In The News
Second round of PPP loans could be processed as soon as Friday
by Kim Houghton
The Paycheck Protection Program has returned, and some financial institutions will be able to process loans as soon as Friday. All banks will be able to process loans for the second round of PPP starting Tuesday, according Kristy Merrill, president of the New Hampshire Bankers Association. "We expect high participation," Merrill said Thursday during a virtual panel discussion with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. Merrill said that although the first round of PPP was a major… Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Shaheen: Help is on the way
by Julie Huss
Help is on the way and there is light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. That was a collective message offered Wednesday morning as state health providers, experts and leaders spent a virtual hour with New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen giving updates and thoughts on how the state's pandemic vaccine effort is going and what is needed from state and federal leaders to keep the process moving forward. Since the Food and Drug Administration's emergency authorization of the Moderna and Pfizer/Bi… Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Shaheen: Many still have unprocessed 2019 tax returns
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire says she's hearing from "numerous" constituents who say their 2019 tax returns haven't been processed and, if owed, refunds haven't been issued. The coronavirus pandemic delayed the processing of tax returns for many last year. "That we have entered calendar year 2021 and there are 2019 returns and refunds that remain to be processed and issued is unacceptable," Shaheen, a Democrat, said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven M… Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Shaheen secures $15 million more for PFAS health study
by Jeff McMenemy
Government funding legislation passed by Congress includes $15 million more for a national PFAS health study created by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. That brings the total monies Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, has secured for the first PFAS public health study to $45 million. The funding legislation, which is now slated to be signed into law by President Donald Trump, also includes $1 million in monies for new grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the developmen… Continue Reading
December 21, 2020
NH senators relieved about agreement on COVID-19 relief bill
WASHINGTON (AP) - New Hampshire's U.S. senators say they are relieved Congress has finally agreed on a COVID-19 emergency relief package. Votes are expected Monday in the House and Senate on the bill, which would pump $900 billion into relief efforts, including individual payments reaching $600 for most Americans and an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits. Among those getting help are hard-hit businesses, schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction. Democratic Sens. Jean… Continue Reading
December 21, 2020
Design unveiled for Christa McAuliffe commemorative coin
by Paul Feely
Officials with the U.S. Mint have unveiled the design for a commemorative $1 coin honoring the late Space Shuttle Challenger teacher/astronaut Christa McAuliffe of Concord. The design for the coin was revealed Friday in a virtual ceremony hosted by U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder. The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and introduced on Jan. 28, 2019, the 33rd anniversary of the Challenger tragedy. Shaheen began pursuin… Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Shaheen: Child care services 'critical' to recovery from pandemic
by Ian Lenahan
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, told New Hampshire child care service providers Friday afternoon that to help jumpstart an economy reeling from the effects of COVID-19, the availability of safe child care services will be critical. "And if we're going to get our economy moving again, if we're going to be able to put people back to work, we've got to ensure that they have a safe place for their children," she said. Shaheen virtually met with representatives of statewide child care providers an… Continue Reading
December 09, 2020
Addressing serious concerns about NH’s waterways
by Eldin Ganic
WRDA contains several New Hampshire priorities Shaheen and Hassan helped secure that would: Direct the Secretary of the Army to provide a status update on the completion of the Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River Navigation Improvement Project after the WRDA of 2018 included specific language urging the Corps to expedite the project; Expedite authorized activities to address shoaling impacts at Rye Harbor, the dredging of which is currently underway; and Extend the use of the Cape Arunde… Continue Reading
December 08, 2020
Plan for free national park access for wounded vets approved
BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) - A proposal from New England senators to ensure free lifetime entry to national parks for all disabled U.S. veterans has been signed into law. Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine proposed the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act to provide the free access to veterans who suffered or aggravated disabilities while serving in the military. President Donald Trump has signed the proposal into law. Collins and Shaheen said… Continue Reading
December 08, 2020
10 senators propose new bill to help victims of 'Havana Syndrome'
by Didi Martinez, Brenda Breslauer and Josh Lederman
A bipartisan group of senators have introduced a bill that would authorize additional compensation for the victims of the so-called Havana Syndrome, a mysterious affliction that has struck U.S. diplomats and spies in Cuba, China and other countries. The legislation, introduced by 10 senators including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), would "provide the CIA Director and the Secretary of State additional authority to compensate their personnel who incur brain injuries in … Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Shaheen: $15M for PFAS health study in defense bill
by Jeff McMenemy
This year's National Defense Authorization Act includes $15 million to continue a national PFAS health study established by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH. The annual legislation also includes a provision from Shaheen's standalone legislation to address health concerns regarding firefighters' occupational exposure to the harmful PFAS chemical contaminants through their personal protective equipment. Senate and House Armed Services Committee leadership released the final text of the NDAA Thursday af… Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
NH delegation repeats call for National Guard reimbursement
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Members of the state's Democratic congressional delegation said Friday they are glad President Donald Trump has extended the activation of the New Hampshire National Guard to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic but his refusal to fully fund it is unacceptable. The activation has been extended through March 31, 2021, but since August, the state has only been reimbursed 75%. "We are witnessing record-high cases, hospitalizations and deaths - now is not the time to short… Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Sentinel Editorial: Stimulating conversation; Congress must seize on momentum for a long-awaited coronavirus aid package
by Editorial Board
In the current circumstances, it ought to be a slam dunk. Sadly, in the strange and too often frustrating way Washington works, it may prove not to be. For months, Congress and the White House have been dithering and delaying over an additional coronavirus aid package, despite clear evidence that the nation will not be back on its feet from a public health and economic standpoint when much of the government aid that's helped the country limp through the year expires at its end. The sti… Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
$908B relief package proposed by bipartisan group of senators
by Mike Cherry
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Progress has been made on a bipartisan proposal made by a group of senators to provide $900 billion to relieve financial burdens. New Hampshire's senators told News 9 that they will not leave Washington for Christmas break until something gets passed. Standing as a unified front, lawmakers unveiled the groundwork for a $908 billion stimulus bill which would be the first relief package in months. "It may not be as much as some of us would have liked," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen sai… Continue Reading
November 30, 2020
Bipartisan group of lawmakers announces $908 billion stimulus plan, aiming to break logjam
by Seung Min Kim and Jeff Stein
A bipartisan group of senators is expected to unveil an approximately $908 billion stimulus proposal on Tuesday, aiming to break a months-long partisan impasse over providing emergency federal relief to the U.S. economy, according to four people aware of internal negotiations. Congress has faced increasing pressure to approve additional economic relief since talks between the White House and House Democrats collapsed, first over the summer and then again in the fall ahead of the Nov. 3 pres… Continue Reading
November 25, 2020
Haven's grant to help with housing for violence survivors
PORTSMOUTH - Finding a safe place to live is just one of the barriers faced by victims of domestic violence. The tightness of the rental market on the Seacoast and rapid rise of home prices have made entering the housing market even more formidable. Haven has received a four-year, $625,000 grant from the federal Office of Violence Against Women to provide a housing assistance program and related support to victims of sexual and domestic violence in Strafford County. Haven, the state's largest … Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
New report says the pandemic dramatically reduced potentially life-saving preventive medical care
A new report shows the number of women receiving mammograms during the pandemic dropped. And now, some women who are going back and getting the tests tell Anna Werner they were charged hundreds of dollars for a screening they thought was free.… Continue Reading
November 22, 2020
National parks to become free for wounded veterans
BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) - A proposal from lawmakers in New England and California to give free access to national parks to wounded veterans is poised to become law. The Wounded Veterans Recreation Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives after previously passing the U.S. Senate. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Democratic California Rep. Raul Ruiz proposed the law. The lawmakers say the bill is designed to change the 2004 Federal Land… Continue Reading
November 19, 2020
Lawmakers want upcoming COVID-19 relief funds to prioritize nursing homes in states with high shares of resident deaths, cases
by Danielle Brown
Several Democratic lawmakers are suggesting that long-term care facilities in areas that have higher shares of COVID-19 deaths and cases should be first in line to receive future federal relief funding. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) made the request in a letter sent to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar Tuesday. "While we believe that it is important to reward quality improvement and performa… Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
Members of Congress thank New Hampshire postal workers
by Andrew Sylvia
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH) joined others in a virtual roundtable to thank postal workers and listen to their concerns moving forward. Out of the 814,499 ballots that were cast in New Hampshire during the 2020 general election, 260,992 - about 32 percent - were absentee. Over recent months, the entire New Hampshire Congressional Delegation has spoken out against removal of postal sorting equip… Continue Reading
