Press Releases
During HELP Hearing, Senator Hassan Questions Higher Education Experts on Strategies to Increase Graduation Rates, Lower Student Loan Debt Burden
WASHINGTON – During a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing today, Senator Maggie Hassan questioned higher education experts about how to help students complete degrees and the harmful impact of a proposed graduate student loan cap on students.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 18, 2018
Senator Hassan Announces Mark Cournoyer of Jaffrey as January “Granite Stater of the Month”
WASHINGTON - Senator Maggie Hassan announced today her "Granite Stater of the Month" for January, Mark Cournoyer, of Jaffrey, who has dedicated himself to making our roads safer by educating drivers - particularly new drivers - about the serious danger and potentially tragic consequences of distracted driving. Senator Hassan launched the "Granite Stater of the Month" initiative last year to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make thei… Continue Reading
January 17, 2018
Senator Hassan Leads Colleagues in Calling on President Trump to Nominate Strong, Experienced Leadership to Key Drug Policy Positions
WASHINGTON – Following reports that a 24-year-old with no relevant work experience served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a group of nine colleagues in calling on President Trump to nominate strong, experienced leadership to key drug policy positions and to provide information on all political appointees serving in key drug policy positions, including those appointees’ relevant qualifications.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 17, 2018
Senator Hassan Joins Colleagues in Introducing Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction
WASHINGTON – Today, As part of her efforts to combat the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid epidemic and help save lives, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Susan Collins (R-ME), in introducing the bipartisan Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act, to expand access to medication-assisted therapies for opioid addiction. The legislation codifies a 2016 regulation that expanded the number of patients that qualified physicians could treat with life-saving medication-assisted therapies such as buprenorphine from 100 to 275. The legislation also builds upon a pilot program established in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), signed into law in 2016, allowing non-physician qualified health practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine, making this authorization permanent and expanding the types of professionals who qualify.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 17, 2018
Senator Hassan, Colleagues Question Administration Decision to Suspend Updates to Database on Effective Substance Misuse and Mental Health Treatment Practices
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today sent a letter to Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), following reports that SAMHSA has suspended updates to the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) – a database of effective addiction and mental health treatment practices. The registry is an important tool in helping behavioral health professionals and advocacy groups identify treatment options for behavioral health and substance use disorder.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 16, 2018
Senators Shaheen and Hassan Announce Federal Grants to New Hampshire Homeless Assistance Programs
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today announced the New Hampshire recipients of $7.2 million in Fiscal Year 2017 Continuum of Care (CoC) Competition Program awards, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program designed to help state and local governments and organizations reduce homelessness. The full list of New Hampshire recipients can be read here.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 16, 2018
Senator Hassan Visits Safe Harbor Recovery Center, Discusses Importance of Expanding Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Services
PORTSMOUTH – Senator Maggie Hassan visited Safe Harbor Recovery Center today where she met with the Center’s leadership and staff and discussed the importance of expanding substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. The Senator also commended the Center’s efforts to help people in recovery secure jobs and supportive housing.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 16, 2018
Shaheen, Hassan Call on Senate Leadership to Prioritize Opioid Funding in Budget Deal
(Washington, DC) – Today, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a letter to Senate Leadership and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, urging budget negotiators to include Shaheen and Hassan’s proposal of $25 billion in additional funding to combat the opioid epidemic.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 12, 2018
Senators Shaheen, Hassan Join Colleagues in Urging President Trump to Renew the Opioid Public Health Emergency Declaration
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined their colleagues today in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to renew the opioid public health emergency declaration because of little action since its original declaration in October.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 12, 2018
Senator Hassan Visits Laconia Elementary School, Discusses Critical Importance of Substance Misuse Prevention and Behavioral Health Programs with District Administrators
LACONIA – Senator Maggie Hassan met with Laconia School District Administrators today and visited Pleasant Street School where she discussed the importance of the District’s innovative efforts to prevent substance misuse and address students’ behavioral health and wellness.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 11, 2018
Senators Shaheen, Hassan Help Introduce Bipartisan New England Offshore Drilling Ban
WASHINGTON – Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped introduce bipartisan legislation with a group of their fellow New England Senators to bar offshore drilling along the New England coast. The New England Coastal Protection Act responds to a move by the Trump administration to open up Atlantic waters to offshore oil and natural gas exploration and extraction, putting vital coastline at risk and threatening a central economic engine for New England.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 11, 2018
Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bill to Strengthen Mental Health Parity Laws
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today helped introduce the Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act, a bill sponsored by Congressman Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-4) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to hold health insurers accountable for providing adequate mental health benefits and increase transparency for consumers seeking coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders. According to a National Alliance on Mental Illness report, insurers denied authorization for mental … Continue Reading
January 11, 2018
Bipartisan Hassan-Gardner Connected Government Act Signed into Law
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the bipartisan Connected Government Act, which was introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), was signed into law by President Trump. The Connected Government Act will expand access to government services and information by requiring that all new federal websites are mobile-friendly.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 10, 2018
Key Opioid Legislation Cosponsored by Shaheen and Hassan Signed Into Law
(Washington, DC) – Key opioid legislation cosponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to help ensure U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has tools to help detect and intercept fentanyl and other illegal synthetic opioids was signed into law this evening. The International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators, including Ed Markey (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
… Continue ReadingJanuary 09, 2018
Senators Shaheen and Hassan Speak Out Against Trump Administration’s Offshore Drilling Reversal
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today joined more than three dozen of their colleagues in sharply criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to reopen offshore drilling leases three years ahead of schedule. This decision puts vast stretches of coastline along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and in the Arctic at risk.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 09, 2018
Shaheen and Hassan Hold Press Conference to Call for $25 Billion Investment in Budget Agreement to Combat the Opioid Crisis
**The $25 billion proposal over two years would be invested in SAMHSA, CDC, FDA, NIH, HRSA, Medicare and Medicaid** **CDC recently confirmed that the opioid crisis has spread so fiercely that it has reversed the national trend towards longer life expectancy for two years in a row--the first time this has happened since the early 1960's** (Washington, DC) - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) held a press conference to announce a Democratic proposal for $25 bi… Continue Reading
January 09, 2018
During HELP Committee Hearing, Senator Hassan Questions Award-Winning Author and Reporter Sam Quinones on Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role Contributing to the Opioid Crisis
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan questioned Sam Quinones, author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic,” about the role that the pharmaceutical industry has played in contributing to the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis during a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing today.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 09, 2018
Senator Hassan Statement on Passing of Former Director of New Hampshire State Police Colonel Paul O’Leary
WASHINGTON - Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement on the passing of Colonel Paul O’Leary, former Director of New Hampshire State Police.
… Continue ReadingJanuary 05, 2018
Senator Hassan Statement on Passing of State Rep. Harold “Chip” Rice
WASHINGTON - Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement on the passing of New Hampshire State Representative Harold “Chip” Rice:
… Continue ReadingJanuary 05, 2018
Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation To Help Prevent Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
WASHINGTON -- Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) cosponsored bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act of 2017 would void forced arbitration agreements that prevent sexual harassment survivors from getting the justice they deserve.
… Continue Reading