Civil Rights
GOP bill establishing a federal parental bill of rights passed in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed a bill designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in local public schools, but Democrats sharply criticized the measure, saying it would censor teachers and ban books. The legislation, called the Parents Bill of Rights, passed on a 213-208 vote. It would codify federal education law to […]
New nonprofit to tackle racial justice and equity issues
A new nonprofit was launched last week to tackle issues of racial and economic justice and equity in New Hampshire, at a time when the state is diversifying rapidly. One way Anthony Poore, the founder and president of the New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity, plans to do that is by making policy recommendations […]
Bill codifying same-sex marriage nears critical vote in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is on track to vote on a bill codifying marriage equality as soon as next week with negotiators increasingly confident it could become law. Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday they’re close to getting at least 10 Republicans to back the same-sex marriage […]
U.S. House on bipartisan vote passes bill protecting right to same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House voted Tuesday to enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law, though the bill’s path forward in the Senate is unclear. Supporting Democrats included Reps. Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster. The 267-157 bipartisan vote stemmed from concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last […]
House committee takes public input on a bill to ban Native American mascots
Members of the public weighed in on a bill to ban the use of Native American mascots during a hearing before the House Education Committee on Tuesday. The bill garnered support from the ACLU, two tribal leaders, a member of the Concord School Board, a retired teacher, and a youth group leader. House Bill 1261 […]
ACLU joins NEA to file second lawsuit against “divisive concepts” law
A group of advocacy groups has teamed up to file a lawsuit against New Hampshire officials over a new law regulating what can be taught in classrooms – one week after a separate teacher’s union brought its own legal challenge. In a news release Monday, the National Education Association of New Hampshire and the American […]
With testimony about racial profiling in hand, lawmakers debate immigration checkpoints
When U.S. Customs and Border Protection set up a series of ad hoc weekend checkpoints on Interstate 93 to check the immigration status of drivers, the stops were more than an inconvenience to Sebastian Fuentes. On three separate occasions, Fuentes, a Thornton resident who emigrated from Peru in the early 2000s, found himself stopped for […]
House committee to vote on requiring law enforcement to collect data on race
On Wednesday, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will vote on a proposal that would require law enforcement to collect and analyze data related to race. The legislation, which was retained in committee last session, was a recommendation that came out of the Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT). In […]
Officials outline preliminary plan for $30 million, 24-bed hospital for forensic patients
Patients with mental illness being held at the prison’s forensic hospital for security reasons could be moved to a new 24-bed hospital on the state hospital grounds by late 2023, state officials said Thursday. The hospital will be managed by the Department of Health and Human Services – not a private company – and a […]
Attorney general files complaint accusing Dover woman of violating Civil Rights Act
Attorney General John Formella filed an enforcement action on Thursday against Kristina Graper of Dover, who is accused of violating the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act. The complaint against Graper, 51, accuses her of threatening a Black 9-year-old child in a Dover park on May 10. Graper told the child she would “kneel on his […]
Bill to bar discrimination based on hairstyle fails to gain committee’s support
A proposal to bar “discrimination based on hairstyles relative to a person’s ethnicity” was deemed “inexpedient to legislate” by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday in an 11-10 vote along party lines. Rep. Alexis Simpson, an Exeter Democrat, spoke in support of the bill, as well as an amendment that was introduced to broaden the […]
ACLU criticizes New Hampshire AG for signing letter threatening legal action over voting act
New Hampshire is one of 23 states, each with a Republican attorney general, that signed on to a letter threatening legal action if the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act becomes law. Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, called the threat “unconscionable.” “Attorney General [John] Formella’s opposition to this critical legislation […]