CONCORD – House Speaker Shawn Jasper (R-Hudson) and House Majority Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) released the following statements on the signing of SB576 and SB477 into law today.
“We’re proud to have kept our commitment to get legislation passed and on the governor’s desk this month. Despite the governor’s lack of faith in the legislative process and our ability to act swiftly to this crisis, the Joint Task Force formed by the House and Senate forged ahead and produced these initial bills and provide a clear path forward,” said Jasper. “We have more work to do, and many more bills in the pipeline, but we’re proud to have met our first set of goals. I believe the state can be proud of the work the legislature has done and will continue to do to combat drugs and addiction.”
“Before the Task Force came to fruition, members of both the House and Senate had already filed over 20 bills that addressed the crisis in a number of ways, but we understood the importance of creating a vehicle to move these ideas forward faster than our traditional legislative process might allow,” said Hinch. “This is an evolving public health crisis and the Task Force was never intended to be a one-shot solution, just as the set of bills we acted on today won’t make the problem disappear. We will take action as appropriate and move forward on a broader set of initiatives as our legislative session continues in 2016. This is an ongoing, comprehensive effort that we hope will prevent addiction, improve recovery, and save lives.”