What Just Happened? April 21, 2022 NH House Session Wrap-Up
On Thursday, the New Hampshire House of Representatives met for the first time in 2022 without Rep. Katherine Rogers (D-Concord), who died of cancer earlier this month. An 8-term legislator with a strong record of supporting gun violence prevention and battling against animal cruelty, she was an incredible public servant, a force for good, and a willing and valued mentor to less-experienced legislators on both sides of the aisle. We miss her.
Over the course of the day, the House voted on close to 30 bills already passed in the Senate and “crossing over” for action in the House. Here are some of the key votes from Thursday’s session.
Two redistricting bills that change district lines for state senate and executive council elections were passed over the objections of anti-gerrymandering groups, including the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire. Should the governor sign them, both are likely to be challenged in court.
SB 240, reapportioning Senate districts, passed 172-149. Republicans in charge of the special redistricting committee claimed the new districts meet all constitutional and legal requirements. Democrats argued that several of the districts are laughably gerrymandered and ignore input from public listening sessions.
SB241, reapportioning Executive Council districts, passed 174-146. Breaking from tradition, the plan calls for the north country to be split into two districts and nearly every county (9 of 10) is now split into multiple districts. Democrats say the new maps are much more partisan and will make all districts less competitive. Republicans claim the new districts meet all constitutional and legal requirements.
SB 418, a controversial bill that would require people registering to vote for the first time in New Hampshire on Election Day without an ID to use a separate, provisional ballot, passed 180-154. Under the bill, voters are required to mail documentation proving their identity to the Secretary of State’s Office. If they fail to do so, their votes would be voided – which means the results of the election might not be finalized for up to 14 days after the election. Opponents say the bill endangers compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and will make it difficult, if not impossible, for the state to comply with the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. The bill could also jeopardize New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status. More from the New Hampshire Bulletin
SB 458, which funds a six-bed facility to be constructed replacing the Sununu Youth Detention Center by 2024, was approved 244-88. It now heads to the Finance Committee. The amended version passed by the House cuts the capacity of the facility from 18 beds in the original Senate version down to 6. But it also expands the list of crimes that would allow children to be held there from violent crimes-only to crimes against property, such as burglary. More from AP News
SB 403, which would have re-established the Farmers Market Nutrition Program after a 12 year absence was tabled 168-158. The program would have built on work done on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the last legislative session to provide a credit for recipients to use to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at local farmer’s markets. Every $10 spent by the state would have earned a $30 federal match. With COVID-19 and rising food costs making hunger and nutritional issues for many, the penny-wise but pound-foolish tabling of this bill hurts low-income families and children along with farmers.
SB 376 passed 206-107 after a failed attempt by the House Majority Leader to table it. The bill creates a special board to review police incidents involving citizens affected by mental health issues. It also appropriates money to pay travel expenses and backfill temporary replacement costs for police officers sent by cities and towns to Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training conducted by the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council.
SB 401, an appropriations bill funding bridge repair for cities and towns as well as adding money to the state’s bodyworn camera and dashboard camera fund for local police departments passed 241-93. It now heads to the Finance Committee for further review.
SB 306, passed 201-132, would increase penalties for motor vehicle violations involving cell phones and distracted driving. The bill was prompted after an offender who was looking at his cell phone instead of the road ahead received only a 60 day sentence after slamming into another car and leaving the victim to deal with broken bones, multiple surgeries, months in hospitals, and rehab that is ongoing and painful.
SB 442 is bad news for serial toll evaders on state highways. Approved 218-99, it would allow the DMV to suspend a registration for toll jumpers who don’t pay tolls or fines. It would also prevent the transfer of registration to a family member—a key loophole in the current law used to avoid paying money owed.
SB 459, legislation requiring hospitals and urgent care centers to implement a workplace violence prevention program was passed 264-64. The bill would establish a NH Healthcare Safety Commission to exchange information on best practices for dealing with violent incidents at healthcare facilities. However, a provision in the original Senate bill that would have allowed police officers to arrest patients or visitors without a warrant for actual or threatened violence inside healthcare facilities or for interfering in the provision of medically necessary health care services, was stripped out in an amendment supported by House Republicans. Worth noting: Health care workers are the only segment of New Hampshire workers who are ethically-bound to treat people who threaten and assault them.
Attempts by Democratic members of the Science, Technology, and Energy Committee to remove a pair of climate change bills from the table failed to reach the required 2/3 vote—or even a simple majority. HB 172, which would establish greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state along with a climate action plan, is likely dead for this session. HB 1506, which would have created a clean energy accelerator fund to finance goods and services producing low or zero greenhouse gas emissions and use other financial tools to mitigate climate change, also remains on the table and is likely dead.
Last but not least, some good infrastructure news for the City of Portsmouth and for Hampton:
SB 278 was approved by voice vote. The bill appropriates $251,143 in capital spending on top of the $1.5 million previously appropriated to complete the Piscataqua River turning basin project. The project makes it easier to better service cargo ships entering the Pease Development Authority’s port, allowing them to more quickly load and unload cargo, easing supply chain bottlenecks.
Also approved by voice vote was SB 346, a bill requiring the Department of Environmental Services to conduct feasibility and environmental impact studies for the construction of a pier on Hampton Beach. The pier could become a major year-round attraction.
Important: ALL of the bills passed Thursday still have a way to go before they become law. All eventually must go to the governor for signature or veto—and some will need to survive hearings in a second committee, such as Finance, along with another round of votes on the House floor. The Senate must also concur with any changes the House makes to Senate bills. In some cases, this may require the creation of a conference committee to hammer out differences.