WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) applauded the announcement that the cap on H-2B seasonal worker visas, which are critical to New Hampshire's economy, has been increased. This will allow an additional 22,000 temporary, non-agricultural visa spots to open. "This announcement about increasing the number of H-2B visas is good news for the New Hampshire economy, but as I have said before, more action is   more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Following the release of a government watchdog report exposing alarming instances of sexual harassment by employees and management failures at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Representatives Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) are introducing bipartisan and bicameral legislation to drastically improve policies and   more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 21, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after successfully adding three amendments to the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, which cleared the Committee on a bipartisan vote. The historic legislation would develop U.S. policy to address strategic, economic and diplomatic tools for a global strateg  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Legislation introduced by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) to extend the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) temporary order to keep fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act passed the House unanimously, sending the legislation to the Senate. Chemical versions of fentanyl are ever-changing and traffickers intentionally make small variations in substances, knowing that th  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) applauded the announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award New Hampshire $77,393,843 in grants from the American Rescue Plan to provide relief for child care providers and support working families who need access to affordable child car  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, April 23 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 22, 2021: Yesterday, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) met virtually with librarians from the New Hampshire Library Association to discuss the impact of the American Rescue Plan, support for ongoing community efforts as New Hampshire recovers from the pandemic, expanding access to high-speed broadband, bolstering workforce development, and improving access to quality, affordable healthcare.   more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 20, 2021: Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, participated in a full Committee hearing entitled, "Rural Broadband - Examining Internet Connectivity Needs and Opportunities in Rural America." The Committee heard from broadband experts about the state of broadband for farmers and rural communities and steps Congress can take to expand access to communities acros  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, April 19 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 17, 2021: Rep. Annie Kuster joined a deployment ceremony for the members of the New Hampshire National Guard 169th Aviation Regiment before a yearlong overseas deployment to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian (KFOR). During the ceremony, Kuster thanked the guardsmen for their service to New Hampshire and the country. "The brave men and women of the 169th Aviation Regiment  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) applauded the announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award New Hampshire $77,393,843 in grants from the American Rescue Plan to provide relief for child care providers and support working families who need access to affordable child care. T  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 20, 2021: Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee, participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled, "Generating Equity: Deploying a Just and Clean Energy Future." The Subcommittee heard from energy sector experts about the current state of equity in the nation's clean energy infrastructure and the steps Congress can take to support efforts to equi  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, voted in favor of the bipartisan Extending Temporary 5 Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act. This legislation will extend the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) temporary order placing fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, a designation reserved for subst  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, April 24 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a member of the House Rural Broadband Task Force and Energy & Commerce Committee, welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to New Hampshire to discuss the importance of the American Jobs Plan and the positive impact it will have on New Hampshire. Later, Kuster joined Vice President Harris and other members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation   more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $405,105 in federal grants from the American Rescue Plan to Head Start programs in New Hampshire. Recipients include Southern New Hampshire Services, Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties  more

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire, April 22 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 21, 2021: Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced today that FEMA has begun accepting applications for funeral assistance for Granite Staters who've lost loved ones to COVID-19. Rep. Pappas helped pass this program as part of the American Rescue Plan. New Hampshire residents who paid for funeral expenses after January 20, 2020, for an individual whose death may have been cau  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) held a virtual information session with the New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association to answer questions and raise awareness about the new COVID-19 funeral assistance program run through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Pappas is reminding Granite Staters that FEMA has now begun accepting applications for funeral assistance for Granite Staters who've   more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), who serves as the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Small Business Caucus, called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to work with the Small Business Administration to ensure that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has sufficient funds to guarantee that all eligible entities that apply through the May 31, 2021 deadline are able to receive a loan.   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) has introduced legislation to extend the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) temporary order to keep fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets. This is a designation used for substances with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Chemical versions of fentany  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 21, 2021: Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), who serves as the Chair of Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, introduced the PFAS Registry Act alongside a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), and Rep. Antonio Delgado (NY-19). Reps. Pappas, Fitzpatrick, Kuster, and Delgado al  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 22, 2021: Today Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), and Jim Banks (IN-03) and Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would help states implement "Green Alert" systems to locate at-risk veterans when they go missing so that they can receive appropriate care, similar to the AMBER Alert system for children or S  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) cosponsored the TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to expand health care coverage to National Guard and Reserve retirees who are eligible to receive retirement pay before age 60. Under current law, Reserve Component personnel may retire younger tha  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Ahead of Drug Take Back Day on April 24, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan visited the Manchester Police Department to encourage Granite Staters to participate in Drug Take Back Day. The Senator was joined by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Associate Special Agent in Charge of the New England Field Division Jon DeLena and Manchester Police Chief Al Aldenberg. "We know far too well the painful impact   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined in reintroducing the Healthy Families Act to allow workers to use paid sick leave to stay home when they are sick or to care for a sick family member. The bill would also cover workers who seek preventive medical care or assistance related to domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. "No Granite Stater should be forced to choose between getting a payche  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) voted to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), to help combat the surge in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country. "Since the beginning of this pandemic, some have spread false, hateful, and dangerous narratives surrounding the COVID-19 virus - and in turn we have seen a surge in hate cr  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined 13 of her colleagues, including seven Republican Senators and six additional Democratic Senators, in introducing the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act. The bill advances and solidifies the United States' leadership in scientific and technological innovation through increased investments in the discovery, creation, and manufacturing of technology critical to U.S.  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 22, 2021: Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would help states implement "Green Alert" systems to locate at-risk veterans when they go missing so that they can receive appropriate care, similar to the AMBER Alert system for children or Silver Alert system  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) applauded the announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award New Hampshire $77,393,843 in grants from the American Rescue Plan to provide relief for child care providers and support working families who need access to affordable child care  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 21, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) helped reintroduce the Medicare at 50 Act to give people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old the option of buying into Medicare. Millions of Americans approaching retirement or forced to retire early due to layoffs or mandatory retirement face increasing health care needs and rising costs. "Health care costs for many Granite State families ar  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 20, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Congresswomen Jackie Speier (CA-14), Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced their bipartisan bill, the Access to Contraception for Servicemembers and Dependents Act, to ensure military families receive the quality reproductive health care they deserve. The bill would bring health care provided by the military in li  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned top Biden administration officials on issues critical to New Hampshire and the nation during a committee hearing on the American Jobs Plan. The hearing's witnesses included Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, Department  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and Representatives David Trone (D-MD) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) announced the reintroduction of the Fighting Emerging Narcotics Through Additional Nations to Yield Lasting (FENTANYL) Results Act to increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking. The group first introduced the bill last Congress, and the U.S. Hou  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement after participating in an Oval Office meeting on infrastructure with President Biden and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress who previously served as governors or mayors. Senator Shaheen served three terms as Governor of New Hampshire. "I appreciated the opportunity to meet with President Biden and underscore the important in  more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) - a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation SFRC Subcommittee - applauded the Committee passage of the Ukraine Security Partnership Act earlier this week. Shaheen reintroduced the bipartisan legislation with SFRC Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Jim Risch   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, along with other members of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus, recently sent a letter to President Biden, calling on the administration to continue support to Ukraine, as it faces an unprovoked buildup of Russian military forces. In just the past month, attacks on Ukraine by Russia killed 31 Ukrainian soldiers. The Senators also pointed out that Congress has provided   more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $405,105 in federal grants from the American Rescue Plan to Head Start programs in New Hampshire. Recipients include Southern New Hampshire Services, Community Action Program Belk  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following testimony by New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner at a hearing entitled "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote" on April 20, 2021: * * * My name is Bill Gardner and since 1976, I have had the privilege to serve as the New Hampshire Secretary of State and its Chief Election Official. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about a critically important issue that impacts all of us: th  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), both members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, to honor Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) for their work supporting veterans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution discusses the immense challenges that veterans have faced during the pandemic, including the loss of   more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), James Lankford (R-OK), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Military Spouses Retirement Security Act, a bipartisan bill that would help spouses of active duty service members save for retirement by expanding access to employer-sponsored retirement plans. Many American households struggle to save for their golden years, especially as the e  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, reintroduced the bipartisan Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act to better support kinship caregivers - the vast majority of whom are grandparents - who have taken over as primary caregivers for children exposed to substance misuse or other trauma. Companion l  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced the bipartisan Veterans' Education, Transition, and Opportunity Prioritization Plan (VET OPP) Act (S. 1093) to prioritize veterans' employment, transition, and education benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Representatives Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S.   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 19, 2021: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced today that they will again co-chair the Senate NATO Observer Group, which they established together in 2018. The expanded mission of the Senate NATO Observer Group is to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process   more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped reintroduce bipartisan legislation that would incentivize the use of energy efficient biomass heaters in homes and businesses instead of relying on fossil fuel energy. The updated Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act would amend the federal tax code to incentivize the use of energy efficient wood boilers, stoves and heaters through  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped reintroduce bipartisan legislation that would incentivize the use of energy efficient biomass heaters in homes and businesses instead of relying on fossil fuel energy. The updated Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act would amend the federal tax code to incentivize the use of energy efficient wood boilers, stoves and heaters through   more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 20, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) - a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the SFRC Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation - and U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), the subcommittee's ranking member, released a bipartisan statement applauding the April 19 agreement reached in Georgia to address the ongoing political crisis. "W  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 20, 2021: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and chair of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, wrote a letter with Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of this week's Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Conference of Stat  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced her bipartisan legislation with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) last week to help track contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at military installations. The PFAS Registry Act would create a national database for service members and veterans and allow them to receive updates on recent scientific developments - including the effects of P  more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the bipartisan Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act yesterday. Representatives Joe Wilson (SC-02) Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) introduced companion legislation in the House, which unanimously passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week. "There is a bipartisan urgency in Congress to demonstrate su  more

WASHINGTON, April 23 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release on April 22, 2021: The Senate cleared legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to address the rise of hate crimes and violence targeted at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would assign a point person at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes, improve hate crime   more