HOUSE SESSION VENUE CHANGE UNNECESSARILY RECKLESS

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –Today, Speaker Packard announced the date of the next legislative session, March 10th, and a venue change to Representatives Hall. In response to the announcement, House Democratic Leader Rep. Renny Cushing (D-Hampton), released the following statement:

"Moving House sessions to Representatives Hall is a shortsighted decision that will put members at risk. In a press conference today, New Hampshire public health officials reiterated that layered prevention strategies are needed to reduce community Covid transmission. House Democrats continue to believe that remote access to House sessions is an essential, cost-effective way to navigate the current pandemic. Packing people into Representatives Hall like sardines with no mask or vaccination requirement or other prevention strategies is a disaster in the making."

REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAW TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDER GRANITE STATERS

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –Today, the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee heard Republican-sponsored bill HB 1180, allowing discrimination against Transgender people in public entities like schools and prisons. Following the hearing, Deputy Ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Gerri Cannon (D-Somersworth) released the following statement:

“This bill is deeply disturbing, not only because of the ramifications that even the introduction of this has on further stigmatizing the transgender community, but also because it is unconstitutional. For the state to discriminate against transgender people in schools and in our prisons is a violation of the Bill of Rights. The passage of this bill would result in a flood of lawsuits in our local communities and threaten the safety of transgender people across New Hampshire. This bill is nothing more than a bigoted attack on transgender Granite Staters and must be emphatically stopped.”

REPUBLICANS DOUBLE DOWN ON GAGGING FREE SPEECH OF NH TEACHERS

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –Today, Republicans on the House Education Committee killed a slate of Democratic (HB 1607, HB 1638, HB 1090, and HB 1576) attempts repeal the Republican ban on free speech in our public schools. After the vote, Deputy Ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee, Rep. David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) released the following statement:

“Today, Republicans once again doubled down to prevent honest instruction about race, sex, gender, and yes, literal historical fact to students in public schools, while allowing private and religious schools funded by taxpayer dollars to teach without this draconian restriction.

It’s simple – Gov. Sununu and Republicans are intent on systematically dismantling public schools. Public schools are at the heart of our communities, and students in New Hampshire's public schools perform among the best in the country. This censorship forces teachers to worry about avoiding certain broad curricular topics at the risk of steep penalties to their professional careers. Censoring our teachers is a threat to Democracy, harms our education workforce, and damages our state’s future.”