Also on today’s menu:
Senate Committee Recommends Killing Pot Bills
State Settles Youth Services Abuse Lawsuit
Trump Found Guilty Of Battery, Defamation
On a 3-2 vote, the Senate Education Committee has agreed to recommend House Bill 367, expanding the Education Freedom Account program by raising the income threshold from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 350 percent. For a family of four, the maximum income level would rise from $82,410 to $105,000.
The House previously approved the bill on a 187-184 vote.
Representative Mel Myler (D-Hopkinton), criticized the committee vote as being irresponsible and disappointing, given that most participants in the program already were attending private school. The program was intended to offer more choices for public school students.
“Because private school students who otherwise receive no state funding were made eligible and applied in droves, the cost of school vouchers has exceeded Department of Education projections by over 600 percent through just two years,” Myler said. “Expanding voucher eligibility to higher-income households without limiting future applicants to public school students will require taxpayers to subsidize another influx of students already attending private school.”
Senate Committee Recommends Killing Pot Bills
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 along partisan lines to recommend killing bills that would favor marijuana use. The upper chamber will be taking up the bills on Thursday.
House Bill 639 would allow the New Hampshire Liquor Commission to regulate the sale of recreational marijuana to adults, while House Bill 431 would allow home-grown cannabis for therapeutic purposes. House Bill 473 would reduce first-time possession charges from felonies.
Democratic Senator Rebecca Whitley supported bills such as HB 639, saying more than 75 percent of their constituents want to legalize adult recreational cannabis, and that it presents an opportunity for $30 million in additional state revenue.
Republican Senator Sharon Carson, however, argued, “Our state is currently facing a severe drug crisis and we must focus our resources on tackling this issue head-on. By investing in prevention programs, expanding access to treatment, and providing support for those in recovery, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Granite Staters.”
State Settles Youth Services Abuse Lawsuit
New Hampshire has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in allegations of physical and sexual assault at the state’s youth detention center. In a brief statement, Attorney-General John Formella said, “We anticipate more and more frequent resolutions in the coming months as the process gains momentum. There are currently more than 50 claims filed, with more expected.”
The state faced more than 700 lawsuits alleging abuse over the past six decades at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly called the Youth Development Center. As an alternative to litigation, lawmakers established a $100 million settlement fund.
Ten men were charged in April 2021 with either sexually assaulting or acting as accomplices to the assault of more than a dozen teenagers between 1994 and 2007. An 11th man faces charges related to a pre-trial facility in Concord.
Trump Found Guilty Of Battery, Defamation
A federal jury has found former president Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation, but not rape, in E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit regarding the incident that occurred in the mid-1990s in a Manhattan department store.
The nine jurors deliberated for three hours before reaching their unanimous conclusion that Trump had sexually abused Carroll and that he defamed her when he denied her claims. Carroll was awarded $5 million in total damages.
In an email to NPR, a lawyer representing Trump said the former president would appeal the decision.
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