Latest news with #Ayotte
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Governor Ayotte racking up vetoes of N.H. bills backed by fellow Republicans
Republicans could muster enough votes to support overriding one or more of Ayotte's vetoes in the 24-seat Senate, where they hold a supermajority, but they would likely struggle to seal the deal with a two-thirds vote in the House, where their party currently holds Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up One of the bills that Ayotte nixed this week would have Advertisement Another would have Ayotte also rejected a bill that would have Advertisement She also rejected an Her vetoes this week add to a couple she issued earlier, when she opted to In total, Ayotte has vetoed 10 bills so far this session (including two that would have overlapped with other legislation that she signed into law). Her tally appears to be on par with that of her predecessor. During his eight-year tenure, Republican former governor Chris Sununu issued 123 vetoes, including six that lawmakers overrode, according to legislative records. Although most of his vetoes came in 2019 and 2020, when Democrats controlled the House and Senate, he issued 13 last year, with Republicans in charge of the Legislature. This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Governor Ayotte vetoes ‘bathroom bill' in N.H., just as her predecessor Chris Sununu did
Ayotte said she sees 'legitimate privacy and safety concerns' on this topic, but believes HB 148 was too broad and impractical, and risked creating 'an exclusionary environment' for some community members. 'While I believe that the legislature should address this serious issue,' she said, 'it must be done in a thoughtful and narrow way that protects the privacy, safety, and rights of all New Hampshire citizens.' Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up The legislation would have allowed public and private organizations to bar transgender individuals from using Advertisement Unlike the bathroom bills that have passed in other states, such as Every state in New England has adopted legal protections on the basis of gender identity. Had this bill been signed into law, New Hampshire would have become the only state in the region to add exceptions for transgender people in certain circumstances, according to Advertisement The legislation would have curtailed protections that Sununu When he vetoed a bill like HB 148 last year, Sununu Republican Representative Jim Kofalt of Wilton, the prime sponsor of HB 148, disagreed with Sununu's assessment and said school districts in New Hampshire have 'This is an important change that we need to make in our law so that we can respect everyone's privacy and security,' he told senators in May. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire opposed the bill, which policy advocate Courtney Reed called 'egregiously cruel legislation' that would permit discrimination. 'This discriminatory, detrimental, and regressive bill is an attempt to expel transgender Granite Staters from public life,' she said in a statement ahead of the bill's passage. Ayotte said in her veto message that she worried HB 148 would 'spur a plethora of litigation against local communities and businesses.' Ayotte said the provisions of HB 148 that pertain to athletics for women and girls are 'weaker' than New Hampshire's current law, which is being challenged in federal court. Advertisement Legal challenges to bathroom bans have had mixed results elsewhere. Some bans have been upheld, such as a Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Ayotte vetoes N.H. book ban legislation, citing concern about subjective standards around age-appropriateness
Ayotte said she doesn't think the state should get involved in 'addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness,' particularly with legislation that includes 'monetary penalties based on subjective standards.' Advertisement While proponents said Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'Every student deserves to see themselves reflected in the pages of their books,' said Megan Tuttle, president of the NEA New Hampshire, a teachers union, in a statement applauding Ayotte's decision. 'We hope this book ban bill veto represents a changing tide at the State House and call on lawmakers to listen to Granite Staters who overwhelmingly oppose classroom censorship efforts,' she added. This legislation would have required local school boards to adopt policies for handling complaints from parents who allege a particular piece of content is 'harmful to minors.' Those unhappy with the local board's handling of a complaint would then have been able to file an appeal with the state board of education, whose seven members are appointed by the governor. Advertisement Although Under existing state law — which borrows language from the US Supreme Court's What implications the phrase 'for minors' might carry for discussions of age-appropriateness would seem to be open to interpretation. The legislation said complaints would be decided first by the school principal, then by the local school board, and ultimately by the state board of education. Barrett M. Christina, executive director of the New Hampshire School Boards Association, said on Tuesday that his group questioned whether HB 324 was even constitutional. In some ways, its vague standard looks like the state's so-called 'divisive concepts' law, which a federal judge Christina said the NHSBA appreciates Ayotte's veto as an affirmation that 'local education decisions are best made my locally elected school board members, and not the New Hampshire legislature or the State Board of Education.' Related : Advertisement Under HB 324, if a school were to fail to follow the correct process, then anyone claiming to be aggrieved would have been authorized to sue for $1,000 per violation, plus costs and legal fees, according to the legislation. And educators would have faced the potential for professional discipline. Ayotte said she was concerned the legislation had envisioned potentially extensive civil action, 'which could open the door to unnecessary litigation from out-of-state groups.' Ayotte said an If lawmakers conclude the current law isn't being implemented adequately, the appropriate course would be to amend that law, Ayotte said. Republican state lawmakers — who hold a comfortable majority in the 400-seat House and a super-majority in the 24-seat Senate — had framed their support for HB 324 as an anti-smut campaign. 'We're not talking about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' or some poetry that has some innuendos in it,' Republican Senator Victoria L. Sullivan of Manchester said during debate on the bill. 'We're talking about flat-out pornography.' Republican Senator Daryl A. Abbas of Salem similarly said this legislation aimed to get rid of obscene materials like 'Hustler' magazine, not ban books like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' or any of William Shakespeare's works. Advertisement His point was rhetorical. No one claimed school libraries offer 'Hustler' to kids. But others have offered more literal examples of materials they view as inappropriate for K-12 school libraries. Republican Representative Glenn Cordelli of Tuftonboro, the prime sponsor of HB 324, cited New Hampshire writer Jodi L. Picoult, whose acclaimed novel ' Picoult joined with other bestselling authors who live in New Hampshire to In a wry post Advertisement 'Now that kids can't get porn on their phones while at school,' he said, 'at least they can still find it in the library.' Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
With veto, Governor Ayotte keeps N.H. school boards nonpartisan
This is the second time that Ayotte, a Republican, has vetoed legislation backed by members of her own party, who hold a comfortable majority in the 400-seat House and a supermajority in the 24-seat Senate. (The first time was last month, when she insisted that transportation services remain mandatory Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Ayotte vetoed HB 356 on Monday, according to an entry added Tuesday to the legislative docket. Her office did not immediately announce the veto publicly, though her spokespeople responded promptly Tuesday to questions about her decision. Advertisement The bill's prime sponsor, Republican Representative Robert Wherry of Hudson, did not respond to a request for comment. Ayotte also signed a separate piece of legislation, Advertisement The legislation stipulates that such teachers must pass a criminal background check, have expertise or 'significant professional experience' in the subject they teach, and be employed or contracted as a full-time or adjunct faculty member in the state's university system or community college system. Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association in New Hampshire, said HB 90 could negatively impact the education that students receive. 'For school districts with fewer resources, this law could incentivize administrators to hire uncertified and untrained temporary fill-in educators rather than licensed teachers who are invested in the school community and their students,' she said. Ayotte said HB 90 will allow college and university instructors to teach high schoolers, not only for dual and concurrent enrollment programs but also for career and technical education. 'By signing this into law, we're expanding pathways for students to receive a best-in-class education and building the workforce of tomorrow in our state,' she said. This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
New budget takes effect in New Hampshire — and the state university system is already feeling it
Chancellor Catherine A. Provencher told stakeholders the board of trustees had built the university system's budget for fiscal year 2026 around the $91 million-per-year that Ayotte had initially proposed. That was already a modest reduction compared to the fiscal year that just ended. But then lawmakers cut deeper, passing a budget with $87 million in fiscal year 2026 and $77 million in fiscal year 2027, a reduction of 15 percent compared to the prior biennium. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Provencher said she and fellow leaders are committed to seeking cost-savings and 'strategic sources of revenue' to balance their budget. Advertisement 'We know that these are unprecedented times in higher education as we compete for fewer high school graduates and as federal funding for research and student aid is shifting,' she wrote. In her own note to the UNH community, President Elizabeth S. Chilton said leaders must recognize the university will almost certainly be smaller in five years than it is now. Advertisement 'This is a time to decide what our strengths are and how we can invest in those areas in the next chapter of our history,' she wrote, calling for creativity and coordination. In addition to requiring a minimum delay of 120 days before vacancies can be filled with new hires, Chilton said she has asked each academic and administrative unit at UNH to prepare for across-the-board spending reductions of 3 percent to begin this summer. 'While I have said repeatedly that we should try to avoid across-the-board cuts whenever possible, this was the best option available given the urgency of our current fiscal challenges,' she wrote, noting that there will still be 'significant work' ahead for the university system to balance its shrinking budget amid other headwinds. In a message to the Keene State community, President Melinda D. Treadwell noted that leaders are also working with legal counsel to understand the impacts of budget provisions related to While policymakers acknowledged from the outset that this budget cycle would be tighter than those in recent memory, some GOP lawmakers also cited ideological motivations for certain decisions, such as suggesting that cutting university funding would help to curb left-leaning ' Steven Porter can be reached at
