Bipartisan Bills Cosponsored by Senator Hassan to Help Combat the Opioid Crisis and Improve Rural Health Care Pass in HELP Committee

WASHINGTON –The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee today passed two bipartisan bills cosponsored by Senator Maggie Hassan, one addressing the opioid crisis and one aimed at improving rural health care.

The bipartisan Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, which Senator Hassan cosponsored, would establish a federal task force to support grandparents raising grandchildren to help them better meet the needs of the children in their care and to strengthen the health and well-being of grandparents and grandchildren.

“This bipartisan bill would help support families across New Hampshire and the country who are grappling with the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis,” Senator Hassan said. “Many grandparents end up caring for their grandchildren because the parents have passed away or are unavailable because of their substance use disorders, and I hope that the full Senate passes this legislation quickly so that we can better support the health and well-being of children and families.”

The HELP Committee also approved the bipartisan State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018, which Senator Hassan cosponsored, to strengthen rural health care delivery systems and improve access to services for individuals living in rural and underserved areas.

“State Offices of Rural Health are critical to ensuring that rural communities like those in New Hampshire’s North Country have access to quality, affordable health care,” Senator Hassan said. “This bipartisan legislation would help improve access to services for Granite Staters living in rural and underserved regions of our state, and I urge my Senate colleagues to support this much-needed bill on the Senate floor.”

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