Latest news with #TerryRoy
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House, Senate dispense with other priority bills
On a busy final day of regular legislative business, the New Hampshire House of Representatives and state Senate acted on some major bills including a permanent expansion of Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) along with a bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use in New Hampshire public schools. There were a few hiccups Thursday as the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to set aside a Senate-passed bill (SB 54) that would impose more penalties on motorists accused of driving drunk who refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. State Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, had convinced the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee he chairs to add to the bill a proposed mandate that K-12 schools offer at least one hour a year of firearms training. Without debate, the House voted 256-106 to table the bill, effectively killing it for the year. State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, authored the EFA expansion (SB 295) that has now passed both the House and the Senate. Currently, EFAs are only available to families that make up to 350% of the federal poverty level, which is just above $100,000 for a family of four. The bill would eliminate the income limit but place an initial enrollment cap of 10,000 students; presently abut 5,400 are enrolled. The Senate still has to agree with changes that the House made to the bill on Thursday before passing it, 190-178. Sen. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, said EFAs have been very popular among middle class New Hampshire families. But Rep. Kate Murray, D-New Castle, said this expansion will cost the state at least $17 million more a year and she said the public at large doesn't like EFAs. 'Between the thousands of emails and online sign-ins against this bill, and warrant articles passed in communities throughout the state, the public has repeatedly expressed its strong disapproval of the voucher program,' Murray said. 'Instead of listening to the people we were elected to represent, Republicans voted to raise taxes to expand an unpopular program to that subsidizes wealthier households whose students are already in private schools.' Cellphone ban The House gave final approval to the cellphone ban (SB 206) that would direct all school boards to adopt policies that prevent student access throughout the school day. Earlier this year, the House and the Senate approved separate, more limiting bills that merely directed local officials to adopt the plans to deal with the issue. Gov. Kelly Ayotte urged the Senate to approve the House plan, which was similar to what the governor proposed in her budget last February. 'Screens are distraction for students and a barrier for teachers to do their jobs. A bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in the classroom will help kids focus on learning and let teachers do what they do best without being the phone police,' Ayotte said in a statement. 'I'm glad to see the House pass this today and thank them for taking action to help deliver a best-in-class education for all of New Hampshire's students.' In another mild surprise, the House voted 170-168 against legislation to move the state primary election from September to June in time for the 2026 election. Last March, the House had approved a different bill to make that change but to not have it begin until 2028. Rep. Matt Wilhelm, D-Manchester, said state and local election officials along with the candidates need more time to cope with the change. House Election Laws Committee Ross Berry, R-Manchester, had said there was still time to act, but the House narrowly disagreed. 'OK, I guess it's 2028,' Berry said in response. The state Senate has yet to approve the House-passed bill (HB 481) to move the primary for the 2028 election. klandrigan@
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Roy offers compromise on minimum mandatory prison for drug crimes
A key House committee endorsed minimum mandatory prison terms for drug sellers who cause death or possess significant amounts of fentanyl, but with an escape hatch that would let a judge issue a different, lesser punishment if an individual offender met several qualifying conditions. House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, told his panel he spent weeks fine-tuning his proposal under one package combining the two Senate bills that are top priorities of Gov. Kelly Ayotte: • Fentanyl possession (SB 14): This would impose at least a 3½- year prison term for anyone having at least 20 grams of fentanyl and a seven-year minimum for someone caught with at least 50 grams and, • Death resulting (SB 15): Anyone caught selling drugs known to have caused the death of another would face at least 10 years in prison with a term of up to life behind bars. Roy said he started out knowing full well about the long-held skepticism of the House of Representatives to such bills. 'Many of us on both sides of the aisle are not big fans of minimum mandatory (bills),' Roy began. 'We are all aware of many studies that conclude they are not quite effective in reducing crime.' But Roy said the devastation of fentanyl that fueled New Hampshire's opioid epidemic made him determined to find some compromise language. 'We do know that fentanyl is destroying so many lives in our state and people bringing in this poison into our state have to be sent a message that we are done playing,' Roy said. Roy's amendment would allow a judge to hand down a different punishment if that offender: • Had no recent record: No prior conviction for violent felonies or similar drug offenses within the past seven years; • Had no guns: The offender is not involved in any potential or threatened use of firearms or other deadly weapons; • Was not a player: The accused is not to be seen by authorities as a leader of the drug operation; • Had significant cooperation: To the extent possible, the offender has to show they have provided substantial assistance to law enforcement in related prosecutions and, • Had no deception: The offender can't be involved in any way in selling drugs with fentanyl hidden inside them. To receive a lesser punishment, the defendants would have to submit to court-ordered substance use evaluation and complete within nine months drug treatment as long as it's available in the state. Under Roy's proposal, anyone caught violating their probation would be sentenced to a minimum term, three and a half years for a fentanyl crime, at least five years for causing someone's death. Critics: Minimum mandatory looks tough but accomplishes little Completion of a lesser sanction would require at least 250 hours of community service for a fentanyl crime, 300 hours for someone who causes another's death. Rep, Buzz Scherr, D-Portsmouth, was a leading appellate criminal defense lawyer. 'I have substantial problems with mandatory minimums given the history of the war on drugs. Incarcerations have been shown not to have the kind of impact we intended it to have even though the intent was good,' Scherr said. Roy's panel broke along party lines on the proposal 9-7, with all Republican members in support and all Democrats in opposition. House Democrats praised Roy for trying to soften the minimum mandatory provisions. Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth, said there's no evidence that judges in the state have issued lenient penalties against serious drug dealers. 'What I am not seeing is how this bill makes anything any better,' Meuse said. 'This is an opportunity to perform in politics.' While campaigning for governor, Ayotte said she learned in the 15 years since she was attorney general New Hampshire had fallen behind with tough criminal penalties for drug crimes compared to surrounding states. 'We're out of step and I'm for restoring New Hampshire's image for having among the toughest penalties on fentanyl in the nation,' Ayotte said during a recent interview. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, sponsored both bills and has been pressuring Roy's committee for weeks to take action. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais came to the State House in January to testify for both bills. It's unclear whether the Senate and Ayotte will support Roy's changes. Roy is right about the House's past on the topic with libertarian Republicans often joining Democrats against these bills. A year ago, then-Gov. Chris Sununu supported these two ideas that cleared the Senate. The House last spring voted 340-24 to block the fentanyl bill's passage by placing it on the table and sent the other one off to study. What's Next: The full House of Representatives early next month will vote on whether to support Roy's compromise. Prospects: There's still good odds this happens, but this changes the calculus a bit. Assuming Roy can get his bill through if the Senate balks at it, this could face more talks before a conference committee to reach consensus between the House and Senate. klandrigan@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SIG Sauer immunity bill clears House, heads to Ayotte
A controversial bill giving limited immunity from liability to SIG Sauer and other New Hampshire gunmakers over optional features regarding their weapons is headed to the desk of Gov. Kelly Ayotte. House embraces legal immunity for SIG Sauer over pistol lawsuits House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, spoke in support of a Senate-passed amendment to give gun makers in the state limited immunity from lawsuits over optional features. A spate of lawsuits across the country against SIG Sauer and its P320 pistol sparked this bill to protect a major employer in the state. After a brief debate Thursday, the House of Representatives embraced by a 200-161 vote a Senate amendment that only surfaced publicly two weeks ago and has never faced a public hearing. The vote came after more than two dozen law enforcement officials from across the country had urged the House to turn aside the proposal given their involvement in dealing with SIG Sauer's P320 pistol that has resulted in 82 lawsuits filed in federal courts here. A group of 22 gun owners brought suits over the pistol last month. 'This has everything to do with a powerful company in denial with a defect on a key piece of their property,' said state Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth, speaking in opposition. Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield and chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, said many of the lawsuits came from opponents of gun owners that wanted to create legal problems for a prominent gun maker. 'At the end of the day this isn't about gun rights, this is about product liability,' Roy said. ''Do you want people to be able to sue carmakers over cars that don't have air conditioning?' During an interview, Roy stressed that while the SIG Sauer pistol spawned the legislation, it applies to all companies. 'I don't want to pass something that only affects one company, but this does not. It really seemed like the trial lawyers seized on a few cases of officers getting hurt with the weapon and that caused this avalanche of lawsuits because the gun has no safety. Well, if you order the pistol to have one, it will. If you don't, why should you be able to recover in court?' Roy said. The state Senate earlier this month approved the measure on a partisan, 16-8 vote with all Republicans in support and all Democrats against it. The House vote Thursday was similarly partisan with Republicans backing it, 197-1, while Democrats opposed it, 159-2. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, said the immunity was limited to optional features of the weapon and would not prevent a lawsuit over any gun's manufacturing defect. Gannon's amendment specifically exempts gunmakers from liability claims over the 'absence or presence' of items such as a magazine disconnect mechanism, a loaded chamber indicator, authorized user recognition (such as fingerprint) technology or an external mechanical safety. The change was added to a popular House-passed bill (HB 551) that would eliminate a license needed to sell handguns. What's Next: It will likely take a few weeks for final processing of the bill to get to the desk of Gov. Ayotte who has yet to take a public position. Prospects: Likely to sign. As a former attorney general, Ayotte would likely have raised concerns even privately with legislators and key supporters said she has not. .klandrigan@
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mandatory school gun safety training course clears House panel
Four-term state Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, who is a retired police officer, said a mandatory one-hour annual firearms safety training course for all K-12 public school students would help the state respond to dangerous permissive videos youths see about guns on social media. 'Go on TikTok or YouTube and the gun glorification culture our young people are being exposed to is awful,' said Roy, who chairs the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. 'What is the countermeasure to that? We need to meet children where they are and that's at school.' Critics maintain some studies have concluded the courses from the National Rifle Association and other advocacy groups don't make children any more prepared to deal with guns in a real-life scenario, such as a school shooting. 'Let's call this bill what it is; an attempted jobs bill for gun lobbyists and firearm dealers,' said Zandra Rice Hawkins, a leader in Common Sense New Hampshire, a left-of-center group that supports gun-control legislation. Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said it's the height of hypocrisy for a leader in the Republican-led Legislature to champion a gun-safety course for children when lawmakers have rejected countless proposals for adults, such as firearm waiting periods, closing background check loopholes and 'red flag' laws that allow a judge to seize the weapons of someone judged as a danger to himself or others. 'The content of this program I find personally offensive. This Legislature has refused to take any action on firearm protection. We have done nothing to increase safety in this state when it comes to firearm violence,' Altschiller said. 'Normalizing firearms in kindergarten inside the school when we do nothing to promote safety outside the school is inappropriate and outrageous.' Roy's committee voted 9-6 to attach the amendment to a popular Senate-passed bill that would raise the penalty for those accused of drunk or drugged driving who refuse to take a blood alcohol content (BAC) test along the roadside (SB 54). Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn has said this is the most important in a package of bills his team is promoting to deal with a rise in those engaging in hyper-speed, distracted and impaired driving on state highways. Roy also tweaked the refusal to consent bill to enhance an incentive for motorists who agree to take the BAC test after they're pulled over. His changes would allow someone who gets drug counseling to ask a judge to reduce the license suspension period by nine months. Drivers who have BAC analyzed under Roy's plan could also seek a 'Cinderella' license while under suspension. This would permit them to drive from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as long as they agree to install an ignition interlock device that won't allow the car to start if the driver is impaired. 'These alterations would add more of a carrot while still retaining the stick of longer suspension and loss of license for those who refuse to consent,' Roy said. On the firearm training course, leaders of the pro-gun control Moms Demand Action turned out to oppose Roy's idea. One of them was Gabrielle Rothstein, a student at the University of North Carolina and Chapel Hill who dealt with shooting threats at Portsmouth High School. 'I have lived through the fear which this bill ignores,' Rothstein said. 'The root of gun violence in schools isn't a lack of knowledge; it is the choice to provide harm.' The bill makes a reference to Eddie Eagle GunSafe, the NRA course started in 1998 that has been taught to 30 million children. 'This is the number one priority of the NRA this legislative session,' said Justin Davis, state director of the NRA. 'It is critical for gun safety for the state of New Hampshire.' Roy said it's only an example and the bill expressly directs the state departments of Education and Safety to come up with a curriculum by next Jan. 1 to be introduced in the 2026-27 school year. State educators must provide materials for the courses at no cost to the local school districts. The proposal requires all study be 'age appropriate.' Live firearms and ammunition are not permitted on school grounds for the courses, but they would permit 'dummy firearms' or 'multimedia resources.' All schools must offer the course, but any parent could opt out of having their child be involved. Rep. Heather Raymond, D-Nashua, dealt with this controversy as an eight-year member of the Nashua Board of Education when the junior ROTC program wanted to start an air rifle competition team. The board held three public hearings, took more than 10 hours of testimony and came up with an off-site program that was opt-in, meaning a parent had to volunteer to have their child take part or they could not. 'Since this started in 2019, we have not heard another word about it,' Raymond said. 'Nothing prohibits any school district to offer a gun safety course, I get an email from NRA every month offering this training. I would really encourage you making this an opt-in program given the sensitivity about this topic.' What's Next: The bill comes to the full House and is likely to pass given support for gun rights among its rank-and-file members. Prospects: Roy has tacked this onto a bill Senate GOP leaders consider a must pass and it will be up to them to decide whether to accept this marriage or seek a conference committee to try and settle their differences. klandrigan@
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NH abortion travel ban morphs to cover travel for all surgeries for minors, passes House
The New Hampshire House Wednesday passed a bill that was originally criticized as an abortion travel ban. The bill's original language would have made the transportation of most minors for an abortion without parental consent illegal. Opponents decried it as an abortion travel ban, while supporters said its aim was to prevent sex trafficking. However, the bill, HB 191, was amended to replace the word abortion with 'a surgical procedure.' Now, the bill makes transporting most minors for a surgical procedure without notarized parental consent a class A misdemeanor, which can include jail time and a fine. The bill passed 180 to 164. The bill does not define what a surgical procedure would be. It makes exceptions for an ambulance driver or a common carrier like a taxi and would not apply to emancipated minors. 'Whether it be an abortion, gender reassignment, or plastic surgery, parents and guardians must be involved in these important decisions. Surgery performed without their knowledge can end tragically,' wrote Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield. 'Also important, is a parent's absolute right to decide what is best for their children.' Opponents said that needing a notarized document for anyone who is not a parent is too high a burden. They also argued that the vague language makes it unclear what would be impacted and how it would be enforced. 'Even though the word abortion has been removed from the bill as amended, it is unclear if this would still impact abortion. None of the terms are defined,' said Rep. Jodi Newell. 'So how can we be sure that the bill isn't an attempt to further restrict abortion?' The bill still faces several steps before it could become law. It is unclear whether the Senate or Gov. Kelly Ayotte will support the bill. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH abortion travel ban morphs to cover bringing minors to all surgeries
