OPPOSE HB 1793

OPPOSE HB 1793 so-called CAMPUS CARRY bill in all its forms, original or as amended.

HB 1793 Campus Carry Proposal Recommended for Study Committee

From our friends at the GunSense NH and the NH Gun Violence Prevention Coalition:

HB 1793 began as a bill that would prohibit any public institution of higher education from enacting any rules or policies restricting the possession, carry, storage, or lawful use of firearms or non-lethal weapons on campus. The public outpouring of opposition to this proposal was heard loud and clear by lawmakers. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved an amendment that replaces nearly the entire bill, only leaving the section prohibiting policies related to certain non-lethal weapons and creating a legislative study committee to study the rest of the bill (guns on campus). The full Senate will vote on HB 1793 this week; if passed, it will go back to the House for a vote on whether to concur with the changes or try to reach a compromise through Committee of Conference.

GunSense NH and the NH Gun Violence Prevention Coalition, of which Engage NH and NH Youth Movement are lead members, will continue with a planned petition drop of around 4k petitions to Senate and Governor in the meantime. If you have not yet signed the public petition, please do so by Tuesday, May 12th at 12 noon for delivery.

TAKE ACTION! Urge your state senator to oppose HB 1793!

SUPPORT SB 498

Close the Mental Health Coverage Gap for Granite State children and youth.

From our friends at New Futures:

While wraparound [behavorial health services for children and youth] is included as part of Medicaid, it is unfortunately not covered by private health insurance corporations. This means Granite State families who purchase health insurance through their employer or the marketplace face significant barriers or may not be able to access these critical services.

To ensure access, stopgap measures currently allow some acutely ill children to become eligible for Medicaid through a special program, but not until their mental health challenges become severe.

Other families have had their wraparound care covered with taxpayer general fund dollars.

These extra steps have unnecessarily delayed appropriate care for children and teens while their struggles intensified.

SB 498 would correct this gap in services. It has bi-partisan support, including that of Governor Ayotte. Unfortunately, the Senate committee hearing the bill recommended that it be killed.

TAKE ACTION NOW. Urge your Senator to reject the committee recommendation and instead SUPPORT the bill and send it to the Governor’s desk! More information from New Futures can be found here.

VETO HB 348

Protect financial assistance for people in need.

From our friends at New Futures: Contact the Governor, relative to eligibility for local assistance.  “Local welfare is the last-resort safety net for New Hampshire residents facing crisis, helping provide emergency shelter, food, and medicine when all other options are exhausted. HB 348 would create a harmful barrier to assistance by adding a [lengthier] residency requirement to local welfare. This would make it nearly impossible for some of our residents to get help during a crisis—not because they aren’t residents, but because they cannot pull together the paperwork to prove it.” The House and Senate have passed this bill; it is on its way to the governor’s desk. Please contact the governor and urge her to veto this bill.