Some bills made by New Hampshire lawmakers could have a second chance at being implemented into law.
Around 900 bills will be debated during the 2022 New Hampshire Legislative Session. Among these bills are some that have already been vetoed by Governor Chris Sununu. Lawmakers are hoping that these bills will receive a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate, thus overriding Sununu's initial veto.
The bill best poised to reach this threshold is one that allows nonprofit medical marijuana treatment centers to organize as for-profit companies. During its initial vote, the Senate passed it 18 to 6, but with a Sununu veto and no vote in the House, it failed to get off the ground. Sununu expressed support for the state's current therapeutic cannabis program, but he did not sign the bill into law because it threatened to create local monopolies on the substance.
Another bill that could receive another chance at life is one of many education-centered bills that are expected to dominate the session. This bill proposes that classes on financial literacy, such as learning how to file taxes and budgeting, be implemented into the state's current definition of an adequate education. However, this bill is less likely to pass, as its initial proposal only gained less than 60 percent of the House's support.
The 2022 New Hampshire Legislative Session will begin on Wednesday, January 5.
Another bill passed the Senate unanimously, but Sununu vetoed it at the urging of top prosecutors in all 10 counties in the state. The bill was intended to expand the statute of limitations to allow for prosecution for assaults against children until a victim turns 24, but prosecutors said the language could be interpreted as prohibiting prosecutions in cases where victims are over age 24.
Sununu also vetoed two bills that would have eliminated the state police "gun line" and instead put the FBI solely in charge of performing background checks for firearm purchases using the National Information Criminal Background System. Neither passed the House with veto-proof majorities, garnering at most 57% support.
A bill to move up the date of the state primary elections from September to August had the backing of barely 51% of the House. While New Hampshire is known for its first-in-the-nation presidential primary every four years, its state primary, held the second Tuesday in September, is one of the nation's latest.
Sununu, in his veto message, said the bill "creates more problems than it solves."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
