Half-way through the legislative session members have already killed more than 450 bills.
But dozens of other propoasls to tackle substance abuse, reauthorize medicaid expansion, regulate drones and deal with Real ID are still alive, and moving on to the next legislative level.
Last week was the deadline for the House to send its approved bills over to the Senate, and vice versa. It’s a period known as crossover.
As soon as both chamber agree on a bill, it can make its way to Gov. Maggie Hassan’s desk.
But don’t expect smooth sailing for every piece of legislation. Republicans in control of both chambers will likely disagree over substantial issues, the biggest being how much money the state spends on substance abuse. Other issues, including needle exchanges and solar incentives, have proven controversia as well.
Here are the top bills to watch through the rest of the session.
Substance abuse proposals
A year after drug overdoses claimed more than 400 lives here, lawmakers from both parties agree tackling substance abuse is a top priority. But, how much should the state spend? Democrats and Republicans find it hard to agree.
The Republican-led Senate has passed bills authorizing more than $10 million in spending on a statewide drug court grant program, law enforcement efforts to crack down on drug dealers, prevention education in schools and updating the prescription drug monitoring program.
Those proposals will now head to the Republican-controlled House, which has been reluctant to invest any additional state money in the issue. Hassan and the Democrats support more spending, so this funding fight will likely pit Republicans against one another.
Several substance abuse policy proposals are poised to draw debate as well. The House passed a bill to legalize needle exchanges in New Hampshire, by decriminalizing used syringes. The Senate now takes up the proposal, which has faced criticism form law enforcement officials who say the proposal would make it harder for them to prosecute and investigate drug crimes.
A number of bills seek to tear down insurance barriers for patients seeking substance abuse treatment. A number of people have testified at the Legislature this year saying they struggled to get insurance companies to authorize care for drug addiction.
Medicaid expansion
Reauthorizing medicaid expansion was expected to be the major legislative battle of 2016, but so far the bill has faced relatively smooth sailing. It cleared the House with the backing Democrats, and 68 of 213 Republicans who voted that day. The bill is now in the Senate, where it has strong bipartisan support. Three Republican senators are co-sponsors of the bill, enough to join with all 10 Senate Democrats to form a majority in the 24-member chamber.
The legislation would extend medicaid expansion by two more years, and gets hospitals and insurance companies to help pay the state’s share of the costs. The program will end this year if lawmakers don’t vote to reauthorize it. Continuing medicaid expansion, which insures more than 48,000 low-income residents, is one of Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan’s top priorities this year.
Energy proposals
The Legislature is poised to raise the cap on net metering, an incentive that lets people sell their excess solar power back to utilities. The House and Senate have different ideas about high to take the cap. Solar developers have warned that if it isn’t raised high enough, the industry could face a shut down. The developers say net metering rates are key to make projects financially viable, but utilities and some business groups say the incentive means solar customers don’t pay their fair share for pole and wire upkeep. The issue groups free-market conservatives opposed to a government cap, with Democrats who want to see renewable energy flourish in the state. Gov. Maggie Hassan has voiced support for raising the cap, but hasn’t picked a bill.
Real ID
Lawmakers are mulling a proposal that would ensure New Hampshire driver’s licenses are “compliant with federal identification law,” and can be used to board airplanes.
The bill would let residents opt-into having a Real ID driver’s license or keeping the current license. The key difference with the Real ID license is that data, including name, birthdate and address, could become part of a national database. That has some privacy-sensative lawmakers concerned about federal overreach. But others say Real ID is needed to reduce identity theft and fraud, and enhance national security. The program was slated to become mandatory in 2008, but has been repeatedly delayed.
Retiree Health
Concord is home to roughly 5,700 state employees. And this year, lawmakers are starting to mull major changes to the health benefit program for retired state workers.
The health plan faced major shortfalls this year, and lawmakers patched the hole by raising premium contributions for some retirees, and co-pays for all. One bill would fill the remianing shortfall with electricity savings. Another bill would require retireers who turn 65 this summer, to continue paying a partial premium for several months.
Child Abuse
Prompted be the recent death of two New Hampshrie toddlers, legislators have taken action to reform the state’s child protection laws. A slate of bills that grew from a bipartisan commission to study child fatalities, is now makeing its way through the State House. The proposals include giving child protection officials more power to intervene in cases when a child is born drug depents, or to parents who are misusing drugs, and would require child protective services keep certain records for a longer period of time to help idenfity potential patterns, or understand case history. The Senate has passed most of the bills, which will now head to the House.
Concord bills
Concord officials have cause to celebrate. The House approved bills to keep the new Merrimack County Superior Court downtown, and another to let the State House open on weekends. Both proposals now head to the Senate.
The latter bill would allow the Legislature to broker a deal with a private entity to run tours of the historic building on select Saturdays during the summer and fall. The courthouse bill would strike language in the state’s capital budget that requires the new building be constructed off Hazen Drive, instead of at the current location North Main Street. Concord lawmakers have pushed both proposals, saying they will be good for downtown business.
Other
A host of other notable bills are moving on as well. One seeks to ban so-called revenge porn, when a jilted ex-lover takes to the internet to post nude images of a former flame without permission. That has passed the Senate and will now head to the House. Another Senate-backed bill heading to the lower chamber is one that would prohibit re-homing, child custody transfers that don’t go through official state adoption procedures.
The House is sending the Senate a bill that bans beastiality and another that would prohibit conversion therapy, a practice that seeks to change the sexual orientation of gay, lesbian and transgender minors.
Better luck next time
Several bills have died along the way.
Republicans in both chambers killed off proposals to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, the federal rate and the lowest in New England.
House members resoundingly rejected a proposal to impose new fees on fuel efficient vehicles, meant as a way to make up for the state’s lagging gas tax revenues.
The Senate shelved a casino bill this year, taking the possiblity of expanded gambling off the table.
The House killed nearly a dozen bills that sought to restrict abortion rights in New Hampshire.
Say my name, say my name
One of the biggest challenges facing all six candidates running for governor isn’t the competition, it’s getting voters to learn their names.
A recent survey found a majority of state residents haven’t heard of the contenders, or don’t know enough to form an opinion about them. Chris Sunun, a Newfields Executive Councilor, is the best knonw among them. Still, the WMUR Granite State Poll found 43 percent of voters don’t know him. Fifty-three percent of voters don’t know Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, and 74 percent haven’t heard of Sen. Jeanie Forrester, who will officially announced her candidacy this week. Eighty-four percent of people don’t know Rep. Frank Edelblut.
The Democrats don’t fair much better. The name Mark Connolly rang a bell for 75 percent of voters. Connolly, former state securities regulator, is from the seacoast. Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern is unknown by 78 percent of voters, the poll found.
Bobcats are back
An obscure legislative committee is about to have its five minutes of fame, weighing in on the state’s bobcat hunt. The Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules doesn’t usually make headlines, it reviews proposed dense, and at times lengthy documents about state rules. But this week the group will take up the issue that has drawn controversy around the state: Fish and Game’s proposal to run New Hampshire’s first bobcat hunting season in 27 years.
The committee, known as JLCAR, will simply be reviewing the proposed hunt rules, not whether to approve the hunt itself, which the Fish and Game Commission already did in a narrow 5-4 vote. Still, the committee has the power to delay the plan’s start, or potentiall derail it. Not-so-subtle lobbying efforts are already underway at the State House. Lawmakers on Tuesday are invited to a screening of the brief documentary “Protect the Bobcat: a New Hampshire Wildlife Story.”
The JLCAR hearing is Friday, and will start at 9.m. in Representatives Hall.