Topic: NH Capitol Watch
Capitol Watch
Leaders in the state Legislature say their agenda is to create jobs, stimulate business, and lessen government obligations.
Among the hundreds of proposed bills, resolutions and Constitutional Amendments for 2012 some target those goals. Others are more far reaching, offering changes to nearly every aspect of life in the Granite State, whether its who can vote, how judges can rule, where someone can carry a gun, when a woman can have an abortion, or even when you can take a lunch break.
The series will cover the issues of health care, public assistance, government reform, the judiciary, social issues, guns, education and labor.
Gov. Lynch has “real concerns” about education tax credit proposal
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, May 24, 2012
CONCORD – A legally valid way to direct private donations to support private schools is making its way to the desk of Gov. John Lynch, …
Senate turns down effort to impose waiting period for abortions
Thursday, May 24, 2012
CONCORD – For the second time this month, the state Senate killed legislation to impose a 24-hour waiting period before a woman could have an …
Legislature has week to compromise
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, May 24, 2012
CONCORD – With relative breakneck speed, the state Senate on Wednesday set the stage for final negotiations over the 2012 legislative session, killing 14 bills …
Senate pans effort to ban International Baccalaureate program
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Thursday, May 17, 2012
CONCORD – The International Baccalaureate program, an honors curriculum offered to Bedford students, among others, will continue after the state Senate killed legislation proposing to …
Senate OKs welfare fraud bill; now goes back to House
Thursday, May 17, 2012
CONCORD – State health officers would be able to conduct additional background searches on welfare recipients under a version of the welfare fraud bill passed …
Capitol Watch review: ‘Silly season’ for state lawmakers
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, May 13, 2012
CONCORD – The dominant Republican leaders running the New Hampshire Legislature had high hopes for the 2012 session to cement their standing as budget cutters, …
Senate backs bill supporting controversial Arizona immigration law
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, May 10, 2012
CONCORD – The state Legislature is now on record in support of the controversial Arizona law that cracked down on illegal immigration and is pending …
Bill to study how to create ‘balanced, neutral’ judiciary alive in Senate
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Saturday, May 5, 2012
CONCORD – Legislation to study how to create “a balanced and neutral judiciary” has passed the House and now sits before a Senate committee. House …
Bills urging US to withdraw from UN, NAFTA are ‘dead,’ sponsor says
By MARYALICE GILL Staff Writer | Saturday, May 5, 2012
CONCORD – The Senate put the brakes on two House bills lobbying to get the United States out of the United Nations and NAFTA. The …
Capitol Watch: Welfare limits wanted by House, tough sell in Senate
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, May 4, 2012
CONCORD – A House-approved move to reduce the lifetime limit for New Hampshire residents to collect welfare got stopped in its tracks by a powerful …
Proposal to limit terms for judges never makes it the state Senate
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Friday, May 4, 2012
CONCORD – Bills that survived debate, revision and votes in the state House of Representatives now are moving through the Senate. Not among them is …
Capitol Watch Update: Education tax credit bills move forward, pledge of allegiance bill killed
By CAMERON KITTLE Staff Writer | Friday, May 4, 2012
CONCORD – State senators gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would establish education tax credits for businesses and offer scholarships to students who …
Tort reform measure dead, at least for this session
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Friday, May 4, 2012
CONCORD – Win a lawsuit and want the losing party to shell out the money you spent on attorneys fees and court costs? Sorry, you’ll …
O’Brien’s welfare reform proposal faces skepticism in Senate
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, May 4, 2012
CONCORD – State Senate budget writers voiced skepticism Thursday about House Speaker William O’Brien’s aggressive plan to crack down on welfare fraud. State human service …
Capitol Watch: In-state students may have to swear NH residency before getting financial aid
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, May 3, 2012
CONCORD – Home-grown students attending New Hampshire public colleges must sign an affidavit affirming they are residents in order to receive in-state tuition, according to …
Capitol Watch: Senate kills bill to expand concealed weapons rights
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, May 3, 2012
CONCORD – The recent spate of wanton gun violence played a part in the state Senate killing a bill that would have expanded the rights …
Senate rejects several bills aimed at restricting abortions
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, April 26, 2012
CONCORD – The state Senate, in a crushing blow to New Hampshire’s anti-abortion movement, rejected bills that would put the local Planned Parenthood effectively out …
Senate panel endorses forcing Planned Parenthood out of performing abortions
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, April 20, 2012
CONCORD – A state Senate panel has endorsed Republican plans forcing Planned Parenthood of Northern New England out of the “direct or indirect” abortion business …
Refugee moratorium bill hits road block in Senate
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 18, 2012
CONCORD – A move to give any city or town the right to seek a one-year ban on accepting any more refugees appears headed to …
State senate committee holds testimony on four anti-abortion bills
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, April 13, 2012
CONCORD – Supporters of several bills to ban abortions fought against being labeled anti-women, while opponents told lawmakers they risked fouling New Hampshire’s reputation as …
Refugees testify against bill putting moratorium on resettlement program
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 11, 2012
CONCORD – Refugees to New Hampshire from Bhutan, Somalia and Sudan warned a proposed moratorium on newcomers would trap family members in wartorn homelands. Mukhtar …
Proposed bills address NH health care
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Sunday, April 8, 2012
CONCORD – The fate of the Affordable Care Act lies in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet, before the justices issue their ruling, …
$1 billion at stake if anti-abortion law passes, state officials warn
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, April 6, 2012
CONCORD – The state’s Medicaid program could lose $1 billion in federal support if the Legislature outlaws public spending for any health provider directly or …
Senate panel all business on right-to-work
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, April 5, 2012
CONCORD – Roberta Blackler is a 30-year state employee currently with the state Liquor Commission but has never been a union member. But she urged …
Bill letting anyone contest voters dies
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 4, 2012
CONCORD – A state Senate panel moved quickly to kill a bill that would let anyone challenge voters without signing an affidavit. No one spoke …
Legislature considers bills that would have US withdraw from UN, NAFTA
By MARYALICE GILL Staff Writer | Sunday, April 1, 2012
CONCORD – State legislators have proposed several changes to the way government conducts its business this legislative session, ranging from quoting England’s Magna Carta, which …
Ban on abortion after 20 weeks passed by House
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 30, 2012
CONCORD – House members passed legislation banning abortions after 20 weeks Thursday, the fifth bill passed by the body in the past two weeks that …
House endorses Constitutional Amendment to limit powers of judicial branch
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, March 22, 2012
CONCORD – By the narrowest of margins, the House of Representatives voted Wednesday in favor of stripping judicial administrators of all their rule-making authority. The …
Capitol Watch: Labor remains issue for legislators
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Sunday, March 18, 2012
Last year’s fight over organized labor, which has divided lawmakers and union workers for months, proved only to be a prelude to this year’s continued …
House puts the brakes on 70 miles per hour speed limit on highways
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 16, 2012
CONCORD – House members on Thursday put the brakes on allowing motorists to legally drive 70 mph on some rural state highways, though both sides …
Evolution-as-theory bill not fit to survive in House
By DAVID BROOKS and KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writers | Friday, March 16, 2012
CONCORD – A bill that would have required public schools to teach evolution as a theory, a move often used by proponents of creationism to …
House endorses linking residency for voting and car registration
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 16, 2012
CONCORD – The House endorsed legislation providing a legal link between residency for voting and having to register one’s motor vehicle in the state. The …
House approves bill requiring 24-hour delay for abortions
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Thursday, March 15, 2012
CONCORD – Women would have to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion and be educated about the physical and psychological dangers of the procedure …
Capitol Watch: Conservatives targeting social issues, including gay marriage and abortion, with a bevy of bills
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 11, 2012
CONCORD – House Republican leaders have been clear about one thing this year: The social agenda isn’t dominating their thinking. “Many of our members in …
Voter ID bill clears Senate, moves to House
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 9, 2012
CONCORD – The state Senate overwhelmingly approved the requirement that voters have to show a valid photo ID at the polls. Supporters insisted that this …
Bill banning sobriety checkpoints struck down by House
Thursday, March 8, 2012
CONCORD – The New Hampshire House voted 226-111 to strike down a bill that would have banned sobriety checkpoints. The bill, introduced by Rep. George …
Should you ever have to give a thumbprint to cash a check?
By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 7, 2012
CONCORD – Two years after a controversy arose because Bank of America required non-customers to get fingerprinted before cashing checks, one legislator wants to make …
Education bills in Concord seek improvement, but opponents claim devastating impact
By CAMERON KITTLE Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 7, 2012
New Hampshire legislators kicked off 2012 with controversy in education. And by all accounts, they’re not done. In January, legislators voted into law HB 542, …
NH Legislature taking up issues of voting reform
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 4, 2012
CONCORD – Republican leaders in the Legislature would like to change what you would need to bring to the polls to vote, when you could …
Proposed bills would expand NH freedoms – but at a cost
JOSEPH G. COTE l Staff Writer | Sunday, February 26, 2012
Whether police will soon have more power to arrest you without a warrant or if speeding will be legal unless you cause damage depends on …
Tort reform, limiting power of courts among proposed bills related to judiciary
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Tuesday, February 21, 2012
CONCORD – A Republican lawmaker wants to turn the clock back to pre-1966 and re-establish a legislative check-and-balance over the court system. Another wants to …
GOP legislator introduces 2 bills proposing to tighten reins on the state’s welfare program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Monday, February 20, 2012
CONCORD – Legislation proposing to reform New Hampshire’s welfare system could cost some families $72.50 a month. Depending whom you ask, that’s either a small …
