News
House moves toward using Medicaid data to enroll families in free and reduced-price lunch program
For families making up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, New Hampshire public schools offer free or reduced-price lunches, a federal program intended to reduce childhood hunger among low-income residents. But first comes an application. In order to get the discounted prices for lunches, a parent or guardian must write down the income […]
Members of U.S. Senate panel press financial regulators on massive bank failures
WASHINGTON – Financial regulators promised a full review of Silicon Valley Bank’s massive failure as members of a key U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday interrogated the officials about what led to the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. Members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs asked if the Federal Reserve could […]
Infant formula crisis could recur, former FDA official tells Congress
WASHINGTON – U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday debated if enough has changed to prevent a repeat of the infant formula shortage, more than a year after a nationwide crisis began. The U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services heard from two experts that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]
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. […]
Private well users were reimbursed by the state for PFAS remediation. Then they were taxed on it.
Hundreds of private well users have been reimbursed by the state after spending their own dollars to remediate PFAS contamination. But when tax season rolled around this year, they were mailed 1099 forms, telling them the money they received is considered federal taxable income. The tax forms caused widespread confusion. Laurene Allen, a co-founder of […]
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 […]
Democratic report on U.S. debt default predicts disrupted benefits for seniors, veterans
WASHINGTON — Congress’ Joint Economic Committee released a report Thursday detailing the economic repercussions of defaulting on the nation’s debt, adding fuel to the fire as Democrats pressed Republicans to address the nation’s borrowing limit without tying action to spending cuts. The report, from Democratic staff on the bipartisan Joint Economic Committee, says that a […]
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 […]
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 […]
Discounted CSA shares available for limited-income NH residents
This story was updated on March 24 at 9:25 p.m. Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey estimates a current 7.8 percent rate of food scarcity in New Hampshire – approximately 80,000 people. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire says individuals and families across the state, regardless of income, should […]
Republicans help deliver Democrats two abortion wins
This story was updated March 24, 2023 at 8:45 a.m. to correct the name of the representative who addressed a proposed constitutional amendment. The support of several Republican House lawmakers Thursday gave Democrats wins on significant abortion bills. By fairly wide margins, members voted to remove criminal and civil penalties from the state’s 24-week abortion […]
House passes Sununu Center bill without legal changes that worried child advocates
Advocates for children, law enforcement, and state mental health officials prevailed Thursday in persuading House members to reject legislation they said would have risked putting more juveniles at the Sununu Youth Services Center. In doing so, the state moves closer to replacing the 144-bed correctional center with a much smaller therapeutic facility, advocates said. That […]