019 alone, more than tripling the amount of content reported from 2017. The letter was also signed by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Representatives Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH).

NH Congressional Delegation Calls on House and Senate Leadership to Ensure that States Are Reimbursed for Spending on Coronavirus Response

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) wrote to House and Senate leadership calling for the inclusion of language in the coronavirus emergency supplemental spending bill to ensure that states, including New Hampshire, are reimbursed for the cost of their ongoing efforts to combat the virus. The letter follows the announcement of the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in the state.  As New Hampshire officials continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to officially confirm this finding, it is critical that the state government receives the necessary federal support to sustain and grow its coronavirus response. The State of New Hampshire is currently ramping up testing capabilities, investigating potential cases, communicating with federal partners and working with individual communities on containment and mitigation. 

Senator Hassan Questions Administration Officials on Coronavirus Response

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan questioned top administration officials about their agencies' efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus and provide consistent, accurate information to the public during a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing today.

NH Delegation Announces $712K in Federal Funding to Support Type 1 Diabetes Research

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) today announced the award of $712,837 in federal funding to Dartmouth College’s Center for Technology and Behavioral Health in support of the first year of a five-year research study to test new ways to better treat and control type 1 diabetes. Specifically, the funding will be used in support of a study led by Dr. Catherine Stanger, Principal Investigator, that will use new digital tools to support behavioral changes that will help young people with Type 1 Diabetes follow a complicated medical regimen and achieve better health outcomes. The funding will be distributed by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIDDK is housed under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).