The week ahead: Social issues will dominate action at State House
Mar. 16—Social issues will dominate sessions of both the House of Representatives and the state Senate this week with parental rights, abortion and assisted suicide bills all facing key test votes.
After 10 weeks of public hearings, House and Senate policy committees have nearly finished taking initial testimony on more than 1,000 bills filed for the 2025 session.
The committees will spend much of their time this week holding executive sessions in public to make recommendations on the remaining bills.
The House and Senate both have until mid-April to finish their own work.
Parental rights
On Thursday, House and Senate Republicans will advance their parental rights bills for a vote.
House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, sponsored the House version (HB 10), which the House Children and Family Law Committee amended and brings forward to the full House.
Rep. Debra DeSimone, R-Atkinson, said 18 states have adopted similar legislation.
"This bill establishes a framework regarding education and care of parents' minor un-emancipated children. It ensures that parents are informed about their children's health and well-being and education while in school custody," DeSimone said.
Rep. Heather Raymond, D-Nashua, said the bill's aim is laudable but it creates unforeseen consequences for professional caregivers.
"It creates criminal penalties for medical providers and requires written permission before doctors can treat children," Raymond said.
"Currently, parents can provide verbal consent for routine services like prescription refills. This bill will end that practice."
Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, sponsored the Senate bill (SB 72).
Abortion
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson of Exeter authored a resolution (HCR 7) that would declare that a woman has an affirmative right to an abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee voted, 10-8, to recommend rejecting this proposal.
"Singling out abortion as a critical component of reproductive health care while ignoring other pressing medical issues affecting women creates a narrow and politicized approach to women's health," said Rep. Lisa Mazur, R-Goffstown.
Assisted suicide
A bill to legalize the right of a terminally ill adults to obtain medication to end his or her life comes to the House Thursday with a positive recommendation.
Last year, an evenly divided House narrowly passed a similar bill to this one (HB 254). A few weeks later, the Senate rejected the measure.
With more Republicans in the House following last November's election, it could be more difficult for the legislation to clear that chamber.
Risk management programs
The Senate will also vote on legislation sought by Secretary of State David Scanlan to give his office more enforcement over the pooled risk management programs that provide health or property and casualty insurance for local and county governments (SB 297).
Scanlan said two of the programs came close to financial collapse and the changes would help keep them solvent in the future.
Administrators of one of those programs, Health Trust, strongly oppose the legislation as an unnecessary power grab.
Health Trust is by far the biggest risk management group, offering coverage to more than 250 cities, towns and school districts.
Landfills
The House will also vote on a bill to create a three-year moratorium on any new landfills (HB 171).
Last month, Gov. Kelly Ayotte in her two-year state budget plan proposed a one-year pause on granting state landfill permits.
On Wednesday, a Senate committee will hear testimony on two bills from Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka that would seek reports on the state impact of Trump administration proposals.
One, (SB 303), deals with the potential elimination of the federal Department of Education and the other report, (SB 304), would be on the impact of raising U.S. tariffs on Canada.
klandrigan@unionleader.com
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