Dear Friend,
Last week, I was excited to visit Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont and join with hospital officials to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has approved a $19.5 million Community Facilities Loan to Valley Regional. This loan will provide significant savings that the hospital will use to develop residential intensive treatment programs for people suffering from substance use disorder, which is critical as we continue to address the opioid crisis.
We know that taking on the opioid epidemic will require a comprehensive approach that includes improving access to treatment and recovery as well as supporting law enforcement. I was encouraged on Thursday when the Department of Justice announced $7.19 million in funding to be directed towards the Anti-Heroin Task Force Program in the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office. New Hampshire law enforcement will receive $688,856, which will provide important resources to help them stop the flow of illegal opioids and take down dealers who are fueling this crisis.
The Granite State law enforcement community does incredible and often harrowing work to protect our communities, including responding to the scenes of fatal overdoses. This is incredibly taxing, and I’m pleased that last week the House passed the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 which will improve mental health services for our brave men and women in uniform. We owe it to the brave men and women in law enforcement to ensure they have the support they need.
Last week, the House also passed legislation I cosponsored that will require harassment training for all Members of Congress, staff members, interns, and fellows. We need to address sexual harassment in all workplaces, on college campuses, in our military, and communities throughout the country and the halls of Congress can be no exception.
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You can watch my floor remarks on sexual harassment training here.
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I was disappointed that Congressional Republicans led by Senator Mitch McConnell forced their terrible tax plan through the Senate in the middle of the night over the weekend. Make no mistake, we need real tax reform that benefits hardworking families and small businesses. Unfortunately, when we look at the Republican plan it largely benefits corporate special interests and the very wealthiest individuals. I’ll continue to fight this plan and I urge my colleagues to work together across the aisle to enact real bipartisan tax reform that starts with the middle class.
Please continue to stay in touch. Your voice is critical to my work in Congress and I look forward to hearing your ideas, thoughts, questions, and concerns. You can reach my Concord office at 603-226-1002.
Thank you and have a great week!
