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Concord, NH – Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) and House Majority Leader Richard Hinch (R- Merrimack) issued the following statements addressing yesterday’s vote to kill the Granite Hammer program.

“Yesterday, nearly 75% of House Democrats voted against SB 485, a bill that would have expanded law enforcement interdiction measures to address the opioid crisis in New Hampshire,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro). “Throughout this session, the Legislature has worked in a bi-partisan manner and has been fully committed to addressing the heroin and opioid crisis by increasing our ability to diminish the supply of these deadly drugs in our communities, while considering stronger prevention, treatment and recovery measures. Yesterday’s vote to kill Granite Hammer was an unexpected move that killed a program proven to be extremely effective in removing heroin and drug traffickers from the streets in cities and towns in New Hampshire.”

“While it is extremely disappointing that this bill was killed by House Democrats, it further proves that Governor Hassan is missing in action on critical issues facing this state and is focused on nothing more than political posturing and campaigning for the U.S. Senate, and not the issues the citizens of New Hampshire are dealing with every day,” added Bradley.

“The House and Senate believe it is critically important to ensure that this tried and tested program is available to cities and towns in the state of New Hampshire. Therefore, the Senate and House have taken the lead, calling our members in to Session on June 16 to again take up this measure,” said Bradley.

“The Governor had a path forward yesterday when she could have put in the effort to get the members of her own party to support SB 485,” said House Majority Leader Richard Hinch. “She failed to do that, and now she is asking the legislature to double back and try again, due to her own shortcomings.”

“The legislature worked tirelessly for the last eight months to come forward with a comprehensive package of legislation to address the opioid crisis, including SB 485, which would have aided law-enforcement effort and given them additional resources to fight our state’s drug crisis,” said Hinch. “The fact that the Governor chose to be absent from the discussion at this point in the legislative process is unfortunate. Had she not checked out of the state for numerous absences and neglected her basic responsibilities, she would have a bill to sign.”

Background: The Committee of Conference report on SB 485, which contained the additional resources for law enforcement, failed in the House by a vote of 159-160 on Wednesday. A procedural vote to reconsider that motion was also defeated 157-187, with a majority of House Democrats voting against revisiting the issue.

Concord, NH – Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) issued the following statement on SB 533 following the House and Senate committee of conference members’ unanimous support of the proposal.

“I would like to first recognize today’s work on the cornerstone legislation to address the multi-faceted heroin and opioid crisis facing our state and commend each of the 24 members that made up the Drug Task Force for their initial work which began back in December, including the bill’s sponsor, Senator Jeff Woodburn. I would also like to thank Senator Andy Sanborn and Representative Neal Kurk for bringing this legislation over the finish line by creating a strong peer to peer recovery program that will augment the critical aspects of treatment and recovery for individuals dealing with a substance abuse problem in our state.”

“This legislation combines a number of critical components to provide drug prevention, treatment and recovery programming, including $5 million in additional funding overall. Specifically, the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery will receive $3 million, while the addition of reporting requirements in this bill will help determine which programs are most successful in slowing this crisis.”

“The bill appropriates an additional $500,000 for peer to peer recovery grants that will expand a service that has proven to be effective in combating substance abuse and establishes a position in the Attorney General’s office, also funded by grants, which will focus solely on drug related cases.”

“While the heroin and opioid crisis will not be resolved overnight, this legislature has made significant progress by establishing policy that directly responds to the major issues facing our communities and we hope that this crisis will begin to slow dramatically.”

The Committee of Conference report will be up for a final vote next week by both legislative bodies.

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Concord, NH – Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) and Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton) issued the following statements on SB 369 following an agreement in Committee of Conference.

“This bill, SB 369, was developed as part of the multi-faceted response to the opioid and heroin epidemic facing our state and ensures that the necessary guides are in place so that developmentally appropriate drug and alcohol education is part of the curriculum inclusive of grades K-12,” said Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton). “As part of the on-going effort to effectively curb the substance abuse crisis in our communities, this bill will increase the drug and alcohol education students receive, providing more consistency throughout their education. We know that not only is repetition an important teaching tool, but by incorporating drug and alcohol prevention education each year, we keep an open dialogue with our students, limiting the chances students will use drugs in the future.”

“This legislation, along with a number of other bills, helps to address the critical aspect of prevention amidst the heroin and opioid crisis in New Hampshire. This is a common sense initiative that will provide consistent and reliable prevention education, equipping our students with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about drugs that will stay with them throughout their lives,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro). “Extending the educational foundation is another strong line of defense against the drug crisis and an integral part of the prevention, treatment and recovery matrix that will help curb the crisis long-term. I applaud Senator Stiles for her resolve in finding a strong solution for this legislation and I am proud of the House and Senate conferees for working together to ensure that this bill will get the job done. I urge my legislative colleagues to support the committee report and hope Governor will sign it as soon as it reaches her desk.”

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Concord, NH – Today, the Senate concurred with the House passing a bill, SB 464, which would establish a Drug Court grant program available to each county in New Hampshire.

Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) issued the following statement.

“Establishing a Drug Court program in New Hampshire is a critical element aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction and recidivism for drug offenders and is an important tool that the legislature has made available to curb the opioid crisis in our state.”

“Drug Courts provide repeat offenders access to substance abuse treatment and recovery, and programming to alter the disease of addiction and to help high risk offenders find a stable, positive path forward, reducing the overall rate of recidivism in New Hampshire.”

“I want to thank both the House and Senate members for passing this bill and for their commitment to finding a solution that works for New Hampshire. I also want to extend my sincerest gratitude to Chief Justice Tina Nadeau who spent the better part of a year working to develop a Drug Court program that suits the specific needs of the State of New Hampshire.”

“I urge the Governor to sign this bill as soon as it reaches her desk.”

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