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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