Latest news with #LiotHill
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
N.H. Republicans threaten to impeach high-ranking Democrat over emails helping partisan law firm
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 Elias Law Group, which represents Democrats and progressive causes, Advertisement Republican State Representative Joseph F. Sweeney of Salem, who serves as deputy majority leader in the New Hampshire House, said the emails show Liot Hill used her office to help a Democratic law firm recruit plaintiffs to challenge the new state law. 'That's not public service; that's political lawfare run out of a taxpayer-funded inbox,' he said in a statement. Advertisement Liot Hill is pushing back, however, saying her responsibilities as an elected official include advocating for the voting rights of her constituents. She said she offered to make some introductions and was 'happy' to disclose those emails publicly, adding that she doesn't have any further plans to make email introductions to anyone connected with the Elias Law Group. 'I will continue to use my official email address to do my job, including constituent services, which is standard practice for elected officials,' she said. 'It is outrageous but not surprising that Republicans are attacking me for doing my job and serving my constituents.' The emails in question — which The Boston Globe obtained via a public records request — were first reported Wednesday by the Liot Hill told the Globe that the support she lent to the Elias Law Group was uncompensated. 'I used the phrase 'working with some folks' in the sense of 'assisting in an effort,' not in the sense of 'receiving compensation,'' she said. 'My offer of assistance was to provide email introductions, which I did.' Liot Hill said she doesn't have an attorney-client relationship with Tina Meng Morrison, the Elias Law Group lawyer who was copied in her email messages. Sweeney, the state representative, said on Thursday that executive councilors can be impeached by the House and tried by the Senate for corruption, malpractice, or maladministration. Liot Hill's conduct clearly implicates the latter two categories, he said. Advertisement If she doesn't resign before the legislative filing period opens in September, then he will file articles of impeachment against her, he said. 'New Hampshire's message is simple: we protect the integrity of our elections, we don't outsource state policy to D.C. operatives, and no official, not even the highest ranking Democrat in state government, is above accountability,' he added. The new law at the center of Liot Hill's emails will require absentee voters to either bring a photo ID to their local election officials to request a ballot in person, or submit a copy of their ID or a notarized signature along with their application. While proponents of the change said it will better protect election integrity, critics said it will cause confusion and Liot Hill is the only Democrat on the Executive Council, which serves as New Hampshire GOP Chairman James MacEachern sent a letter on Thursday asking New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella to open an investigation into Liot Hill's conduct. Without citing a particular statute, MacEachern's letter claimed Liot Hill had engaged in 'taxpayer-funded electioneering.' To support that claim, he cited a New Hampshire Journal New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley said in a social media post that his GOP counterparts had misused the term 'electioneering,' and he called the New Hampshire Journal a ' Advertisement One provision of state law defines ' Michael S. Garrity, a spokesperson for the DOJ, acknowledged that Formella's office had received MacEachern's letter. 'We will assess the information provided and determine the appropriate course of action based on the facts and applicable law,' he said. Aside from the emails issue, MacEachern's letter also mentioned prior incidents for which Liot Hill has faced scrutiny: She was arrested in 2010 and 2018 for drunken driving (as was 'Granite Staters expect their elected officials to use their positions to serve the people, not to further their political interests,' MacEachern wrote. 'Liot Hill's decision to use her official capacity to communicate on behalf of a political law firm adds to the ethical concerns that have already been generated by her previous scandals.' Steven Porter can be reached at
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Packard: Changed parental rights bill fixes some 'flaws'
Feb. 18—House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, on Tuesday proposed a complete rewrite of his original parental rights legislation (HB 10), hopeful it would remove "flaws" and lead to passage of the priority bill for Gov. Kelly Ayotte. But some education and medical professionals said they still opposed the new version, warning it would put children who live in "vulnerable" homes at greater risk of physical or emotional abuse. "I have had so many parents from across the state come to me and tell me that they are the ones who are responsible for the upbringing of their children," Packard said in opening two hours of testimony. "The schools are there to teach them. The parents are the ones who are responsible for their health, for their upbringing, putting a roof over their heads and feeding them. The schools are not the responsible party when it comes to raising the child." Packard credited Rep. Debra DeSimone, R-Atkinson, with leading a working group that rewrote the bill. "The original bills had flaws; those flaws have been taken care of," Packard said. A key concession Packard made was to strike a criminal penalty for an educator who violated parental rights. Deborah Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the legislation a "great improvement." But the union head remained in opposition over concerns that she said it could give an individual parent control over what all children could experience in the classroom. The bill states that parents "have a fundamental liberty interest to raise and care for their minor children." This includes the right to have access to, be notified of and provided with "all information" regarding those rights. For three years, Packard has championed the cause that's come within a few votes of passing the closely-divided House. GOP leaders are now confident it will pass that body that picked up about 20 more House Republicans in the last election Nov. 5. What sparked the bill was a case in Manchester when the city school board cited its policy in refusing to provide the mother information about her child's stated desire to use different pronouns. The state Supreme Court affirmed parental rights but in denying the woman's case it decided it was not an "unqualified right" in New Hampshire. Liot Hill: Bill too vague and risks 'unintended consequences' Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, said much of the language in the bill would be difficult to enforce and could become a barrier for children to get help. "I think there is good intention here but there are unintended consequences," Liot Hill said. Zoe Hill of Lebanon agreed. "This will take away safe spaces for children outside the home," Hill said. "When children don't have people to talk to about their mental health and anything they are facing this can lead to deterioration of their health and even an end to their own lives." Linds Jakows of Dover, a co-founder of 603 Equality, said gay or transgender students could be at particular risk of harm should the legislation pass. "While this bill does not single out LGBTQ+ students directly, I ask the committee to examine how the language will impact LGBTQ+ students who are not ready to come out to their parents, and who may face direct consequences at home," Jakows wrote in her testimony. Betsy Harrington, a former therapist and one-time state child protection worker from Deering, said too many educators resist a parent's attempts to limit their children's exposure to controversial material. "I'm the parent you are talking about and please consider the thoughts about how I might raise my kids," Harrington said. Cathy Stratton, chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Medical Society, said a parental consent mandate for all health care services in the bill was too sweeping and failed to respect the relationship a clinician has with a minor patient. "Such a law would delay treatment and cause some minors to cancel their plans, and this could discourage vulnerable individuals from seeking care, resulting in life-threatening consequences," Stratton warned. A health care provider violating this section of the bill could be subject to disciplinary action and prosecuted for a Class A misdemeanor that carries up to a one-year sentence in county jail. As of late Tuesday, 163 had signed up online supporting Packard's bill while 1,020 had registered opposition to it. The House Children and Family Law Committee has scheduled an executive session March 4 to make a final recommendation on it. klandrigan@
