InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/series/distant-dome/page/16)
Garry Rayno
The problems with the rules indicate that much more vetting needed to be done on the legislation, which was pushed through last session by including it in the two-year budget package.
It is time to end the pretense it is safe to hold in-person House and Senate committee meetings and sessions.
The numbers are shocking.
One day last week, the state announced 3,149 new COVID-19 infections, and another 2,633 another day.
The start of the 2022 legislative session will look a lot like the end of the 2021 legislative session: the Senate meeting in Representative Hall and the House meeting in a football field-sized hall to avoid a super-spreader event, something some say is a real possibility.
Key to the upcoming legislative session will be redistricting and how the state’s political boundaries influence the political landscape for this decade.
The Republican right-wing had a very successful session this year, probably more than even they imagined: the nation’s most expansive school voucher system, an abortion ban and more, influencing public education’s discussions of race and discrimination, reining in the governor’s sweeping emergency powers and “medical freedom” to blunt public health measures during the pandemic.
Dear New Hampshire,
Merry Christmas. I say that knowing it is a really tough time for many of you. I can only say we will do our part at InDepthNH.org to get the information you need as fast as we can. We send out a free newsletter most nights, but friend us on Facebook and Twitter and check our website during the day. We post news as soon as the story is written, and we will never have a paywall so it’s free.
The best gift for everyone in the world this year would be the end of the pandemic and a return to something resembling normalcy. But when 5.4 million people have lost their lives — 800,000 in the United States — the world will not return to normal.
As Joni Mitchell sings, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” and she might as well be singing about the state’s energy efficiency program.
The House will not be meeting in Representatives Hall when it reconvenes next month to act on vetoes and retained bills.