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Senate drops bail reform rollback bill after apparent drafting errors
The New Hampshire Senate abandoned a bill intended to pare back sections of the 2018 bail reform law Thursday, in a surprise turnaround brought about by drafting errors in the final legislation. Voting unanimously, senators opted to table the legislation, House Bill 1476, which would have imposed stricter requirements around jailing people charged with crimes […]
In narrow vote, parental rights bill rejected by House
This story was updated at 7 p.m. on May 26, 2022, with additional comments and details. The New Hampshire House rejected a “parental rights” bill Thursday that would have required schools to notify parents of a number of developments with their children, including with their gender identity and expression. In a narrow 171-176 vote, the […]
Program to address teacher and student stress runs into Executive Council funding hurdle
The idea came to Emily Read Daniels in 2017. Teachers appeared to be observing greater stress levels, both personally and among their students. If given training, Read Daniels thought, they could take control over those emotions and re-establish balance and calm in the classroom. In the following years, Read Daniels, a certified school counselor, developed […]
Parking garage bill survives negotiations; workforce housing provisions in tatters
One week of negotiations later, State House lawmakers are on their way to getting their new parking garage. But a workforce housing package favored by Gov. Chris Sununu and affordable housing advocates is all but defeated. A series of committee of conference meetings over the legislative parking garage bill last week saw House and Senate […]
As ‘parental rights’ bill debate rages, LGBTQ+ advocates feel left out of the process
Linds Jakows lived through high school in two realities. At their school in Arizona, they were out and queer, with friends and teachers who accepted that. At home, Jakows kept that information hidden. To Jakows, the consequence of telling their father was clear: He would reject that identity and potentially seek punishment. So Jakows planned […]
Sununu vows veto of ‘parental bill of rights’
This story and headline were updated on May 19 at 2:16 p.m. to reflect Gov. Chris Sununu’s statement vowing to veto the final version of the bill. Gov. Chris Sununu vowed to veto a controversial “parental rights” bill Thursday, arguing that it could cause “challenges” to children, hours after Republican Senate and House negotiators had […]
New meeting scheduled to resume negotiations over parental rights bill
House and Senate lawmakers will continue to negotiate a controversial “parental rights” bill, despite an impasse Tuesday that had appeared final. The Legislature announced Wednesday that the committee of conference for the bill will reconvene on Thursday at 9 a.m. That committee had met Tuesday but ended with Senate and House negotiators unable to find […]
‘Parental bill of rights’ falls after objections from Attorney General’s Office, advocates
An effort to pass a “parental bill of rights” came to an end Tuesday after House Republicans and Democrats voiced concerns the bill could require schools to “out” students’ gender identities to their parents and exacerbate teen suicide rates. “There are a lot of great parents out there,” said Rep. Kimberly Rice, a Hudson Republican. […]
Parents’ rights bill goes to House and Senate negotiators to work out disagreements
This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. on May 17 to correct the name of one of the representatives on the committee of conference. House and Senate Republicans are continuing to negotiate a proposed “parental bill of rights,” but the two chambers face broad differences over the controversial legislation. The original version, from the House, […]
‘Retweets’ cannot be subject of defamation lawsuits, New Hampshire Supreme Court rules
The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that people who repost false information on Twitter or other social networks cannot be sued for defamation, blocking an attempt by a middle school teacher to sue a group of people who had retweeted a prank post claiming she was “sexually perverted.” In a unanimous, four-justice opinion, the […]
Senate Republicans’ hopes and priorities could rest on a legislative parking garage
The New Hampshire House and Senate are close to wrapping up a packed legislative year, voting and sorting through nearly 1,000 bills. But before summer can begin, lawmakers must endure a marathon negotiation: committees of conference week. It’s a frantic, high stakes system that few legislators love. But the committee of conference process provides key […]
Senate, House agree to 2023 performance audit of education freedom account program
House and Senate lawmakers have passed legislation requiring a performance audit of the education freedom account program in 2023 in a rare point of bipartisan agreement over a divisive new initiative. In a unanimous voice vote May 5, the Senate approved House Bill 1135, which would require the state’s legislative budget assistant to examine how […]