CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - It’s a new year, but many of the new bills being heard at the New Hampshire Statehouse look awfully familiar.
Lawmakers return to Concord next week to begin plowing through nearly 200 bills leftover from last session. But even after they clear the decks for new legislation, they’ll be taking up many proposals that mirror bills from last year.
Though the state budget was a big focus, Democrats also used their newly won majorities in both chambers to push through measures on gun control, voting rights and other priorities, only to have them vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. This year, they’re poised to try again, though Sununu has said he will not hesitate to veto new versions of bills he has previously rejected.
At least eight of the more than 1,000 bills being drafted relate to guns, including three that were vetoed last year: requiring background checks for commercial firearms sales, imposing a waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a firearm, and prohibiting guns on school property.
Supporters argue that while no single law will solve the problem of gun violence, the state should take steps toward that goal. In his veto messages, however, Sununu touted the state’s ranking as one of the nation’s safest and said existing gun laws fit New Hampshire’s “culture of responsible gun ownership and individual freedom.”
The new bills related to guns include one that would allow the state to destroy firearms that are voluntarily surrendered. Current law requires them to be to sold at public auction or kept by state agencies for their own use. Other bills would require locking safety devices to be provided with commercial firearms sales, prohibit the manufacture, sale or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and create a committee to study gun incidents involving children.
This is an election year, and there are at least a dozen bills related to voting and elections, including several that were defeated last year. One would restore the state’s distinction between “domicile” and “residency” for voting purposes. Under recent changes pushed by Republicans, out-of-state college students who vote in New Hampshire are now subject to residency requirements, such as getting New Hampshire driver’s licenses or registering their cars, though the law is being challenged in court. Sununu vetoed an effort to reverse the change last session, along with a bipartisan bill that would have created an independent commission in New Hampshire to redraw the state’s legislative districts. Sununu and opponents of the bill argue there is no need for the commission because gerrymandering is rare in the state and the current redistricting process was fair, but supporters will be bringing it back again this session.
On the marijuana front, a bill to legalize recreational pot passed the House last year but was held up in a Senate committee, which is recommending further study. But lawmakers will also be considering a new bill to achieve the same goal, along with several other bills related to the state’s medical marijuana program.
Those measures include one that would allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own supply, though a similar bill was vetoed last year. The new legislation includes bills to broaden the definition of qualifying medical conditions, prohibit employers from firing medical marijuana patients solely based on a positive drug test, and allowing out-of-state medical marijuana users to access New Hampshire’s dispensaries. Another bill would require those dispensaries to provide information regarding the risk of marijuana use during pregnancy.
Asked for the governor’s position on the new bills, Sununu’s spokesman said he will review the final language of any bill that reaches his desk. Ben Vihstadt said the governor “looks forward to delivering a voluntary paid family leave plan without an income tax, meaningful student debt assistance, and an innovative solution to New Hampshire’s housing crisis this session.”
Both the House and Senate convene on Wednesday. The House also is scheduled to meet Thursday.
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