Author
Parental bill of rights brings deep-set disagreements to State House lawn
Supporters and opponents of a Republican bill to give parents more control over schools packed the State House plaza Tuesday morning ahead of a daylong hearing on the measure. Senate Bill 272 would outline a number of rights for parents – many of which exist in current law – such as the right to inspect […]
As cities and towns address homelessness, some say smaller towns should share the cost
This story was updated on April 18 at 2:40 p.m. to clarify the title of Stephen Tower. The town of Conway does not have a homeless shelter. But it does have a few motels. That’s enough to draw unhoused residents in the area to the town’s welfare office to seek temporary relief. When they arrive, […]
As state officials offer towns affordable housing grants, progress has lagged
New Hampshire officials are hoping to distribute about $2 million in grants to cities and towns as part of the InvestNH housing program this week. But the disbursements are far below the $40 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that has been set aside for municipalities. In items set to come before the Executive Council […]
As cities race to find housing, some call for more state homelessness funding
In 2019, Keene’s Human Services Department recorded just one individual and one family formally asking the city for help with their housing. A year later, that number rose dramatically: 51 individuals and 20 families asked for housing assistance in 2020, Mayor George Hansel said in an interview last week. The increase – which Hansel says […]
House passes cannabis legalization bill, sends measure to Senate
This story was updated on April 10 at 10:11 a.m. to note that the House vote cleared a two-thirds majority, the threshold for overturning a gubernatorial veto. The New Hampshire House passed a cannabis legalization bill over to the Senate Thursday, in a 272-109 vote that echoed a long history of support for the idea […]
House passes a state budget, to the surprise of many
For weeks, many doubted the House would pass a budget at all. But a narrowly divided chamber surprised the state on Thursday by passing a biennial state budget on a bipartisan voice vote. And a last-minute compromise reached between Republican and Democratic leadership the day before helped make it happen. “That was not the result […]
House approves raising income cap on free and reduced-price school meals
New Hampshire lawmakers are considering expanding the free and reduced-price meal program in public schools to allow families with higher incomes to participate. House Bill 572, which passed the House last week 201-177, would raise the cap on who can participate in the meals program to families making 300 percent of the federal poverty level. […]
Citing a surplus, House Republicans propose dramatically reducing Education Trust Fund revenues
New Hampshire’s Education Trust Fund has racked up a sizable surplus recently. The fund, which pays out just over a billion dollars a year for the state’s share of public school funding, is expected to end this fiscal year with about $184 million unspent, current estimates state. The extra money is largely the result of […]
House moves toward using Medicaid data to enroll families in free and reduced-price lunch program
This story was updated on March 31, 2023 at 1:27 p.m. to correct the name of the representative who is quoted opposing the bill. The House Calendar, which first published the remarks, had misidentified the name of the representative. For families making up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, New Hampshire public schools […]
House budget writers seek to cut Sununu’s housing fund, delay new prison, boost Medicaid rates
When Gov. Chris Sununu addressed lawmakers to deliver his budget address in February, he promised “a smart and targeted budget that sets us all up for an even brighter future.” But not all of the governor’s proposals have been embraced by House Republican budget writers. There’s a $40-million-a-year gap between Sununu’s revenue estimates and those […]
Parental bill of rights narrowly fails in NH House, but debate isn’t over yet
The New Hampshire House on Wednesday voted down an effort to require educators to tell inquiring parents whether their child had made any changes to their pronouns at school – or face jail time. But the chamber left open the possibility of revisiting the issue when a similar Senate bill crosses over to the House […]
As Republicans seek repeal of communications service tax, Democrats warn it’s too soon
This article was updated at on March 21 at 10:20 a.m. to clarify that the communications services tax revenue is equivalent to half the annual budget of the state’s community college system. Since 1990, New Hampshire has taxed telephone communications, collecting $30 million a year in revenues from service providers who pass the tax onto […]