Author
House votes for one-time $500 payment to some state retirees over cost-of-living allowance
The House overwhelmingly supported a one-time $500 payment to help some retirees with increased expenses rather than provide them an ongoing 1.5 percent cost-of-living allowance. It did so over the objections of Rep. Joshua Adjutant, an Enfield Democrat, who argued the state owes retirees more. “They have given so much and now they sit in […]
New Hampshire House votes in favor of $35 million parking garage for lawmakers
House members voted Thursday to spend $35 million to build themselves a new parking garage. Their current garage in downtown Concord, built in 1974, has long outlived its 20-year lifespan and is in such disrepair lawmakers are tripping and falling and cutting their hands on stair railings. House Bill 1661 passed Thursday on a voice […]
House passes bill that would add exception to abortion law for a fatal fetal diagnosis
The House session began in January with four bills seeking to loosen the state’s new 24-week abortion ban or protect abortion access going forward. Just one, written by Republicans, will make it to the Senate. House Bill 1609, which passed the House Thursday, 231-114, would add an exception for a fatal fetal diagnosis, which includes […]
State and hospitals don’t see eye to eye on counting COVID hospitalizations
It looked like exceptionally good news Wednesday when the state reported just seven COVID-19 hospitalizations, far fewer than the 20 to 25 reported over the prior week. It was good news – just not the whole picture. That drop reflected the state’s new way of defining COVID-19 patients, not the number of COVID-19 patients hospitals […]
House officials push for a new parking garage for lawmakers – with a $35 million price tag
The version of House Bill 1661 that will come before the House Thursday is a far cry from where it began. The academic issues it initially addressed are now secondary to the inclusion of $35 million for a new lawmaker parking garage. It would be paid for in cash, with state surplus money, bypassing the […]
Lawmakers see risk of losing $160 million in federal funding over vaccine mandate exemption
House members voted earlier this month to require public and private employers to excuse workers with moral objections from complying with a vaccine mandate. But when it comes to state and county medical facilities, a House committee is recommending against that measure over concerns of losing $160 million a year in federal funding. The House […]
Court rules against House Democrats in remote participation lawsuit
This story was updated March 29, 2022 to include a comment from House Speaker Sherman Packard that was sent after deadline. A federal court has again ruled against House Democrats’ demands for remote participation on behalf of health-compromised members in a 3-2 decision. The court said Speaker Sherman Packard is protected against the lawsuit by […]
Bill drops cost of living allowance for state, municipal retirees, keeps one-time $500 payment
This story was updated March 28, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. to include municipal retirees. A bill headed to the House next week would give some state and municipal retirees a one-time $500 payment, a move supporters say would help combat inflation and address the challenge of recruiting and retaining employees who took jobs with the […]
Lawmakers on track to expand keno to convenience stores and supermarkets
There are approximately 220 places to buy a KENO 603 ticket in New Hampshire, all of them in bars or restaurants. That number could grow considerably under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday that would allow convenience stores and supermarkets to also sell the lottery tickets if their community has approved keno. Currently, 91 […]
Executive Council gives initial approval to a $23 million veterans campus in Franklin
The head of the state office dispensing pandemic aid walked away from the Executive Council meeting Wednesday with permission to continue negotiating a $23 million contract to build a veterans campus in Franklin. But he should expect tough questions when he comes back with a contact. Taylor Caswell, executive director of the Governor’s Office for […]
Republicans back fatal fetal anomaly exception
House Republican lawmakers appear open to adding an exception for fatal fetal anomalies to the state’s 24-week abortion ban passed last year – but continue to oppose proposed exceptions for victims of rape and incest. That’s a turnaround from where they appeared last week when Rep. Jess Edwards, an Auburn Republican, lobbied lawmakers to overturn […]
Adjutant general requesting money to address woodchuck problem at Concord site
Woodchucks, long the archenemy of gardeners, have also become a problem for the military and some of Concord’s Karner blue butterflies. The Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services is seeking permission from the Executive Council to use $2,485 in federal money to initiate a woodchuck “control program” at its site in Concord. And control […]