$100 Plus Mileage

Ep. 22 Constitution Day

Welcome to $100 Plus Mileage, the podcast about the New Hampshire policymaking process, covering everything from facial recognition software to hobby distilling. Usually on this podcast we highlight current bills making their way through the New Hampshire Legislature, but this episode we’re honoring Constitution Day by talking about the process to amend the New Hampshire Constitution – which, it turns out, starts out very similarly to a regular bill.

Season 1 Finale

While the House and Senate wrapped up their legislative session on June 24, close to 200 bills are still “retained in committee” in the House of Representatives.  Committees will have a chance to work on these bills over the summer and fall, before the legislature reconvenes in January.

Sometimes committees retain legislation as a polite way to kill bill or make way for an alternate proposal.  Other bills retained in committee get significant work and emerge as flagship legislation the next year.

This article highlights some of the notable bills retained in committee this summer.

Is NH ready for the delivery robot revolution?

New Hampshire legislators have a habit of looking to the future with bills to legalize flying cars or autonomous vehicles. HB 116 is another such bill that looks toward the not-to-distant future; it regulates how delivery robots would be allowed to operate in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Holidays

Two years ago New Hampshire recognized Juneteenth in state law.  This year June 19 falls on a Saturday, which means many of us will have the day off to celebrate.  Any other year, though, public schools and state offices would still be open.  That’s because Juneteenth is not an official state holiday – and if it was, history suggests there would have been a lot more debate about whether to recognize it.

NH futurists take note: weather experiments now require public input

It sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie—state agencies attempting to modify the weather. Still, HB 128, a bill that requires public notice before a state agency attempts to modify the weather, is anything but fiction; in fact, it was just signed into law by Gov. Sununu.

Should NH give Granite Staters more time to file PFAS lawsuits?

PFAS may be called “forever chemicals” but you only have three years to file a lawsuit after discovering you were harmed by PFAS.  A bill in the New Hampshire Legislature would double that time limit, potentially opening the door to more PFAS-related claims.

Should law enforcement be prohibited from disseminating post-arrest photos except in limited circumstances?

Whether it’s on the TV news or your local police department’s Facebook page, we all know what a “mug shot” looks like; it’s the photo that’s taken of someone after they are arrested. But just because someone has been arrested doesn’t mean they have been convicted of a crime, so some feel it is unfair to release these embarrassing post-arrest photos where potential employers and others can see them. HB 125, a bill being considered by the New Hampshire Legislature, would prohibit law enforcement officers from publicly disseminating these post-arrest photos with limited exceptions.

Should NH add de-escalation and implicit bias training for police to state law?

Earlier this year the New Hampshire Senate unanimously passed SB 114, a bill to require law enforcement officers to complete training on de-escalation, ethics, implicit bias, and cultural diversity.  The bill mirrors action from the Police Standards and Training Council to voluntarily add this training.  Now that SB 114 is in the House of Representatives, some legislators argue a state law is unnecessary.  

Should New Hampshire allow patients to grow their own medical marijuana?

Medical marijuana is legal in New Hampshire, but patients have to buy their therapeutic cannabis at one of a handful of Alternative Treatment Centers. Now, legislators are considering allowing patients to grow their own marijuana at home. 

Should NH update its Fair Housing Law for federal funding?

While many Granite State homebuyers and renters are being priced out of the market, some face a more surreptitious barrier to housing: discrimination.  

In March the New Hampshire Senate voted unanimously to revise the state Fair Housing Law through SB 126. The bill is intended to win federal funding for housing discrimination investigations.  However, SB 126 could meet resistance in the state House of Representatives, where some legislators look suspiciously on federal government ties.