State House
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 […]
Dems oppose budget headed to the House. Will that risk state pay raises?
This story was updated on March 29, 2023 at 8 p.m. to correct the name of the Democratic House member who voted for the budget. A 10 percent pay raise for the state’s 10,000-plus workers cleared an early hurdle Wednesday. The House Finance Committee voted, 14-11, for a budget that includes $100 million for a […]
Vaccine, public health bills are having a very different year
Last session, lawmakers took up nearly 60 pandemic-related health measures, more than half focused on vaccines; most failed. It’s a vastly different situation this year. Of four bills focused on vaccines or public health powers that the Bulletin is following, two have stalled. The other two land on opposite sides of the public health debate. […]
Sununu’s sweeping licensing overhaul could fail with both parties
Republican and Democratic budget writers in the House are moving to reject nearly all of the controversial and sweeping professional licensing changes Gov. Chris Sununu is seeking. This includes maintaining 31 of the 34 licenses he wants to eliminate, such as those for foresters, licensed nursing assistants, radiologists, and court reporters. The latter, who make […]
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 […]
Even with a $3.7 million cut, advocates support ‘healthy aging’ bill
The state Senate on Thursday passed a significantly scaled back version of a bill that would increase funding and assistance for Granite Staters over age 60 and those who have disabilities and are eligible for Medicaid. The amended version of Senate Bill 36 would put just over $1.7 million into developing and coordinating a system […]
A guide to using the state’s new right-to-know office
In his first several weeks, the state’s right-to-know ombudsman has received five complaints against state and local public agencies. Ombudsman Thomas Kehr, who began in January, said the Milford and Newbury town offices and the state Department of Transportation are each the subject of one complaint. The Newmarket town office is the subject of two, […]
Senate passes controversial parental rights bill, sending it to House
The New Hampshire Senate passed a parental rights bill on party lines Thursday, sending to the House legislation that would require schools to disclose changes to a student’s gender identity if a parent asks. Senate Bill 272, which passed the Republican-led Senate on party lines, would help inform parents of a number of existing rights […]
Mental health advocates to Sununu: We need more beds in communities, not hospitals
Mental health advocates are fighting Gov. Chris Sununu’s two-part proposal to force hospitals to give the state more emergency psychiatric hospital beds and extend the time the state can hold someone in an emergency room for involuntary admission. Among those pushing back is the New Hampshire Hospital Association, which says hospitals are already short beds […]
Trans youth feel unheard as Republicans debate parental rights in State House
Three years ago, when Flynn Ortiz came out as transgender, they followed a deliberate strategy. First, they told a friend. “I was like, ‘Do you mind calling me these pronouns? This name?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, sure,’” Ortiz, now a high school senior, recalled Tuesday. After waiting to get used to the change, Ortiz […]