Posts by Ethan DeWitt
New Hampshire cities and towns will be required to provide accessible voting machines for all elections after January 2025, according to a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu this month.
The New Hampshire House voted Thursday to send a marijuana legalization bill to further negotiations, after cannabis supporters voiced deep frustrations with changes to the bill by the Senate.
When the New Hampshire Senate began its lengthy deliberations over marijuana legalization Thursday, sunlight spilled through the chamber’s high windows. By the end, night had fallen. The result was a threshold moment: After hours of debates and amendments, the New Hampshire Senate voted for the first time to legalize the possession, sale, and taxation of cannabis.
Proponents of Senate Bill 538, known as the “HOMEnibus,” argued it would help dislodge barriers to housing development and give cities and towns new tools to increase housing units.
Rep. Jess Edwards argued that taking away the possibility of marriage could lead more 16- and 17-year-olds to abortion. “… If we continually restrict the freedom of marriage as a legitimate social option, when we do this to people who are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved, are we not in fact making abortion a much more desirable alternative, when marriage might be the right solution for some freedom-loving couples?” he said.
New Hampshire’s cannabis legalization effort has reached a tricky crossroads.
New Hampshire’s child advocate, Cassandra Sanchez, spoke out Tuesday against a number of bills she says will create a “chilling effect” for LGBTQ+ children, urging lawmakers to vote against them.
Rep. Jessica Grill, a Manchester Democrat and the sponsor of the legislation, said the bill would allow cities and towns to choose to extend the closing time for special events, such as New Year’s Eve. Laconia currently extends serving hours to 2 a.m. during its annual Motorcycle Week in summer.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster will not run for reelection this year, she announced Wednesday morning, ending a 12-year congressional career and creating a rare open race for the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
The New Hampshire House approved a bill to bar transgender girls from participating in female sports teams in K-12 schools and public colleges and universities, in a 189-182 vote that drew criticism from LGBTQ+ rights groups.