Latest news with #HouseBill428
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republican-led bill seeks to streamline NH building codes amid skyrocketing housing costs
Housing continues to be a major issue for New Hampshire voters. (Getty Images) The New Hampshire Senate is set to vote Thursday on a bill aimed at creating a consistent building code across the entire state — by preventing local officials from creating their own rules. If enacted, House Bill 428 — which was sponsored by Goffstown Republican Rep. Joe Alexander and co-sponsored by a group of his Republican colleagues — would forbid local officials in New Hampshire from amending the building code within their municipality, creating a uniform code across the state. This bill would leave the state Legislature as the only body able to amend that code. If enacted, it wouldn't go into effect until January 2027, an attempt by lawmakers to give municipalities time to comply. 'Currently under state law, municipalities are able to make changes to the state code that are more stringent,' Alexander said when introducing the bill in January. 'This causes the possibility of hundreds of different codes across the state. Can you see where that's an issue?' The House approved this bill through a voice vote in March after amending it to allow for variations in administrative rules, such as processes for applying for building permits or fees paid to building departments. Substantive changes to the building code itself remain prohibited under the amended bill. The Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted, 4-1, to recommend the entire Senate approve the bill. Rep. Carol McGuire, an Epsom Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, said during a hearing last month that 'a number of municipalities have adopted amendments that severely undermine the ability of people to work between one town and the next.' Alexander, McGuire, and their fellow co-sponsors argue that having so much variety between the building codes of different towns and cities makes it difficult for home builders who do business in multiple municipalities. Following these varying codes also increases their costs and makes homes more expensive, they argued. 'You have a patchwork of different types of building codes across the state, which makes it much more difficult for people to do business,' McGuire continued. 'The principle is that we think if we have a state building code, it should be the state building code.' Matt Mayberry, CEO of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, commended the bill for helping ensure 'one state, one code.' Mayberry said he's 'not excited' that the bill waits until 2027 to take effect, 'but I understand it, I guess.' He said he liked the bill because he'd rather see decisions made by the state Legislature over local boards and councils. 'I put my trust in 424 individuals to make those policy decisions for our state of New Hampshire versus a five-member town council or select board who may be more socially driven than policy driven,' Mayberry said. Margaret Byrnes, with the New Hampshire Municipal Association, testified in January that her organization, which represents towns and cities throughout the state, opposed the bill. She said it would 'take away established local authority to adopt local codes, which has been established in state law for many years.' She also urged lawmakers not to proceed with this bill until they can see the impacts of changes made by lawmakers last year requiring municipalities to submit their zoning amendments to the State Building Code Review Board for review. 'I would ask the committee to consider letting the legislation from last year play out before we go ahead and remove local authority to adopt local building codes,' Byrnes said. A similar bill, Senate Bill 94, passed the Senate in March. Both bills forbid local building code amendments with slight variations. The House retained SB 94 in committee — which means it won't advance to a floor vote for now — in hopes that language from both is merged into HB 428 and passed by the Senate. This comes after years of soaring housing prices in New Hampshire. The median home sale price in New Hampshire year-to-date was roughly $515,000 for single-family houses and $410,000 for condos, according to the New Hampshire Association of Realtors April report. That's a 6.2% and 2.5% increase, respectively, from the same time last year, when the association reported an average sale price of $485,000 for single-family houses and $400,000 for condos. This exceeds the U.S. inflation rate, which was 2.3% for the year ending in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In April 2015, the median sale price year-to-date was roughly $227,000 for single family houses and $161,500 for condos, according to the New Hampshire Association of Realtors. Economists point to the low supply of housing in New Hampshire as a driver of rising prices. In April 2025, there were 1,614 single family houses and 624 condos for sale in New Hampshire, according to the Association of Realtors. That's up from last year when there were 1,227 single family houses and 487 condos for sale, but it's down substantially over the course of a decade. In April 2015, there were 10,319 single-family houses and 2,134 condos for sale. Housing is a major issue for New Hampshire voters. A poll commissioned by advocacy group New Hampshire Housing Action found that 55% of respondents considered New Hampshire's housing shortage the number one issue facing the state. That's more than inflation, taxes, homelessness, health care costs, and immigration. Similarly, Gov. Kelly Ayotte as well as both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature have highlighted it as one of the most pressing issues and vowed to address it.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
IVF bill goes to the governor as GOP women move to extend protection to contraception
A bill designed to protect access to in-vitro fertilization in Georgia is now on the governor's desk. Getty image A proposal to protect access to in-vitro fertilization has been sent to the governor as Georgia lawmakers are proposing a similar measure to protect the right to contraception. Bipartisan calls to shore up access to IVF began in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year that declared frozen embryos children. The ruling temporarily closed clinics there and created uncertainty nationally. Georgia's bill, House Bill 428, glided through the Legislature thanks to support from the state's most powerful Republicans, including House Speaker Jon Burns, who made the bill one of his priorities for the year. 'We're one step closer to codifying access to IVF and ensuring that every family in our state facing infertility will never have a question about their access to this life-changing treatment,' Burns told reporters Friday. The House finalized the bill Friday after the Senate tweaked it this week. Both chambers overwhelmingly passed the measure, and Gov. Brian Kemp has said he supports adding protection for the fertilization treatment. The bill, sponsored by Statesboro Republican state Rep. Lehman Franklin, defines IVF in state code and says a person cannot be prevented from obtaining the treatment. Franklin has openly shared his personal story as he has shepherded the bill through the legislative process. He and his wife Lorie struggled to build their family but are now expecting their first child because of IVF. The bill's final passage also happened days after House lawmakers held a more than two-hour hearing on House Bill 441, which would expand Georgia's law to completely ban abortion and charge people with murder for terminating a pregnancy. Several doctors who spoke at the hearing warned lawmakers that the proposal would end IVF treatment in Georgia. When asked about the hearing and that bill's prospects Friday, Burns told reporters that there's 'nothing that we can't talk about in the House.' 'We'll continue conversations about a wide range of subjects over the remainder of this session and the years to come,' Burns said. 'Like all Georgians and like all individuals, we don't necessarily agree 100% on everything, but I think we've worked towards a common good and a common goal, and that's to make sure we ensure and protect life in Georgia.' A new House bill filed this week mirrors the IVF bill and extends protections to contraception. Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Marietta Republican who chairs the House Public and Community Health Committee, said Friday that she filed House Bill 872 because she thought contraception was being left out of the broader conversation about reproductive rights. She said she sees it as a proactive measure. Contraceptives are commonly used by girls and women throughout their lifetime and for a range of purposes, whether it's for acne, managing pain, spacing out pregnancies or other reasons. 'They play a major role in a woman's life,' Cooper said. Cooper's bill was filed Thursday with more than a dozen signatures of Republican women lawmakers, including Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones. With the last day of the 2025 legislative session set for next Friday, rushing it through this year would be a tall order, but it will remain in play for next year. Jones, a Milton Republican, said the bill is more about addressing the perception that access to contraception could be in jeopardy. 'This certainly makes it clear that contraception is not up for grabs,' Jones said. 'It's very important to women all over Georgia, and we stand with them, and we are making it clear, whether it passes this year or next year, that the right to contraception is protected and honored in Georgia.' Democratic lawmakers and advocates began raising alarm bells about access to contraception after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. At the time, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion that the justices should reconsider all the precedents that rely on the substantive due process legal reasoning that kept abortion legal nationwide for nearly half a century. He specifically cited the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut ruling that recognized married couples' right to use contraception. In Georgia, Democrats filed bills last year attempting to protect access to contraception and IVF in the wake of the Alabama ruling. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Georgia bill to protect access to IVF treatment moves forward
The Brief Bipartisan Support for IVF Protections: Georgia lawmakers unanimously passed House Bill 428 (172-0), aiming to secure access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in state law. Focused Legislation: Bill sponsor Rep. Lehman Franklin kept the measure narrowly focused on protecting IVF, avoiding broader reproductive debates to ensure bipartisan backing. Response to Alabama Ruling: The bill follows an Alabama Supreme Court decision that halted some IVF treatments, creating legal uncertainty after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers from both parties took a major step toward safeguarding access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, passing House Bill 428 with unanimous support. The measure cleared the state House on Wednesday with a 172-0 vote, according to Georgia Recorder. What we know The bipartisan bill seeks to enshrine access to IVF in Georgia law, ensuring that residents can continue to pursue fertility treatments without additional legal obstacles. What they're saying State Rep. Lehman Franklin, a Republican and the bill's lead sponsor, emphasized the legislation's narrow focus on protecting IVF as it currently exists. He said broader debates on related issues should be handled separately to maintain bipartisan support. Franklin, who is expecting his first child with his wife after years of trying and undergoing multiple rounds of IVF, framed the bill as a personal and necessary safeguard for families seeking fertility treatments. The legislation comes in response to recent developments in Alabama, where the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are legally considered children, leading some clinics to halt IVF procedures. That decision followed the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which has prompted legal uncertainty over reproductive healthcare across the country. What's next House Bill 428 now moves to the Georgia Senate for consideration.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House committee approves bill codifying IVF into state law
Georgia families seeking to have children would have a guaranteed right to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF) under legislation that cleared a state House committee Monday. While in vitro fertilization is already being practiced in Georgia, House Bill 428 would codify it into state law, protecting it from any litigation that might seek to prohibit the procedure. IVF became a hot topic last year when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF should be considered children under state law, which essentially would have banned the procure. But after a public outcry, Alabama's legislature stepped in to pass a bill protecting IVF in that state, and Gov. Kay Ivey signed it. The right to IVF became an issue in the 2024 presidential race, with both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris expressing their support for IVF care. Trump, who took the oath of office for his second term as president last month, signed an executive order earlier this month calling for a list of policy recommendations within 90 days on protecting IVF access and reducing out-of-pocket and insurance costs for IVF treatment. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has made codifying IVF protections into state law a priority for the 2025 General Assembly session. The chief sponsor of House Bill 428, Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, has personal experience with IVF. After trying unsuccessfully multiple times to become pregnant through IVF, his wife, Lorie, is due to deliver the couple a daughter in June. "I believe she would not be pregnant if we hadn't used IVF," Franklin told members of the House Health Committee. The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee to schedule a floor vote. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Legislation protecting in vitro fertilization clears Georgia House
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
House committee approves bill codifying IVF into state law
House committee approves bill codifying IVF into state law Georgia families seeking to have children would have a guaranteed right to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF) under legislation that cleared a state House committee Monday. While in vitro fertilization is already being practiced in Georgia, House Bill 428 would codify it into state law, protecting it from any litigation that might seek to prohibit the procedure. IVF became a hot topic last year when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF should be considered children under state law, which essentially would have banned the procure. But after a public outcry, Alabama's legislature stepped in to pass a bill protecting IVF in that state, and Gov. Kay Ivey signed it. The right to IVF became an issue in the 2024 presidential race, with both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris expressing their support for IVF care. Trump, who took the oath of office for his second term as president last month, signed an executive order earlier this month calling for a list of policy recommendations within 90 days on protecting IVF access and reducing out-of-pocket and insurance costs for IVF treatment. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has made codifying IVF protections into state law a priority for the 2025 General Assembly session. The chief sponsor of House Bill 428, Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, has personal experience with IVF. After trying unsuccessfully multiple times to become pregnant through IVF, his wife, Lorie, is due to deliver the couple a daughter in June. "I believe she would not be pregnant if we hadn't used IVF," Franklin told members of the House Health Committee. The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee to schedule a floor vote.
