One of the House committees had a Zoom meeting yesterday that included Majority Office staff. According to one participant, the NH House of Representatives plans to take up all legislation that is pending in the process. (There had been some speculation that only priority bills would be taken up and everything else would be put on the table). This could mean working remotely and/or working in person through the summer and fall.
In this meeting, they said that the 20 House standing committees will be taking a slow approach to remote technology and that there will be methods for public participation (i.e., phone).
As of now, the Senate has not discussed publicly their plans. The Senate has about twice as many House bills to consider as Senate bills moving to the House.
Democratic legislative leaders and Governor Sununu clashed last week after he announced the creation of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) to determine how to spend $1.25 billion in federal money from the CARES act.
Democrats believe the Governor’s plan violates the separation of powers provision in the state constitution and that the legislative branch has the exclusive power to make appropriations. On April 13 they sued the Governor asking a judge to force him to obtain Fiscal Committee approval before spending any COVID-19 funds. The hearing on the preliminary injunction will be held on Monday.
On April 15, the Governor established a Stakeholder Advisory Board to provide insight on the needs of NH communities and private industries and to provide recommendations on relief efforts. Initial members include executives from transportation, wholesale food and hospital industries, a farmer and others.
The Governor announced yesterday that New Hampshire schools will continue remote learning for the remainder of the school year.
He has “urged patience regarding the eventual re-opening of the NH economy and when it is safe there will a step by step relaxation of restrictions that could be regional and staggered for certain business sectors.” The current stay-at-home order runs through May 4 and the statehouse remains closed through that date.
We will continue to keep you updated, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.