Shaheen Statement on Passage of End-of-Year Agreement to Fund the Government

**Legislation will soon become law that includes $159 million in additional funding for key programs that

help New Hampshire fight the heroin epidemic**

**As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen petitioned for these

increased resources to fight drug abuse**

(Washington, DC) – Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) made the following statement after the Senate passed legislation by a vote of 65-33 to fund the federal government in fiscal year 2016 and extend certain tax cuts. Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee which authored the bill, helped to secure funding for New Hampshire priorities, particularly to address the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic. This legislation is expected to soon be signed into law by the President.

“In this bill, I fought to secure increased funding for prevention and treatment programs that will help New Hampshire address the heroin epidemic,” said Shaheen. “There is much more that Congress needs to do on this front, but this is a very positive start. On balance I believe that this legislation is a big win for New Hampshire. In addition to increased funding to fight heroin abuse, it reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, bolsters New Hampshire’s role in national defense, and opens up new opportunities for small businesses to access credit. This legislation isn’t perfect and there are certainly provisions I strongly disagree with, including the repeal of the ban on exporting domestic oil. But as always in a divided government, compromise is required to get things done, and this legislation represents a reasonable bipartisan agreement.”

A summary of the New Hampshire priorities funded in the FY16 omnibus appropriations bill is available here.