Hello, everyone! 

It has been an exciting few weeks in Congress and across the Granite State, and I wanted to give you a quick update on some important work that I’ve been doing on your behalf: 

Sitting Down for Gun Safety 

Sitting with colleagues on the House floor to demand a vote on gun safety bills.

I was horrified and heartbroken by the brutal attack that took place in Orlando, Florida on June 12. With 49 Americans dead and many more wounded, I joined the nation in mourning the lives lost as a result of extremism and terror. Tragically, these incidents are becoming all too common across America. We cannot stand idly by without taking action to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. While I am a strong supporter of the 2^nd Amendment and New Hampshire’s historic tradition of gun ownership for law abiding citizens, it is high time that Congress takes action to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists with evil intent so we can protect our communities.

I was therefore proud to join my colleagues in a historic sit-in on the House floor to demand a vote on legislation that would prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns, and would expand background checks. Congress and leaders across the nation will not tolerate these attacks on the American spirit, and I will keep fighting to keep our communities safe from acts of senseless violence. 

Protecting our Students and Campuses 

With over one-in-five women undergraduate students reporting that they were sexually assaulted while enrolled at a college or university, campus sexual violence continues to disrupt far too many lives across the country each and every year. After hearing the brave words of the Stanford rape case’s ‘Emily Doe,’ I was inspired to elevate the national conversation about sexual assault however I could, so these women could come out of the shadows and we could work together to put an end to sexual violence. Earlier this month, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to read Emily Doe's statement publically – the first time in history a victim’s statement has ever been read on the House floor – and enter it into the Congressional Record. Adding to this dialogue also meant finally coming forward and sharing my own experiences, in order to highlight that – while not always as extreme as what happened to Emily Doe – every woman has had experiences that are unacceptable and never should have been allowed to happen. I did not share my experiences because they were remarkable or unique. Sadly, I shared them because they are far too common. 

Talking with educators, students, and advocates during the roundtable in Lebanon.

That’s why on Monday, I convened a roundtable discussion with educators, students, and advocates from across the Upper Valley to continue this important conversation, in hopes of identifying the best approaches to tackling sexual violence, as well as changing the way we think and talk about this issue in our society. It was a powerful and productive discussion, and I look forward to bringing what I learned with me back to Congress, where I will be pushing a number of new bills I’ve helped introduce to require schools to  take steps to curb  sexual assault on campus. 

Introducing Legislation to Save Lives 

Announcing "Carl's Law" at HOPE for New Hampshire Recovery

As Granite Staters with substance use disorder come forward to seek treatment, we must offer full support throughout the recovery process – and we must work to prevent inadvertent exposure to substances that could prove to be fatal for an individual in recovery. I crafted my most recent legislation to combat the opioid epidemic, entitled Carl’s Law, after learning about Carl Messinger’s story. Carl was a young man from Holderness in recovery whose life was lost after he was prescribed a cough medicine that – unbeknownst to him – contained opiates and sent him into relapse. His relapse and overdose could have been prevented had he only known what was in that medicine bottle, and my heart breaks for his mother and all the families across the Granite State who have dealt with similar situations.

This week, I was so proud to have Carl’s mother, Susan, and state leaders by my side as we announced Carl’s Law, critical legislation that will help prevent Carl’s story from happening again by requiring drug companies to put a warning label on any medication containing opiates disclosing the presence of opiates and the risk to individuals with a history of addition. I’m so grateful for Susan’s courage, strength, resilience, and deeply-felt commitment to protecting others from the devastating experience of losing a loved one to a deadly substance. I urge my colleagues in Congress to swiftly pass this lifesaving bill. 

As always, thanks for all that you do to make New Hampshire such a wonderful place to call home!