Statement from Governor Hassan on Passage of CARA by U.S. Congress

Statement

Governor Maggie Hassan issued the following statement after passage today of the federal Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act by the United States Congress:

"As Vice Chair of the National Governors Association Health and Human Services Committee, I have worked with my fellow Governors in urging federal action to support states as we work to combat the heroin and opioid crisis with a comprehensive strategy to support law enforcement and strengthen prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. The federal Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act reflects some of the priorities that we have pushed for with the National Governors Association, and I am glad to see bipartisan recognition of the need to address the issue, but that must be backed up by emergency federal funds, which unfortunately Congress has failed to do. Here in New Hampshire, we have worked across party lines to provide additional resources to those battling this horrible epidemic on the front lines, and we need Washington to do the same."

Last December, Governor Hassan and her fellow New England Governors called on Congress to help states expand access to treatment medication for those suffering from addiction to opioids, and in February, Governor Hassan and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, as Vice Chair and Chair of the National Governors Association Health and Human Services Committee, released the Governors' Priorities for Addressing the Nation's Opioid Crisis, which included expanding access to treatment.

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