| Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Senator Hassan has worked across the aisle to get results for Granite Staters. She is the second woman in American history to be elected both Governor and United States Senator, along with fellow New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
Senator Hassan is working to build a more inclusive economic future where all people who work hard to get ahead can stay ahead. She helped author and negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure package that is now law. It will repair New Hampshire roads and bridges, get affordable high-speed internet to communities, and get clean water into people's homes. The Senator has led additional efforts to create jobs and support innovative businesses, including by expanding COVID-19 relief to more small businesses in New Hampshire. Senator Hassan has also led efforts to combat climate change, which threatens our environment and our economy.
Senator Hassan has led bipartisan efforts to lower Granite Staters' health care costs, combat the substance use disorder crisis, and address the COVID-19 pandemic. She has worked across the aisle to pass legislation into law to help end the practice of surprise medical billing and increase access to lower-cost prescription medication. Since 2017, Senator Hassan has helped secure a nine-fold increase in funding to New Hampshire to help prevent and treat substance use disorder. And Senator Hassan has helped to negotiate and pass into law crucial COVID-19 relief packages.
In addition, Senator Hassan is working on a bipartisan basis to keep America safe, secure, and free and support veterans. Senator Hassan has successfully passed into law bipartisan legislation to strengthen terrorism prevention efforts at the Department of Homeland Security and improve cybersecurity at a federal, state, and local level. Senator Hassan is also committed to improving veterans' access to the care and services that they need and deserve. Senator Hassan has helped to pass into law bipartisan legislation to improve veterans' access to COVID-19 vaccines, eliminate barriers to care that many women veterans face, and strengthen veterans' access to mental health care.
Senator Hassan was drawn to public service as an advocate fighting to ensure that children like her son Ben, who experiences severe disabilities, would be fully included in their communities and have the same opportunities that all parents want for their children.
In 1999, then-Governor Shaheen asked her to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission. Her experience as a business attorney and as a parent of a child who experiences disabilities enabled her to provide a unique perspective as the commission did its work. Senator Hassan was first elected to the New Hampshire Senate in 2004, serving the people of the 23rd District, which included ten Seacoast towns.
In 2013, she was sworn in as the 81st Governor of New Hampshire. Throughout her two terms as Governor, she responsibly balanced the state budget; created a business-friendly environment that encouraged innovation and saw New Hampshire's unemployment rate drop to among the lowest in the nation; worked across party lines to establish and reauthorize Medicaid expansion; worked to implement a comprehensive, hands-on approach to the heroin, fentanyl and opioid crisis; and froze in-state tuition at state universities for the first time in 25 years while lowering tuition at community colleges.
Maggie Hassan was born on February 27, 1958. She earned her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from the Northeastern School of Law. She and her husband, Tom, live in Newfields and are the proud parents of two adult children, Ben and Meg. |