Latest news with #HB75
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska House approves broader list of Permanent Fund dividend exceptions
Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Members of the federal government's ocean-mapping corps and Alaskans training for the merchant marine would continue to receive Permanent Fund dividends while away from the state, under a bill approved last week by the Alaska House of Representatives. House Bill 75, from Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, is the first piece of legislation from a freshman lawmaker to pass either the House or Senate this year. If approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, it would create new exceptions to the requirement that Alaskans be within the state in order to receive the dividend. HB 75 would keep college students' spring breaks and fall breaks from counting against their allowable absences from the state, and members of the 'uniformed services,' rather than just the U.S. military, would receive exceptions as well. That changed definition would allow members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps, which operates the federal government's fleet of mapping ships and conducts other scientific missions, to continue receiving dividends even if deployed away from the state. HB 75 also allows the Permanent Fund Dividend Division to fingerprint its employees for federal criminal background checks and allows the general public to opt out of paper mailers for notices. The House passed the bill 35-5, with five members of the Republican House minority opposed. None explained their reason during an eight-minute-long bill debate. It advances to the Senate for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New Hampshire Senate Panel Rejects Cannabis Legalization Bill
A New Hampshire Senate legislative committee this week voted to recommend that the full chamber reject a cannabis legalization bill approved by the House of Representatives last month. The Senate Judiciary Committee marked the bill as 'inexpedient to legislate' (ITL) at a hearing on Tuesday, likely killing the measure in the Senate, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment. The measure, HB 75 from Republican state Rep. Kevin Verville, will still move to the Senate floor for a vote. The chamber would then be able to approve the bill or follow the Judiciary Committee's recommendation to kill the legislation. The cannabis legalization bill was approved by the New Hampshire House of Representatives via a voice vote in February. If passed, the bill would remove criminal penalties for some offenses related to possessing and using cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. The measure would not create a regulated cannabis industry or legalize sales of recreational marijuana. Public consumption of cannabis would remain illegal under the legislation. Cannabis would still be illegal for those under the age of 21. Those under age 21 caught using or possessing marijuana would be guilty of a violation. Minors under age 18 found to be possessing or using cannabis would be referred for substance use disorders screening. Prior to the House of Representatives vote on HB 75, Democratic state Rep. Jodi Newell spoke in favor of the legislation, saying 'the overwhelming majority of Granite Staters who implore this body to end the criminalization of cannabis, to end the fear of unnecessary disruption to people's lives in the event that they find cannabis to be their nighttime sleep aid, their mood enhancer or their morning pick-me-up.' 'I stand asking you once again to pass legislation that would entrust our citizens over the age of 21 with the responsibility to consume cannabis, if they so choose, without fear of retribution from the state,' Newell said. Newell told her colleagues that her husband died of a heroin overdose and that alcohol killed her brother, 'but somehow we still maintain that our citizens cannot be trusted to consume cannabis responsibly, even as we know that it is virtually impossible to consume a lethal amount, and even as we know that cannabis is a much safer alternative to the substances that have taken the lives of my loved ones and likely many of yours.' The Judiciary Committee also voted to mark two other cannabis-related bills as ITL during Tuesday's legislative hearing. One of the bills would allow medical marijuana patients registered with the state to grow cannabis at home. The other measure would give the state's existing medical marijuana providers, known as alternative treatment centers (ATCs), the authority to buy non-intoxicating hemp cannabinoids from commercial producers. The ATCs would then be allowed to use the cannabinoids in products for patients, provided they pass laboratory tests for safety and purity. Cannabis advocates were not surprised by the Senate Judiciary Committee's rejection of HB 75, the cannabis legalization bill. But Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at the medical marijuana provider GraniteLeaf Cannabis, said that the panel's rejection of the medical marijuana bills illustrates the committee's apparent distaste for all cannabis policy reform legislation. 'It appears that a few senators just want to kill every bill that deals with cannabis policy, no matter how modest and non-controversial,' Simon told Marijuana Moment. 'That's very unfortunate because support for cannabis policy reform has always been bipartisan in this state.' A separate cannabis legalization bill approved by the House last week, HB 198, remains pending in the New Hampshire legislature.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New Hampshire House Passes Another Cannabis Legalization Bill
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed a bill to legalize marijuana possession for ... More the second time this legislative session. The New Hampshire House of Representatives last week approved legislation to legalize cannabis, the second time in just over a month the chamber has passed a bill to end the prohibition of marijuana. Lawmakers in the House approved HB 198, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jared Sullivan, by a vote of 208-125 on March 26. If passed by the New Hampshire Senate and signed into law, the legislation would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis flower. The bill would also legalize possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates and other marijuana products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis. 'It is 2025. Let's stop arresting people and ruining their lives for possession of cannabis, something that many states in the country have already legalized,' Sullivan said before Wednesday's vote, according to a report from Marijuana Moment. The bill would not legalize commercial cannabis production and sales. The public consumption of cannabis would also remain against the law. The sponsor of the legislation said that lawmakers seem to agree that cannabis should be legalized. The remaining disagreements center on how cannabis sales should be legalized and regulated. 'Once we get it legal, we can continue to have that debate. That seems to be where the sticking points [are]: Do we want it to be a private, industry-based model? Do we want to be a state-run model?' Sullivan asked his colleagues in the House. 'These things are where we're getting kind of caught up in the weeds, and it seems like most people agree that we should legalize it.' The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved two separate bills to legalize marijuana ... More possession this year. The passage of HB 198 came about five weeks after the New Hampshire House passed HB 75, a different bill to legalize the possession of marijuana without authorizing regulated sales of cannabis. If passed, the bill from Republican Rep. Kevin Verville would remove criminal penalties for possessing and using cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. Like Sullivan's bill, the legislation would not create a regulated cannabis industry or legalize sales of recreational marijuana. Public consumption of cannabis would also remain illegal. Marijuana would still be illegal for those under age 21 under Verville's bill. Those under age 21 caught using or possessing marijuana would be guilty of a violation. Minors under age 18 found to be possessing or using cannabis would be referred for substance use disorders screening. The same day House lawmakers passed HB 198, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who took office in January, repeated her opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana. 'I've been very clear on this,' Ayotte told reporters on March 26, Marijuana Moment reported on Monday. 'I ran on this issue, and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it. I don't support it.' 'I don't think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons,' she told reporters, according to a report from InDepthNH. 'I believe, if you think about our quality of life, if you think about some of the concerns that can flow from that. I know…we talked about safety on our roadways. I think that there are a number of issues that states who have legalized cannabis have experienced in those regards that I just don't think can be addressed at the moment with the existing technology.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Strafford County commission residency 'fix' bill closer to reality
Mar. 18—The New Hampshire Legislature has only a few steps left to fix a mistake lawmakers made in 2023 to allow someone to serve as a Strafford County commissioner without living in the right district. After a brief hearing, the Senate Election Laws and Municipal Affairs Committee voted unanimously to endorse legislation (HB 78) that the House of Representatives approved on a voice vote last month. In June 2023, House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, broke a tie vote to pass legislation (HB 75) for the three Strafford County commissioners to run in separate election districts. Until that point, the county was the only one of 10 in the state that had its commissioners all run at large. But due to a drafting mistake, the legislation didn't at the same time strike a 1979 law that to this day states Strafford County commissioners can live in any community in the county. The county's third district consists of two wards in Dover, two in Rochester and the towns of Strafford and Lee. During the 2024 election, Republican nominee Sean Leavitt lived in a Dover ward in another commissioner's district and Democratic incumbent Deanna Rollo lived in Rollinsford, also in the wrong district. Leavitt unseated Rollo after defeating former state Rep. Cliff Newton in the primary. Newton lived in a Rochester ward in that third district. Moving out of district would require resignation State Rep. Len Turcotte, R-Barrington, the bill's prime sponsor, said, if adopted, that starting with the 2026 election this would require the District 3 commissioner live in that district whether it's Leavitt or Rollo who wins. The House amended the bill to ensure if any county commissioner across the state moves out of his or her district while in office, that incumbent would have to resign, he said. "You have to remain there permanently while you are an elected official in that county. It's the same thing as a state rep or a state senator," Turcotte said. Former Rockingham County Commissioner Brian Chirichiello of Derry lobbied for that change. He pointed to former Commissioner Kevin Coyle, who moved from Derry to Portsmouth in 2019, but then stayed in the seat because the law stated the district residency requirement only applied "at the time" of election. Rep. Tim Horrigan, D-Durham, didn't oppose the concept but urged the Senate to clean up the language. "At a minimum come up with different verbiage," Horrigan said. But Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester and the Senate panel's chairman, wanted the Senate to pass the bill as is so it could quickly go to Gov. Kelly Ayotte to resolve this issue. "This is not the language I would pick but it is efficient and I would like to see it move right along," Gray said. What's Next: The full Senate will vote on the bill in the coming weeks. Prospects: Nothing is a guarantee in Concord but this one looks to be on the fast track to the governor's desk. klandrigan@
Boston Globe
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Marijuana legalization advances in New Hampshire — toward a brick wall
One of the leading GOP voices who pushed for legalization last year has said he 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 In urging his colleagues to vote against Advertisement 'If we decide to legalize marijuana, then we should do it correctly, in an orderly way,' Roy said. 'I know we've tried in 50 different bills over the last few years. Nothing seems to go through. And let me tell you, this one ain't going to go through either,' he said. 'We know it's not going to get all the way through. So let's do it smart and do something that takes care of children, has guardrails and protections, not just throw it out there.' Democratic Representative Jodi K. Newell of Keene, who spoke in favor of HB 75 on Thursday, said she lost an older brother to alcoholism and a fiancé to a heroin overdose. Marijuana is safer than those drugs, and the state should trust adults 21 and older to use it responsibly, she said. Advertisement 'Who knows,' she added. 'We may just save some lives while we're at it.' Democratic Representative Alissandra Murray of Manchester wrote in Separately on Thursday, the House also approved Both HB 75 and HB 196 passed the chamber on voice votes. They head next to the Senate. Polling conducted last year by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found that legalizing cannabis for recreational use is an idea that 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
