Senator Hassan Delivers Senate Floor Speech Opposing Bill to Eliminate Retirement Savings Provisions for Small Business Workers

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing a measure that would overturn the Department of Labor's rule that gives states the flexibility to help small business workers save for retirement. The Department of Labor rule supports states' efforts to enter into innovative, public-private partnerships that would increase personal savings rates for employees of small businesses.

Shaheen, Hassan Join Bipartisan Letter Calling for Funding for State Veterans Homes

WASHINGTON - U.S Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of colleagues on a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies urging them to support robust funding for State Veterans Homes that help provide long-term care to our nation's veterans. Federal funds provided by the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program allow states to make critical facility upgrades or construct new facilities to serve aging veteran populations. For fiscal year 2017, only 10 of the 57 highest priority projects were funded, resulting in a backlog of facilities requiring upgrades or new construction.

Senator Hassan Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to High-Quality Career and Technical Education in High Schools

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Todd Young (R-IN) in introducing the bipartisanCTE Excellence and Equity Actto support re-designing the high school experience to include courses more relevant to the 21^stcentury workforce to better prepare students for future careers. The bill would provide federal funding for partnerships between school districts, employers, and institutions of higher education in New Hampshire and other states that integrate high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs into high schools. These partnerships help students earn industry recognized credentials or credit toward a postsecondary degree or certificate and an understanding of the relevance of coursework in the context of a future career. According to the nonpartisan organization Achieve, nearly 80 percent of college instructors and 60 percent of employers indicate that public high schools fall short in preparing students for postsecondary education

Senator Hassan Part of New Bipartisan Effort to Improve Broken Veterans Affairs Appeals Process

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Jon Tester (D-MT) in introducing the bipartisan Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 to help reduce wait times and improve the process for veterans in New Hampshire and America seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Shaheen, Hassan Join Colleagues to Reintroduce Historic, Comprehensive LGBT Non-Discrimination Legislation

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined 44 Senators to re-introduce historic, comprehensive federal legislation to ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. The Equality Act of 2017 would ensure full federal non-discrimination equality by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to other protected classes, such as race or religion, in existing federal laws. The bill would explicitly ban discrimination in a host of areas, including employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, and federal funding. The bill would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, including in public accommodations and federal funding.

Senator Hassan Cosponsoring Bipartisan Senior$afe Act to Help Protect Older Granite Staters from Financial Exploitation and Fraud

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced that she is cosponsoring the Senior$afe Act of 2017,bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to help protect older Granite Staters and Americans from financial exploitation and fraud. The legislation provides support to regulators, financial institutions, and legal organizations to educate employees about identifying and preventing financial exploitation of older Americans.

Senator Hassan Kicks Off Small Business Week at Great North Aleworks in Manchester

MANCHESTER - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan kicked off Small Business Weekat Great North Aleworks, where she toured the facility, met with employees, and highlighted the importance of New Hampshire's small businesses to job creation and economic growth. The Senator also announced that she is cosponsoring the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act to support New Hampshire's growing craft brewing industry.

Senator Hassan Statement on Additional Resources to Combat Substance Misuse in Government Funding Agreement

WASHINGTON - Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement on the government funding agreement that includes an increase in funding to combat the heroin, fentanyl, and opioid crisis:

Senator Hassan Helps Introduce the COAST Act to Ban Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Along the East Coast

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped introduce the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act to ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. The legislation was introduced in response to President Trump signing an executive order last week that takes the first steps toward allowing offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean along the East Coast.

Shaheen and Hassan Join Bipartisan Group of Senators in Support of International Affairs Budget

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of more than three dozen U.S. Senators urging "robust funding" for the Fiscal Year 2018 International Affairs Budget. In a letter to the respective Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, 43 senators said, "At a time when we face multiple national security challenges around the world, deep cuts in this area would be shortsighted, counterproductive, and even dangerous."

Senator Hassan Announces She is Cosponsoring Two Bipartisan Bills to Help Build a Stronger Workforce and Expand Economic Opportunity for Granite Staters

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan announced that she is cosponsoring two bipartisan bills to help develop a stronger workforce and expand economic opportunity for Granite Staters. The Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act and the Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act would increase access to job training programs and encourage both employers and employees to take advantage of apprenticeship opportunities.

ICYMI: Senator Hassan Introduces TICKETS Act in Response to United Incident

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Senator Maggie Hassan introduced the Transparency, Improvements, and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe (TICKETS) Act to strengthen consumer protections for the flying public and help prevent future incidents like the one that occurred on United Flight 3411.

Senator Hassan Votes Against Dr. Scott Gottlieb’s Nomination for FDA Commissioner in HELP Committee

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after voting in opposition to the nomination of President Trump's nominee for FDA Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee:

Senator Hassan Statement on FCC Chairman Pai’s Plans to Undermine Net Neutrality

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after Chairman Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a plan that would undermine net neutrality:

Following Constructive White House Meeting, Shaheen & Hassan Outline Changes Needed to Opioid Funding Formula in Letter to Administration

WASHINGTON -Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price outlining changes needed to the formula for opioid funding provided through the 21st Century Cures Act. The formula used for funding in Fiscal Year 2017 did not provide adequate resources for states like New Hampshire hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. The senator's letter follows a meeting they attended at the White House yesterday with Governor Chris Christie, the Chairman of the President's recently-established commission tasked with recommending policies to address the opioid crisis. During their meeting, Chairman Christie acknowledged that there are problems with the current funding formula and that the Commission would revisit the formula and consider reforms. Secretary Price has also stated that his agency will review this formula ahead of distribution next year.

Senators Hassan, Schatz Introduce Legislation in Response to United Airlines Incident

WASHINGTON - Today, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced legislation to strengthen consumer protections for the flying public and help prevent future incidents like the one that occurred on United Flight 3411 when a ticketed passenger was forcibly removed from the aircraft. The Transparency, Improvements, and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe (TICKETS) Act will guarantee that a boarded passenger has the right to fly, address compensation limits for ticket-holding travelers, improve transparency, review ticket over-selling practices, and require flight crews seeking accommodations to provide more advanced notice.

Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Help Boost Economic Development and Job Creation in Economically Distressed Communities

WASHINGTON - Today, building on her efforts to support innovative businesses, expand middle class opportunity, and boost economic development, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced that she is cosponsoring the Investing in Opportunity Act, a bipartisan bill to boost economic growth and job creation by creating new incentives for private sector investments in economically distressed communities.

Shaheen and Hassan to Meet at the White House to Provide Input on the President's Policies Regarding the Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON - This afternoon, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and a bipartisan group of senators will participate in a meeting with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Chairman of the President's recently-established commissiontasked with recommending policies to address the opioid crisis.

Senator Hassan Responds to United Airlines’ Failure to Respond to Basic Questions about Troubling Incident with Passenger

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) responded to United Airlines' failure to meet a deadline for answering basic questions regarding the incident of a ticketed passenger being forcibly removed on Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville. Senator Hassan is a member of the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Senator Hassan Statement Following White House Meeting on the Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON - This afternoon, Senator Maggie Hassan joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen and a bipartisan group of Senators at a White House meeting on the opioid crisis with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who chairs the President's recently established opioid commission.