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State Democrats call for special legislative session to codify Roe
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade does not stop access to abortions under New Hampshire law. But as reactions to the ruling spilled out Friday, many in the state turned immediately to political action. On Friday, state Democrats called on Gov. Chris Sununu to hold a special legislative session to pass […]
New Hampshire political leaders make case to DNC: Keep our first-in-the-nation primary
The New Hampshire Democrats filed in solemnly, armed with speeches to keep their party’s support and defend the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary. But first, they passed out goodie bags. As members of the Democratic National Committee’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee sat around long tables Wednesday evening, waiting to hear New Hampshire’s defense of its […]
Amid hiring woes, lawmakers approve state employee retention programs
State lawmakers have approved a pair of programs that officials say will help them recruit and retain employees during a difficult hiring period. In a series of votes Friday, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved the creation of a referral program to incentivize current state employees to bring on new employees in the next year […]
Bill headed to Sununu’s desk would stop state cooperation with federal firearms laws
Gov. Chris Sununu will soon need to decide whether to sign a bill to prevent New Hampshire law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal agencies over enforcement of federal firearms laws. But exactly how the law might be applied – and how it might affect a firearms regulation package being negotiated in Washington – has […]
Sununu signs affidavit ballot bill into law; voting rights groups file lawsuit
This story was updated on June 18 at 9:56 a.m. to clarify that the state primary is 56 days before the November general election. Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law on Friday that would create affidavit ballots for the first time in New Hampshire, a process that could delay final election results up […]
State requests use of COVID relief funds to pay for public and private school security upgrades
New Hampshire is seeking to use COVID-19 relief money to continue funding school security and infrastructure upgrades, an effort that is close to running out of state funding. And this time around, the state is proposing to fund private school upgrades, too. In a request before the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee meeting this Friday, Department […]
Mortgage rate increases, designed to cool market, create new headwinds for homebuyers
Ron Magoon has a stark description of the home mortgage market for small New Hampshire banks these days. It’s “pretty much dried up,” the president and CEO of Franklin Savings Bank said. Home prices continue to ride all-time highs in the state, and cash purchases that don’t require financing continue to dominate home sales. Inflation […]
In rare bipartisan effort, bill to address Windham ‘overvoting’ errors signed into law
The idea was meant to save Windham election officials time ahead of the high-stakes 2020 election. Instead, the decision to use a folding machine to get absentee ballots prepared faster spurred an electoral fiasco that continues to fuel misinformation. After unwittingly creating folds that crossed into the bubble of one of the Democratic candidates, Windham […]
After big legislative wins in 2021, conservatives rack up few education victories in 2022
New Hampshire’s conservative “school choice” movement notched sweeping victories for education legislation in 2021. But 2022 has proven less fruitful. A “teacher loyalty” bill to bar educators from advocating for socialism failed to advance this year, after its sponsor pulled it from consideration. A bill to create a local-taxpayer-funded version of the state’s new education […]
Former state senator Erin Hennessey sworn in as New Hampshire deputy secretary of state
Former state senator Erin Hennessey was sworn in as New Hampshire’s deputy secretary of state Tuesday, hours after resigning her position in the Senate in the morning. “I thought long and hard about the choice,” Secretary of State Dave Scanlan said in an interview Tuesday. “And she’s just an excellent candidate.” The move places the […]
Executive Council tables teacher stress-reduction program, requesting more information
A federally funded teacher training program to help educators reduce stress in the classroom has been put on hold after members of the Executive Council said they wanted more information. Voting unanimously June 1, the council opted to table a contract that would have extended the program another year. The program, known as “The Regulated […]
As Sununu indicates support, legal questions around ‘provisional ballot’ bill persist
A bill requiring certain same-day registrants in New Hampshire to produce documents proving they qualify to vote after Election Day – or risk having their votes thrown out – could be on its way to law, after Gov. Chris Sununu dropped some of his previous opposition. “The secretary of state says that our process should […]