InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/category/politics/page/133/)
Political news for New Hampshire and beyond.
CONCORD — With New Hampshire residents facing skyrocketing energy costs this winter, Democrats said Thursday the governor’s energy plan has left the state unable to blunt the impact on families and businesses.
“The fact that supervising SAU 16 staff did not stop the contact tracing procedure, despite having acknowledged receiving the email from the Superintendent informing all staff that they were not to ask students about their vaccine status, is a very disturbing failure to protect students,” the statement reads.
New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation and health-care leaders urged the Executive Council to reconsider their rejection of $27 million to boost COVID-19 vaccinations when they meet Wednesday.
One Democratic lawmaker pressed Friday to better protect children touring the mask-optional State House and others scolded Republicans who don’t wear face masks and voted against $27 million in federal contracts that would have boosted vaccination efforts, which they say will delay getting shots to children.
DURHAM – Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut criticized University of New Hampshire after it announced Friday a mandate for employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Portsmouth Police Commission on Oct. 26 will be voting on a package of reforms to address the concerns that arose following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.
In an end-run around the Executive Council’s controversial rejection of $27 million in federal funds for a state vaccine program, the Joint Fiscal Committee unanimously supported the acceptance of $4.68 million in more flexible funding on Friday.
During their Oct. 21 meeting, members of the commission charged with developing recommendations on handling police misconduct complaints predicted that the state legislature would not provide the funding for an independent entity as recommended by the Law Enforcement Commission on Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT).
Hospitals across the state are facing some of the highest census numbers since last January due in part to the pandemic with some looking at “levers” they can pull that include suspending elective overnight procedures, said Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association.