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Sununu says extra federal unemployment benefits to end June 19, announces stipend program
Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday he will end the extra federal unemployment benefits on June 19, including the $300 weekly payment being collected by nearly 35,500 people in the state. He also announced he has set aside $10 million to pay stipends of $500 and $1,000 to people who come off unemployment and get a […]
Democrats say Sununu lacked ‘necessary urgency’ on mental health crisis
Before the Senate finalizes its changes to the House’s budget, Democratic senators want two things noted: Now is not the time to cut mental health funding, and Gov. Chris Sununu had the money in 2019 to make urgent the mental health investments he’s now calling for in Thursday’s executive order. “There was so much that […]
Federal money could be key to building new Secure Psychiatric Unit
The $17.25 million Gov. Chris Sununu wanted for a new 60-bed Secure Psychiatric Unit was axed from the House budget. But the chairman of a House finance committee knows where he might find it: the state’s nearly $1 billion in federal pandemic relief money. Rep. Jess Edwards, an Auburn Republican who chairs House Finance Committee […]
Lawmakers aim to prevent schools, employers from mandating COVID vaccination
A last-minute amendment to a bill that protects the governor’s pandemic-related emergency orders would prohibit private and public K-12 schools, colleges, and employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccination. Dartmouth College and Southern New Hampshire University have said they will require students to have a COVID-19 vaccination. The amendment to Senate Bill 155 would also prevent any […]
Sununu issues ultimatum in mental health crisis
Gov. Chris Sununu warned the state’s hospitals and mental health centers Thursday he will replace them with private providers if their patients continue languishing in emergency rooms without timely treatment. Sununu issued a new executive order giving the state Department of Health and Human Services sweeping authority to assess the system and make changes where […]
Sununu to end $300 weekly federal unemployment payments
Following the lead of at least 14 other Republican-led states, Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday he will end the additional $300 weekly federal unemployment payments before the program expires in September. Sununu cited complaints from employers who’ve said they can’t fill positions because unemployment benefits are too high. He had already announced that as of […]
In legislative push for religious liberty, some see potential for discrimination
Like most states, New Hampshire never ordered churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship to close after COVID-19 hit the state, but it did limit how many could attend services. That was unconstitutional, several pastors told a Senate committee Tuesday, given that retailers and liquor stores were unrestricted. “We know that the churches and places […]
High court rules against state in ’emergency room boarding’ case
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against the state’s argument that with a shortage of psychiatric beds, it can hold people in emergency rooms indefinitely, against their will, after finding them in need of emergency mental health care. The court said the state Department of Health and Human Services must provide individuals probable […]
$1.5 billion in federal relief headed to New Hampshire
This story was updated May 11, 2021 at 5 p.m. with a statement from the governor’s office that was sent after deadline. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in March is bringing at least $1.5 billion to New Hampshire. The U.S. Treasury announced Monday that the state will receive $994.5 million. The state’s 10 […]
Unemployment in a pandemic is stressful – even before the overpayment notices
The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security recently announced it was dropping its effort to collect $25 million in unemployment “overpayments” from 8,000 people who did not, upon review, qualify for benefits. But those overpayment notices, which are stressful and take months to reverse, have also been going to people who not only did qualify […]
House Democrats want funding for remote access to hearings included in budget
This story was updated on May 10, 2021 at 5 p.m. to correct the legislative expenses related to COVID-19. In a press conference Friday, House Democrats called on Speaker Sherman Packard to include funding for ongoing remote access to legislative hearings in the next state budget. Their federal lawsuit seeking a court order requiring remote […]
Unemployment benefits blamed for local employers’ hiring woes
In another time, an April virtual job fair co-hosted by the state would have been a job hunter’s dream: 100 employers looking to fill 3,400 jobs. Not these days. Only 138 people showed up. Employment experts say the federal assistance that rescued so many Americans during the pandemic’s unprecedented health and financial crisis may be […]