Politics
Transgender sports ban receives Senate committee support
By JEREMY MARGOLIS
A controversial bill that would ban transgender girls from participating on NHIAA- sanctioned girls’ sports teams in New Hampshire is expected to be voted on by the Senate next week, after it received support from the Senate’s Education Committee on...
For section time this session, House passes bill to ease lease terminations
By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI
A bill passed by the New Hampshire House Thursday will make it easier for landlords to more quickly evict tenants.For the second time this session, representatives passed the bill, which will allow landlords to terminate leases after six months with...
NH Senate committee backs pot legalization bill
By RICK GREEN
A bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults cleared a key hurdle Wednesday with a recommendation by the N.H. Senate Judiciary Committee that the full Senate pass the measure.Voting in favor of House Bill 1633 were Sen. Daryl Abbas,...
Senate Republicans clash with House over raising education freedom account eligibility
By ETHAN DeWITT
Republicans in the House and Senate are both interested in raising the income cap for education freedom accounts this year. But the chambers disagree over how high.On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee rejected a proposal by the House to raise...
On the Trail: Democrat Maggie Goodlander jumps into race to succeed Kuster
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
A former senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration and wife of the current U.S. national security adviser is launching a bid for Congress in New Hampshire, where she was born and raised.Maggie Goodlander, the wife of National Security...
NH Senate panel frowns on bill to ease vehicle inspection requirements
By RICK GREEN
A state Senate panel pumped the brakes Tuesday on a House-passed bill that would allow motorists to skip inspections on brand-new cars for at least two years.The Senate Transportation Committee recommended unanimously that the full Senate take no...
In New Hampshire governor’s race, some finance reports are clearer than others
By ETHAN DeWITT
By last December, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington had raised a total of $1.059 million for her campaign for governor – a number clearly visible on the cover sheet of her Dec. 6 campaign finance report. What is harder to see is who, exactly,...
House kills ‘HOMEnibus bill,’ voting against attempt to incentivize housing
By ETHAN DeWITT
The New Hampshire House voted down a bipartisan bill meant to make it easier to build housing in the state, in a 188-173 vote last week that kills the legislation for the year.Proponents of Senate Bill 538, known as the “HOMEnibus,” argued it would...
Legally required expense records still missing for several current, former NH officials
By RICK GREEN
The N.H. Attorney General’s Office is in charge of enforcing RSA 14-C, a state law requiring legislators to submit reports after organizations cover more than $50 of their expenses in attending political, charitable or ceremonial events.An...
Community health workers, Republicans disagree over who should pay for their services
By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Understanding the impact of a community health care worker requires connecting the dots. Paula Smith, director of the Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center, did that for lawmakers recently while asking them to secure funding for that...
On the Trail: Navigating the politics of pro-Palestinian protests
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
The pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests over the fighting in Gaza that have swept across American college campuses reached New Hampshire this week.More than 100 arrests were made at the campuses of Dartmouth College in Hanover and the University...
House passes bill to raise minimum marriage age to 18, sending it to governor
By ETHAN DeWITT
The New Hampshire House passed a bill Thursday raising the legal age of marriage to 18, sending the legislation to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk after years of advocacy.Senate Bill 359, which passed 192-174, states that “no person below the age of 18 years...
Abortion data bill raises concerns among providers, privacy advocates
By TODD BOOKMAN
Abortion providers and some privacy advocates are rallying against a Republican proposal to collect abortion statistics, arguing the bill as written could put patient identities at risk.New Hampshire is one of four states that doesn’t collect and...
House Republicans recommend eliminating most of anti-hunger bill
By ETHAN DeWITT
House Republican lawmakers are moving to strip out major portions of a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing child hunger, arguing they are costly and unnecessary, in a decision that drew sharp criticism from Democrats and advocates.The House Finance...
Senate holds hearing on trans sports ban bill
By JEREMY MARGOLIS
In the latest hearing for a proposed ban on transgender athletes under consideration in New Hampshire’s State House, Pembroke resident and retired physician Jennifer Smith expressed a more nuanced position than most on the divisive issue.While...
On the trail: NH Democrats quietly hold second presidential primary
By PAUL STEINHAUSER
The Democratic National Committee will welcome New Hampshire’s delegates to the national nominating convention this summer in Chicago after the state party conducted a very small party-run presidential primary this weekend.An official vote bringing...
Senate weighs farm-to-school pilot program
By ETHAN DeWITT
Senators are considering creating a state-run “farm to schools” program to increase the amount of local produce that goes to school meals. House Bill 1678 would create a two-year pilot program to reimburse 10 public schools that purchase food from New...
As lawmakers contemplate requiring voter ID, one organization is ready to help
By ETHAN DeWITT
Sue Nastasi lost her birth certificate years ago. “Beats me where it is,” she said. But getting it back is not a simple matter. Nastasi was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in a hospital that doesn’t exist any more, under a different name, she said. She...
New Hampshire residents weigh compassion and caution in medical aid in dying bill
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
Phillip Kaneb, sporting a vibrant blue shirt with a sticker boldly stating “no suicide,” strolled around the State House’s hallways on Wednesday, pausing intermittently to admire the paintings hanging on the walls, his infectious smile bringing joy to...
Bill requiring educators to answer parents’ questions moves forward
By JEREMY MARGOLIS
A bill that would require educators to answer parents’ questions about their children “completely and honestly” will move forward in the New Hampshire House without a recommendation from its Education Committee.On Tuesday – a day after the committee...
