Senator Hassan Participates in Annual New Hampshire Small Business Matchmaker Event, Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting Innovative Small Businesses

MANCHESTER – Senator Maggie Hassan today participated in the annual New Hampshire Small Business Matchmaker event, where she spoke to representatives of small businesses and their counterparts in state and federal agencies, discussing the importance of building a stronger workforce and ensuring that New Hampshire’s innovative small businesses have the resources and opportunities that they need to thrive.

Senator Hassan Recognizes Thompson E. Potter III of Epping as November 2018 Granite Stater of the Month

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today recognized Portsmouth Police Officer Thompson E. Potter III of Epping as the November 2018 Granite Stater of the Month for his work helping send students from traditionally underserved backgrounds to summer camp.

Senate HELP Committee Advances Bipartisan Bills Supported by Senator Hassan to Enhance the Health and Well-Being of Granite Staters and Americans

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted to approve bipartisan legislation supported by Senator Hassan – a member of the Committee – to help improve the health and well-being of Granite Staters and Americans, particularly women in need of maternity care and individuals impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Shaheen, Hassan and Bipartisan Group of Senators Call for Reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools Funding

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate leadership with 23 Senators yesterday, calling for a one-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program in any year-end funding measures. The SRS program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service and supports public schools, public roads, forest health projects, emergency services and many other essential county services. Three New Hampshire counties including Coos, Grafton and Carroll, receive payments through the SRS program to help offset the loss of revenue from timber receipts on federal forests. This year, New Hampshire has received a total of $446,161 from the U.S. Forest Service with nearly half of those funds coming through the SRS program.

Senator Hassan Statement on CDC 2017 Drug Overdose Death Rate Report

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new report on the rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States. The report found that the drug overdose death rate in New Hampshire in 2017 remained about the same as the previous year, but the national rate was nearly 10 percent higher than it was in 2016. The report also found a 45 percent increase from 2016 to 2017 in drug deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Shaheen, Hassan & Shea-Porter Announce $312K to Families in Transition

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) announced $312,220 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to Families in Transition in Manchester. This grant will fund Families in Transition’s Connections to Recovery Program, which will support outreach and care for an estimated 160 homeless individuals who are struggling with substance use disorders annually in New Hampshire.

Senator Hassan Emphasizes Importance of Tackling Surprise Medical Bills During Senate Hearing on Health Care Costs

WASHINGTON – Today, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on health care costs, Senator Maggie Hassan highlighted a bill she recently introduced that would help end surprise medical bills from emergency care or care that patients thought was in their insurance network.

Senator Hassan Presses FTC Commissioners on Oversight of Deceptive Marketing Practices of Opioids

WASHINGTON – During a U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing yesterday, Senator Maggie Hassan questioned Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners about the FTC’s oversight of the pharmaceutical industry’s deceptive marketing practices for opioids. To watch Senator Hassan’s questioning, click here.

Shaheen Leads Group of Senators Calling on Senate Leadership to Act Now to Protect Small Businesses from Burdensome Sales Tax Collection Requirement

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, sent a letter with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), calling on Senate Leadership to take action before the end of the year to protect small businesses from red tape resulting from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. In the wake of the ruling, many states have passed laws requiring out-of-state small businesses to start collecting sales taxes as soon as January 1st. The letter requests a delay to allow more time for Congress to enact protections for small businesses and urges a ban on retroactive collection requirements.

Duckworth & Hassan: VA Inspector General Must Investigate Potential Legal & Ethics Violations at Trump’s VA

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) applauded the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) decision to probe whether several wealthy friends of Donald Trump improperly influenced policy decisions at VA, including its electronic health records modernization project as a ProPublica investigation revealed earlier this year. The Senators also reiterated their call for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (IG) to launch a full investigation into how Trump’s friends, who are not government employees and have little relevant experience, have inappropriately dictated a number of VA actions and used the department to advance their own business and personal interests. The VA IG had previously told Duckworth and Hassan they will evaluate whether VA officials inappropriately used private email to conduct government business in response to Duckworth and Hassan’s request for an investigation.

Shaheen & Hassan Respond to Findings for Northeast Region in Federal Climate Change Report

(Washington, DC)— U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statements after the Trump administration released on Friday a report on the effects of climate change, which includes specific findings for the Northeast region. The report details the profound impact climate change is having, and will continue to have, on the region’s environment, economy and public health:  

Senator Hassan Participates in Field Hearing on Columbia Gas Pipeline Explosions

LAWRENCE, MA – Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today questioned executives from Columbia Gas and its parent company, NiSource, as well as federal regulators, about the natural gas pipeline explosions and fires that occurred on September, 13, 2018, in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, Massachusetts. The incident left one person dead, more than two dozen injured, and damaged more than 100 structures, including 5 homes.

Shaheen & Hassan Applaud Army Corps Approval of Hampton-Seabrook Harbor Emergency Dredging

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ (The Corps) release of their fiscal year 2019 work plan, which includes $4.6 million to move emergency dredging efforts for Hampton-Seabrook Harbor.

Kuster, Hassan Join Survivor Advocates to Highlight Negative Impact of DeVos Rollback of Title IX

(Concord, NH) – Today at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) headquarters, Representative Annie Kuster (NH-02) and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined survivor advocates from the NHCADSV, the University of New Hampshire Prevention Innovations Research Center, Keene State College, Colby Sawyer College, Plymouth State University, and Rivier University to highlight the potential negative impacts of the proposed changes to Title IX announced on Friday by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The suggested changes to Title IX include narrowing the definition of sexual harassment, establishing a higher legal standard on which to hold schools accountable for ignoring wrongdoing, and constraining the purview schools have to investigate accusations against students. Title IX mandates equal opportunity to education without regard to gender, and empowers schools, colleges, and universities to improve resources for survivors and conduct internal investigations into reported incidents of sexual violence.

Shaheen & Hassan Demand Documents on EPA’s Abrupt Dismissal of Scientists from Advisory Committees

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) yesterday demanded information and documents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about its recent dismissal and appointment of members to its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and its decision to disband two key scientific air pollution advisory panels. They also raised concerns about the EPA’s nomination of 174 individuals, some with troubling backgrounds and financial ties, to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board. Shaheen and Hassan joined Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and a group of senators to point out that the scientists on federal advisory committees are supposed to provide independent, scientific, and technical advice to EPA administrators on major agency programs.

Senator Hassan Statement on Sanctions Against Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s announcement that it has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabian officials over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi:

Senator Hassan to Nominee for Director of ICE: “We have the capacity in the United States of America to control our borders without harming children"

WASHINGTON – As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Maggie Hassan today questioned Ronald Vitiello during his nomination hearing to become the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Senator Hassan specifically pressed the nominee on the long-term health impacts on children that result from detaining families indefinitely and separating children from their parents, as well as ICE’s treatment of members of New Hampshire’s Indonesian community.

NH Delegation Announces Additional $2.4 Million In VAWA Funding

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) announced an additional $2,441,735 in grants from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women. Shaheen, the lead Democrat of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, has led efforts in Congress to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and has secured historic federal funding through the yearly appropriations process to fund the Office on Violence Against Women. The New Hampshire delegation previously announced $449,139 to Strafford County, and the additional grants announced today include $1,447,290 to the State of New Hampshire, $457,243 to Grafton County, $238,112 to the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and $299,090 to the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success. The grant funding awarded to New Hampshire for Fiscal Year 2018 totals $2,890,874.

Warren, Markey Lead Massachusetts, New England Delegations in Unveiling Resolution Honoring Boston Red Sox World Series Victory

Washington, DC - Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey today led the New England Senate delegation and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation in introducing a resolution to congratulate the Boston Red Sox on their 2018 World Series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The resolution, which recognizes the Red Sox players, coaching staff, and management for their contributions to the team's historic season, thanks the world champions for their dedication to the City of Boston and all of Red Sox Nation.

Senator Hassan Statement on EPA Draft Toxicity Assessments for PFAS Chemicals

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released draft toxicity assessments for GenX and PFBS, which are both under the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The assessments found levels at which exposure to the chemicals can create health issues: