TO THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Senator Hassan Passes Major Bipartisan Bill to Address Fentanyl Crisis

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) spearheaded the unanimous Senate passage of reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, a landmark investment in addiction prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts that Senator Hassan and colleagues passed into law in 2018. The bipartisan package of fentanyl prevention bills now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.

Click here to see Senator Hassan's remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate as she passed the bill.

"New data from earlier this summer found that drug overdose deaths dropped 27 percent last year compared to the prior year. Since the advent of the opioid crisis, we now have a much better sense of what works to prevent and treat addiction, the resources we need to do so - and the light that exists on the other end of this terrible tunnel. But we can only get there if we keep up the fight," said Senator Hassan as she passed the legislation today. "To our first responders, know that training and equipment is coming to help make your job easier. To our health care providers, know that resources are coming as you help people get and stay in recovery. And to those battling addiction, know that support is on the way."

The SUPPORT Act represents the foundation of the federal response to the fentanyl crisis, and its reauthorization includes:

• Increased training and resources for first responders and other essential community members on how to use life-saving overdose reversal drugs, like naloxone and how to connect people to treatment

• Significant funding for training and recruitment for health care workers who want to work in mental health, addiction medicine, and related fields, including measures to expand student loan repayment for health care workers who focus on addiction medicine and recovery in underserved areas

• Funding to provide residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women who need addiction treatment

• Expansion of access to fentanyl and xylazine test strips, a critical tool to help lower overdose deaths

• Funding for community organizations that help people stay in recovery over the long term, as well as those that help connect people in recovery to jobs

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