Senator Hassan Statement on Bipartisan Opioid Legislation Agreement

Statement

Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today following an announced agreement between the House of Representatives and Senate on major bipartisan legislation to combat the deadly opioid epidemic in New Hampshire and across the country. The legislation, now known as the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act), includes key measures that Senator Hassan has championed to strengthen prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. This bipartisan, bicameral agreement will now allow the final legislation to swiftly move through both chambers for a vote and then to the President's desk for signature.

"The bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes many priorities that the people of New Hampshire -- particularly those on the front lines of this crisis -- have been calling for," said Senator Hassan, who helped develop the legislation as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "This legislation includes measures I worked on with members of both parties to help ensure that states hardest hit by this crisis, like New Hampshire, get their fair share of federal resources, to expand access to medication-assisted treatment, crack down on fentanyl shipped through the mail, and to support law enforcement, among other critical priorities. I am also pleased that the final agreement between the House and Senate includes important improvements to the legislation, including expanding Medicaid coverage to cover treatment at more inpatient treatment facilities and giving nurse practitioners and physician assistants permanent authority to prescribe medication-assisted treatment. While I am glad that this bill is one step closer to becoming law, our work is far from over, and I will continue working every single day to ensure that those battling addiction have what they need to get their lives back on track."

The bipartisan legislation includes a number of measures that Senator Hassan either authored or cosponsored to help turn the tide of this epidemic and save lives, including ensuring that states hardest-hit by the epidemic like New Hampshire receive their fair share of resources; establishing comprehensive recovery centers for those struggling with addiction; expanding access to medication-assisted treatment; giving nurse practitioners and physician assistants permanent authority to prescribe medication-assisted treatment; expanding medication-assisted treatment prescribing authority to additional advance practice registered nurses; improving recovery housing opportunities; supporting law enforcement in their efforts to curb the shipment of deadly fentanyl into the United States from other countries; crack down on bad actors in the pharmaceutical industry; and more.

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