By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD — The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to withdraw a bill that would have banned abortions after the15th week of pregnancy.
The House also passed several bills targeting undocumented immigrants and dealt tenants several blows when their multi-family buildings come up for sale or when leases expire as the state’s housing crisis continues.
The House also killed several bills dealing with climate change.
Withdrawing House Bill 476 to limit abortions to the first 15 weeks of a pregnancy aligns with Republicans’ promise not to seek any new restrictions on abortions in this legislative term, although there are still other bills before the legislature that would further restrict services.
The House voted 335-18 to withdraw the bill, the prime sponsor, Rep. Katy Peternel, R-Wolfeboro, said the bill was flawed and would have allowed uncertified and unregulated abortion providers to set up shop in New Hampshire.
Following the vote, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund Vice President of Public Affairs, Kayla Montgomery, praised the House’s action saying there is no state where banning abortion is popular.
“Granite Staters don’t want politicians interfering in their medical decisions or preventing their health care providers from abiding by medical standards of care. One-size-fits-all laws, like this poorly written bill, have no place in complex medical decisions,” said Montgomery. “Moving forward, lawmakers would do well to listen to medical experts and respect patients’ and families’ decisions – especially with matters as complex and complicated as pregnancy can be.”
Montgomery urged the House to swiftly defeat other bills restricting or limiting abortion, shaming abortion patients and providers, and pushing false and misleading information about abortion.
Sanctuary Cities
The House voted 351-6 to initially approve House Bill 511 which would prohibit policies that would prevent local law enforcement from contacting and cooperating with federal immigration authorities if an undocumented immigrant is in their custody. The bill limits immigration questions, notifications, and cooperation to only persons in custody for having allegedly violated New Hampshire criminal law.
New Hampshire state and local law enforcement would be prohibited from asking a person his or her immigration status who is not in custody under the bill. The Attorney General would enforce the law.
The bill will be reviewed by the House Finance Committee before a final House vote on the bill.
The House also initially approved House Bill 71 to prohibit the use of public schools, from kindergarten to higher education, to house undocumented immigrants.
Opponents said the bill addresses a problem that does not exist in NH and does not include an exemption for using schools when they are not occupied such as during the summer.
Rep. Peggy Balboni, D-Rye Beach, said the bill could also cost local school districts between $12 million and $18 million due to a potential violation of federal law.
“This bill promotes divisiveness from a national narrative that all people without documentation are dangerous and diseased,” Balboni said.
The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Juliet Harvey-Bolia, R-Tilton, said the bill’s primary focus is the use of school buildings for education, not shelter for undocumented immigrants.
“Students and parents deserve a learning environment that is free of obstructions,” she said.
But Rep. Muriel Hall, D-Bow, said the bill lacked any sense of humanity and should be defeated.
The bill was given initial approval on a 211-146 vote and referred to House Finance for review before a final House vote.
Housing
The House acted on three bills dealing with housing issues, one that would allow a landlord to evict tenants at the end of a lease, another to give tenants more warning about sales of buildings, and the third would prohibit corporations from buying single-family homes for 90 days.
House Bill 60 would allow landlords to evict tenants at the end of a lease for no reason. Supporters said it would increase investment in multi-family housing and help stabilize the housing and renting market in the state.
But opponents said landlords should want to retain good tenants, not kick them out.
Rep. Russell Muirhead, D-Hanover, noted that in New Hampshire homelessness has jumped 52 percent.
“A contract is a contract, yes,” he said, “but the reality is if this passes, another mom and her kids will live out in her car, another displaced senior will be pitching a tent out in the woods.”
But supporters said termination is not an eviction, and tenants would have 60 days notice if the lease is not going to be renewed.
The bill passed on a 217-139 vote.
House Bill 444 would give tenants a 45-day notification if a multi-family building is up for sale and allows tenants to make an offer on the building.
Supporters said it would encourage home ownership, but opponents said the bill effectively bars the sale for 45 days.
Rep. Dick Thackston, R-Troy, called the bill socialist.
The bill was killed on a 213-144 vote.
House Bill 623 would prevent the sale of single-family homes to corporations for 90-days.
Rep. Alissandra Murray, D-Manchester, said corporations are increasing their holdings in single-family homes and are responsible for driving up rents and home prices, putting them out of reach for many first-time homebuyers.
She said she and her husband tried to purchase a number of homes in Manchester and in every case they were outbid by a corporation.
Murray said corporations now own 30 percent of the single-family homes in New Hampshire and is a growing problem across the country.
But bill opponents said the bill is unworkable, overly broad and problematic as it would include LLCs and non-profits in its prohibition.
The House voted 216-14 to kill the bill.
Climate Change
The House either killed bills dealing with climate change or tabled them.
Rep. Tony Caplan, D-Henniker, told the House, the bills do not target any particular industry as some charged — fossil fuel — but an attempt to gather the information necessary to deal with what everyone agrees is inevitable.
“Not to prepare, is to prepare to fail,” Caplan said. “Seventy percent of Granite state voters want us to do something about this issue which is now upon us.”
But opponents to the bill said the bills were speculative in nature and more time is needed to determine what if anything needs to be done.
The bills killed or tabled were:
House Bill 106 to establish a commission to determine the monetary costs of climate damage to the state of New Hampshire and the best means of recouping such costs.
House Bill 189 to define “clean energy” and the department of energy’s 10-year state energy strategy to include new technology small-scale nuclear energy, renewable energy, and fuel diversity.
House Bill 306 to establish a commission to study the short- and long-term impacts of pending national and regional carbon pricing mechanisms on New Hampshire’s citizens, businesses, institutions and environment.
And House Bill 526, to establish a climate change and damage division in the department of environmental services.
Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.
