Shaheen Secures More than $1 Million for Recovery Housing in Government Funding Legislation
**Among other New Hampshire Priorities, Shaheen Increases Funding to Support Maple Producers**
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully secured a number of critical Granite State priorities in bipartisan funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2020 that passed the committee and will next be considered by the full Senate. The bills will fund the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Treasury, and general government programs under the federal court system, the Executive Branch and the Small Business Administration.
“Our strategy to turn the tide of the opioid epidemic needs to include substantial investments in recovery of those with substance use disorders,” said Shaheen. “As treatment providers know all too well, stable housing is critical to long-term recovery, yet New Hampshire doesn’t have nearly enough housing to meet the tremendous need in our communities. I’m very glad we were able to include this funding on a bipartisan basis. I’m also very pleased this bill also includes other critical priorities for New Hampshire, including increased support for our maple producers, farmers and rural small business owners. I’ll always fight to ensure Granite Staters’ voices are heard loud and clear in Washington and will work to see this bill through Congress and to the President’s desk.”
New Hampshire Priorities Secured by Senator Shaheen for Fiscal Year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Funding Legislation:
- Bolster Federal Housing Assistance Resources for Granite Staters in Recovery
- Shaheen fought to boost federal support through the SUPPORT Act – procuring $25 million – which provides housing assistance for Granite Staters and Americans across the country who are in recovery due to substance misuse. Due to Shaheen’s advocacy, New Hampshire will receive up to $1.17 million.
Senator Shaheen has fought tirelessly to ensure that Granite State communities have the resources they need to battle the substance use disorder epidemic. Shaheen helped negotiate the bipartisan agreement in 2018 that outlined the two years of opioid response spending – totaling $6 billion to respond to the opioid crisis. This included the set-aside funding for states with the highest mortality rates, like New Hampshire. This critical additional funding, which Shaheen helped broker, has been included by Congress over the last two fiscal years. As a result of the Delegation’s efforts, New Hampshire received a more than ten-fold increase in opioid treatment funding through the State Opioid Response grant program. Shaheen has also recently unveiled sweeping new substance use disorder legislation, the Turn the Tide Act, to help tackle the substance use epidemic and provide resources for Granite Staters struggling with substance misuse. The Turn the Tide Act provides $63 billion in funding over ten years to deliver flexible treatment funding to providers, establish proven prevention programs and address the substantial workforce challenges in the treatment field.
- Added Investments in Transportation and Infrastructure
- Senator Shaheen helped secure a $100 million increase in federal funding for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program (formerly known as TIGER), which is run by the Department of Transportation and supports investments in transportation infrastructure projects across the country, totaling $1 billion for FY2020. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen has fought to bring federal dollars back to New Hampshire to invest in critical transportation and infrastructure projects to fix the Granite State’s roads, rails, bridges and ports. In June, Shaheen reintroduced legislation, the Strengthen and Fortify Existing (SAFE) Bridges Act, to begin to address the more than 47,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country.
New Hampshire Priorities Secured by Senator Shaheen for Fiscal Year 2020 Agriculture Funding Legislation:
- Assistance for New Hampshire Maple Syrup Producers
- Shaheen worked to include $6 million for the Acer Access and Development Program to help maple syrup producers increase production, strengthen conservation efforts and compete in the global maple syrup economy. This is a $2 million increase over previous funding levels. In 2018, the United States produced more than 4 million gallons of syrup, worth more than $140 million. Maple sugaring provides income to more than 350 producers in New Hampshire. The Trump administration did not include funding for the program in its budget.
- Increased Aid for Rural Small Businesses and Farmers to Make Energy Efficiency Improvements
- Senator Shaheen successfully boosted funding for the Rural Energy for American Program to $706 million for FY 2020, a significant increase over previous funding levels, which were $334.5 million in FY2019. The program helps farmers and small business owners in rural communities improve their energy efficiency or purchase renewable energy systems.
New Hampshire Priorities Secured by Senator Shaheen for Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Services and General Government Funding Legislation:
- Continued Federal Investments for Law Enforcement & Community Prevention Efforts to Combat the Drug Epidemic
- Senator Shaheen worked to procure $280 million for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program, which provides assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions in the United States. Last year, Shaheen visited the New England HIDTA headquarters to meet with law enforcement about ongoing efforts to reduce the trafficking of illicit drugs within the region. The appropriations bill also provides $100 million for the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support program. The DFC program provides resources to organizations focusing on youth drug prevention efforts.
