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Legislation on gun background checks approved by lawmakers
Over the objection of some gun-rights advocates, all background checks for gun purchases in New Hampshire would be done using the FBI database under legislation headed to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk. The House and Senate have passed two bills that take background checks on handguns away from the state police and give that job to […]
Bill easing restrictions on churches during state of emergency headed to governor’s desk
Churches would be no more restricted than Home Depot and liquor stores during the next state of emergency under a bill that passed the House and Senate Thursday. While churches were not closed during the pandemic, their attendance capacity was limited in the pandemic’s early days. Many businesses were restricted far less. In its initial […]
House tables ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ bill
Local and state law enforcement won’t be prohibited from enforcing Biden administration gun restrictions – at least not immediately. The House voted, 354-19, Thursday to table Senate Bill 154, the so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” legislation. Deputy Speaker Steven Smith, a Charlestown Republican, argued for the motion to table, saying that with more time lawmakers could […]
Democrats argue state has more pressing needs than compensating victims of FRM fraud
A lot has happened in the decade since the state busted the Financial Resources Mortgage Ponzi scheme that robbed nearly 150 people of $20 million. A state audit faulted the investigations led by state banking and justice officials. One of the key players wrote a book and ran for governor. And the ringleader has lost […]
AG withdraws business fines related to COVID-19 rule violations
The state budget up for a final vote Thursday includes $10,000 to repay the eight businesses fined for violating COVID-19 mask and social-distancing rules. But three never paid because their appeals were pending when the state of emergency ended. The state Attorney General’s Office withdrew the fines, saying while it still believes the owners’ violations […]
The good, the bad, and the ugly of tracking state and federal spending
This story was updated June 23, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. with new information. Does the federal government spend more on defense or health care? What percentage of the federal budget has gone to COVID-19 rental assistance? How about energy conservation? The UNH Carsey School of Public Policy just released FedGovSpend, an app that answers those […]
The unraveling of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
The war within the state’s Libertarian Party began months ago, with complaints of milquetoast opposition to government pandemic lockdowns. It played out on Twitter, Facebook, and even on a nationally known podcast. It spurred allegations of data theft and prompted the party chair to secretly register a dueling Libertarian Party with the Secretary of State’s […]
Budget includes money to repay businesses fined for violating COVID-19 orders
House Republicans got three of the four budget demands they told the Senate were non-negotiable: a ban on teaching about structural racism, a restraint on the governor’s emergency powers, and $10,000 to repay businesses that were fined for violating COVID-19 precaution orders. Their big loss on that list was Gov. Chris Sununu’s family medical leave […]
Federal funding lost to abortion ‘gag rule’ jeopardizes routine reproductive care for thousands
The proposed 24-week abortion ban headed to the governor’s desk is not the only abortion legislation worrying advocates and lawmakers. Right up there is Republicans’ denial of $1.2 million in stopgap funding for family planning centers. The money would have replaced federal funding centers are losing under a Trump administration rule prohibiting them from discussing […]
Wording of survey question on 24-week abortion ban criticized
The UNH Survey Center’s Granite State Poll, which lawmakers cite as an indicator of public opinion, included a question in Thursday’s survey about the 24-week abortion ban headed to Gov. Chris Sununu. The question did not mention that the ban will require women to get a costly ultrasound and carry to term a dead fetus […]
House refuses to support Medicaid dental benefits
During the Senate’s nine-hour public hearing on the budget last month, two things dominated the testimony: opposition to divisive concepts and support for Medicaid dental benefits. Divisive concepts passed. Dental benefits appeared to die Wednesday A joint legislative committee negotiating the final details of the budget agreed to put a “hold” on the Senate’s $1.5 […]
House agrees to Senate plan for closing Sununu Youth Services Center
The state Senate prevailed Wednesday in pushing back the House’s closing plan for the Sununu Youth Services Center, giving the state until March 1, 2023, to relocate residents or repurpose the center into a more suitable space for them. The state will also get nearly $18 million more than the House had budgeted for the […]