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Senate committee votes against Liquor Commission cannabis legalization bill
The Senate Ways and Means Committee recommended killing a House bill to legalize cannabis and allow the state to sell it through the Liquor Commission in a unanimous vote Wednesday that bodes poorly for its advancement on the Senate floor. Voting 5-0, the committee recommended House Bill 1598 be deemed “inexpedient to legislate,” a recommendation […]
Sununu signs bill expanding state’s free tuition benefit for children of disabled veterans
Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Monday to expand the state’s free tuition benefit for state colleges and universities to children of deceased veterans who were disabled – as long as they were New Hampshire residents when they died. House Bill 1575 would enhance the state’s existing free tuition benefit for children of disabled veterans, […]
Lawmakers hold up funding for state-owned drones, citing privacy concerns
A request by the New Hampshire Department of Safety to buy 25 drones for disaster situations has been put on hold for a month, after lawmakers in both parties raised privacy concerns. At its April 15 meeting, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee voted unanimously to table the federally funded request, asking for the department to […]
Fiscal Committee approves $100 million housing grant program; plan moves to Executive Council
The New Hampshire Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved a $100 million, federally funded housing investment plan Friday, a critical step for a proposal touted by Gov. Chris Sununu as a means to increase rental capacity and workforce housing. Voting 8-2, the committee signed off on a program to devote $60 million to matching grants for […]
Parental push for special education watchdog opposed by child advocate, disability rights group
Nicole Sheaff remembers her third-grader’s learning environment not as a “classroom” but a “closet.” Her daughter, who receives special education services at Exeter School District, spent most of the third-grade separated from non-special education students, learning in a separate room during library, art, music, physical education, and recess periods, Sheaff told lawmakers this month. The […]
Senate to consider bill providing educational rights to children of service members
Military families could receive new educational rights for children or dependents under a bill set to appear before the New Hampshire Senate next week. House Bill 1653 would create a new chapter in state law to identify “military-connected students” in New Hampshire and would allow those students to attend any public school regardless of hometown. […]
Sununu opposes bill to prohibit short-term rental bans: ‘You’re going down the wrong path’
Lawmakers are considering a bill to bar towns from prohibiting short-term rentals, but Gov. Chris Sununu is not currently on board. At a press conference Wednesday, Sununu expressed general opposition to the legislation, Senate Bill 249, which would prohibit municipalities from adopting ordinances that ban short-term rentals. The bill would allow towns and cities to […]
New Hampshire median home price hits $440,000 in March, up from $300,000 in 2019
The median price for a new home in New Hampshire continues to skyrocket, hitting a record $440,000 in March, according to the latest monthly snapshot from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors. The $440,000 median sale price is up 20.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the association. Townhouse-condo properties hit a […]
Bill on short-term rentals ratchets up a fundamental debate in N.H. communities
The short-term rental opponents came armed with anecdotes. Short-stay homes and apartments – such as properties rented through Airbnb and Vrbo – have brought busloads of rowdy students from Harvard to downtown Sunapee, and have sparked verbal altercations over use of the town beach, select board members testified at a hearing Thursday. They’ve caused some […]
Sununu administration releases more details on $100 million housing plan
New Hampshire’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs released an official glimpse of Gov. Chris Sununu’s $100 million housing plan Wednesday, noting that the program “specifically will demonstrate a preference for projects that address the shortage of affordable housing for NH’s workforce.” In a submission to the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee – which must approve […]
Bill to reduce home-school testing requirements moves through Senate
This story was updated on April 7 at 7:48 p.m. to clarify the purpose of the 40th percentile testing threshold in current state statute. The New Hampshire Senate is weighing a bill to loosen regulations for home-schooling families and eliminate a testing threshold that home-school advocates say is unfair. House Bill 1663 would strike a […]
Council approves funds for ‘Victim Assistance Academy’ from Department of Justice
New Hampshire’s Department of Justice is set to launch a four-day “Victim Assistance Academy” in Concord next month, after the Executive Council approved the $3,500 program Wednesday. The training program, which will be held at the New Hampshire National Guard Training Facility, will teach victim service providers skills in communication, trauma resilience, working with marginalized […]