Hello Friends, 

I hope you had a wonderful week and you’re enjoying the fall weather! I was proud to help push through legislation this week in the House to support New Hampshire law enforcement, expand resources for communities to respond to non-violent crises, bolster violence intervention initiatives, and help ensure the safety of Granite State communities.

We passed a comprehensive police-funding and public safety package that includes the Invest to Protect Act – bipartisan legislation I helped to introduce that will help law enforcement retain and recruit police officers while investing in accountability measures and de-escalation training.

Last month, I sat down with Littleton Police Chief Smith to hear about the important work being undertaken to promote a safe and healthy community in Littleton. We must ensure that New Hampshire law enforcement has the resources to protect our communities safely and effectively.

Members of Granite State law enforcement work tirelessly to protect our communities and residents. I’ve heard from police departments in cities and towns throughout our state that are facing serious challenges hiring and retaining the personnel they need. That’s why I’ve pushed legislation to provide resources for our local law enforcement to recruit and retain officers so they can more safely and effectively serve our communities.

The package of bills we passed includes the Invest to Protect Act, the Mental Health Justice Act, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, and the VICTIM Act. Together, this legislative package provides much-needed support for police by making it easier to hire new officers, investing in training and accountability measures, utilizing mental health professionals to respond to situations that armed police would otherwise be responsible for, and more.

I’m thrilled that the House has passed these police-funding bills and I urge my Senate colleagues to act swiftly to pass the package and send it to the President’s desk. 

The Presidential Election Reform Act implements crucial protections to safeguard future elections.

This week, we passed historic legislation to safeguard future presidential elections.

The fraudulent, coordinated efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election results sought to undermine public confidence in our elections and ultimately led to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and our democracy.

While those efforts to reject lawful election results were not successful, they exposed vulnerabilities in our system and made clear that more must be done to protect future presidential elections. I was proud to vote for this bipartisan legislation, and I will continue working to improve election security.

Congratulations to the graduates of the Microelectronics Boot Camp program!

Yesterday, I joined Nashua Community College leadership and instructors, graduating students, and local business partners to gather and celebrate the latest graduates of the Microelectronics Boot Camp. I have visited the campus and this program regularly throughout my time serving in Congress, and I continue to be impressed.

Programs like the Boot Camp are crucial to addressing workforce needs by training today’s graduates to fill critical roles. Public and private collaborative efforts are critical as we continue to build our 21st Century economy here in southern New Hampshire. I thank our business leaders and community college partners for leading the way.

I re-introduced the Workforce Development Investment Act, inspired by programs like the Boot Camp, to further support programs and partnerships like theirs. I was also proud to have helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act which was signed into law this summer, to invest $52 billion in domestic chip production. This bipartisan law will boost cutting-edge research and development through the National Science Foundation and invest in growing our STEM workforce to foster American scientific and technological leadership and strengthen our global competitiveness.

Congratulations to the graduates! It was an honor to help celebrate their work — by investing in themselves and learning the skills to contribute to the 21st Century economy, they are helping our communities, our state, and our nation grow and thrive.

On Monday, Republicans and Democrats joined together to wear purple to recognize National Recovery Month.

During National Recovery Month, we recognize the tens of millions of Americans who are in recovery and we unite to end the stigma around addiction.

We wear purple to highlight this critical issue affecting far too many people across our country. We have passed meaningful bipartisan legislation to address the addiction crisis, and we must continue working together to save lives.

This week, I helped to announce that $28,507,046 in State Opioid Response (SOR) grants are now being made available to the State of New Hampshire. SOR grants provide crucial federal funding to address the evolving addiction crisis in our communities, and I’m thrilled to announce this substantial investment in the well-being of our state.

As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I helped to secure sustained funding for the SOR program, and I advocated for increased flexibility so that these grants extend to treatment for cocaine and methamphetamine dependency in addition to opioids. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support prevention efforts and ensure that Granite Staters have access to the treatment and recovery services they need.

In case you missed it: I unveiled my Lower Costs & Stronger Economy Agenda last week.

We have taken critical steps to lower prices in the short-term and reduce inflation over the long-term by investing in our supply chains, reducing out-of-pocket costs in health care, releasing millions of barrels of oil from our strategic reserves, and repairing and rebuilding our roads, ports, and bridges. But we can’t stop here, and we won’t.

Last week, I unveiled my Lower Costs & Stronger Economy Agenda which outlines steps we have already taken to lower costs for Granite Staters and strengthen our economy and outlines additional actions that should be taken to address inflation further.

One of my most important jobs as your representative is helping Granite Staters.

Do you or a loved one need assistance navigating a federal agency? My office is here to help!

If you need assistance with a federal agency, please reach out to my Concord office at (603) 226-1002 or visit www.Kuster.House.Gov.

NEWS: The IRS is providing broad-based penalty relief for certain 2019 and 2020 returns due to the pandemic. There will be $1.2 billion in penalties automatically refunded to 1.6 million taxpayers, but you must file by September 30 to qualify. Visit the IRS's website HERE for more information.

As always, the CDC and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are the best resources to turn to for information about COVID-19. If you are sick, stay home and call your health care provider.

To stay updated on my work in Congress and around the Granite State and for important information and resources, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

I hope you have a safe and fun rest of your weekend!

Sincerely,

Annie