Senators Hassan, Gardner Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Save Newborn Babies’ Lives

WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan bill to help save lives and improve the health of newborn babies by providing federal funding for comprehensive and standardized newborn screening tests for conditions such as critical congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, and hearing loss. The tests can identify treatable conditions that, if caught early, can prevent serious illness, lifetime disabilities, and even death.

Shaheen, Portman and Hassan Introduce Energy Efficiency Legislation

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC), which will improve energy efficiency in three key sectors – buildings, industrial, and the federal government. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) are cosponsors of the legislation. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, residential and commercial buildings accounted for about 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2018.  In addition, reports from the U.S. Department of Energy have found that the federal government is the largest single energy consumer in the country. By improving energy efficiency in these three key sectors, this legislation will help reduce emissions, protect the environment, and create jobs. The legislation also includes important provisions to reduce water usage and promote water conservation. A summary of the bill is here.

Legislation to End Surprise Medical Bills Passes Key House Committee

WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Committee today passed legislation to end surprise medical bills. Last month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on which Senator Hassan serves, also passed legislation to address this critical priority.

Senator Hassan Discusses Need to Reverse Wayfair Ruling on Internet Sales Tax With Online Retailers at NobleSpirit

PITTSFIELD – Senator Maggie Hassan today visited NobleSpirit to discuss the Supreme Court’s backward ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. with the leadership of NobleSpirit and other online retailers in New Hampshire. The Wayfair ruling requires businesses in non-sales tax states to collect sales tax for other states, creating a burdensome new tax collection system that many small businesses are struggling to comply with.

Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Senator Hassan to Prevent Law Enforcement Officer Suicide Passes House, Moves to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON – The United States House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill cosponsored by Senator Maggie Hassan that restores grant funding for law enforcement support services and allows grant recipients to use funds to establish suicide-prevention programs and mental health services for law enforcement officers. 

“Law enforcement officers are often involved in traumatic and dangerous situations that can take a heavy toll on their mental health,” Senator Hassan said. “This bipartisan bill would provide law enforcement with the support that they need to improve their mental and physical health as they work every day to keep our communities safe.”

NH Delegation Responds to Trump’s Opposition to Their Efforts to Ban DoD Use of PFAS Firefighting Foam

(Washington, DC)— U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), issued the following statement after the White House announced a potential veto of the House version of the defense authorization bill, which would ban the Department of Defense from using firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals, an effort that has been strongly supported by New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation. 

Senators Hassan, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorder

WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday introduced bipartisan legislation that would help health care providers more effectively treat patients suffering from substance use disorder. The bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act would eliminate an outdated requirement that needlessly restricts health care providers from prescribing buprenorphine, a proven medication-assisted treatment that has helped countless Americans struggling with substance use disorder. Companion legislation has also been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Senators Shaheen, Enzi and Hassan Applaud Senate Passage of Their Legislation that Honors Christa McAuliffe

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statements after the Senate passed their Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act last night, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by 81 Senators to create a commemorative coin to honor Christa McAuliffe, the Concord educator who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. The bill further reaffirms American commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, with proceeds from the coin supporting STEM education.

Senators Hassan and Shaheen Participate in Events in D.C. and New Hampshire To Highlight What’s At Stake Ahead of Oral Arguments To Overturn Health Care Law

WASHINGTON – To highlight what’s at stake ahead of today’s oral arguments in the Texas v. United States lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act, Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen joined Senate and House Democrats on the steps of the Capitol, where they held up photos of constituents who would be hurt if the Trump Administration succeeds in repealing the health care law through the courts. Senator Hassan held up a photo of Rosie from Amherst, NH who was born with cystic fibrosis. Senator Shaheen highlighted Ellie of Kingston, NH who was born with a rare and serious heart defect. Both Rosie and Ellie would face huge financial consequences if protections for people with pre-existing conditions were repealed.

NH Delegation Announces Over $4.5 Million in Federal Funding for Manchester Airport

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced $4,556,533 in federal funding for renovation projects and equipment purchases at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT).

NH Delegation Announce More than $13.5 Million in Federal Funding for Portsmouth International Airport

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), announced $13,506,533 in federal funding for a runway reconstruction project at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. The project will be funded through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Make Work Opportunity Tax Credit Permanent

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan cosponsored bipartisan legislation– the Work Opportunity Tax Credit & Jobs Act – to make permanent the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which encourages employers to hire individuals who face significant barriers to employment. Currently, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit expires on December 31, 2019.

Senator Hassan Visits Affordable Housing Complexes in Franklin and Portsmouth, Discusses Need to Tackle New Hampshire’s Housing Crisis

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan this week met with housing advocates, city officials, and residents at affordable housing complexes in Franklin and Portsmouth to highlight the need to tackle New Hampshire’s housing crisis. After a new report showed that New Hampshire ranks 12th worst in the country for rental housing affordability for workers, the Senator took a tour of the affordable housing complex Franklin Light and Power Mill on Tuesday, and earlier today visited the future site of the Court Street Workforce Housing Project in Portsmouth.

RELEASE: Pappas, Shaheen, and Hassan Announce $700,000 HHS Grant to Expand University of New Hampshire’s Nurse Practitioner Program

Manchester, NH- Today Representative Chris Pappas joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan in announcing a $700,000 grant for the University of New Hampshire’s Nurse Practitioner Program. These funds, granted through Health and Human Service’s Advanced Nursing Education Workforce program, will allow UNH to work with healthcare providers throughout New Hampshire to address the behavioral health and opioid crises. The grant will fund 23 nurse practitioner students annually who will be immersed in high need areas of the state to strengthen the integration of primary and behavioral health. Currently more than 65 percent of UNH nurse practitioner students are committed to working in rural and underserved areas.

Senator Hassan Tours New Computer Forensic Unit at Grafton County Sheriff’s Department

NORTH HAVERHILL – Senator Maggie Hassan today toured the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department’s new computer forensic unit, where she spoke with Grafton County Sheriff Jeff Stiegler and other local law enforcement officers about her efforts to support Northern New Hampshire’s unique public safety challenges as a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Senate Passes Bipartisan Defense Spending Bill, Includes Key Priorities Championed by Senator Hassan to Keep New Hampshire Safe and Secure

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today voted to approve the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which includes key priorities championed by Senator Hassan to keep New Hampshire safe and secure.

Senator Hassan Grills Senior U.S. Border Patrol Officer on Inhumane Conditions at Migrant Child Detention Centers on Southern Border

WASHINGTON – During a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Maggie Hassan today grilled U.S. Border Patrol’s Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Director, Brian Hastings, on the inhumane conditions at migrant dentition centers that have been reported at the southern border. 

Legislation to End Surprise Medical Bills Passes Senate Committee

WASHINGTON – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on which Senator Maggie Hassan serves, today passed bipartisan legislation to end surprise medical bills. The compromise measure to end surprise medical bills was included in a broader package of legislation to address health care costs called the Lower Health Care Costs Act.

Shaheen & Hassan Join Bipartisan, Bicameral Request for VA Plan to Repay $286 Million in Home Loan Fees Erroneously Charged to Disabled Veterans

(Washington, DC) — Yesterday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers on a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie, requesting information on the Department’s plans to repay $286.4 million in home loan fees that were erroneously charged to thousands of exempted veterans as part of the VA Home Loan Program. The request was led by Senator John Tester (D-MT), the lead Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA), Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Bipartisan Legislation Backed by NH Delegation to Help “Blue Water” Navy Veterans Secure Veterans Benefits Signed into Law

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), issued the following statements after the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act was signed into law last night. The bipartisan bill was backed by every member of New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation, and would create a permanent legislative fix to help ensure “Blue Water” Navy veterans get the disability and health care benefits they deserve as a result of exposure to the dangerous pesticide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.