New Hampshire’s new vaccine registration system had a hiccup Monday as more than 200,000 residents tried to log on and make appointments. People ages 50 and up are now eligible for the coronavirus shot, but many found themselves unable to complete their registrations or even to log in, and callers were unable to get through to anyone for assistance.
It was similar to the problems that early registrants had experienced when the federal vaccination system proved unable to handle the traffic, and even state officials were blocked from listing available inoculation stations. As a result of those problems, Governor Chris Sununu announced that the state would develop its own online registration system.
With that system now up and running, frustrated residents took to social media to complain about the problems. The governor, through spokesman Ben Vihstadt, defended the system, saying, “An unprecedented volume of web traffic was experienced this morning, a good sign that Granite Staters are ready and eager to receive their vaccine, which did cause some to experience delays. Registrations have been accepted and continue to be processed at an increasing pace, with over 35,000 having scheduled an appointment within the first three hours.”
House Deals Blow To Sununu’s Loan Forgiveness Plan
A subcommittee of the House Finance Committee voted, 7-0, to remove student loan forgiveness from Governor Sununu’s budget plan, which would have tapped 60 percent of the proceeds from the New Hampshire Excellence in Higher Education Endowment Trust Fund. Those objecting to the measure noted that it would divert $10 million from scholarships for low-income students.
With that amendment, the New Hampshire College Tuition Savings Plan Advisory Commission would decide how to allocate the funds between the UNIQUE program and the Governor’s Scholarship program.
The subcommittee also objected to Sununu’s plan to send $30 million to the school infrastructure fund, designed to improve internet connectivity and building safety. Several members of the committee suggested those projects could be addressed with the $350 million in federal funds for schools included in the state’s $1.54 billion allocation from the American Rescue Plan.
Racial Reform Or Racial Profiling?
The Senate Judiciary Committee removed a provision from Senate Bill 96 that would have placed racial information on driver’s licenses to assist police in gathering data that could be used to identify any systemic racism by law enforcement personnel. Advocates for racial reform and members of the Governor’s Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency, had sought the change to help identify and correct any problems that exist.
Londonderry Republican Sharon Carson, chair of the Judiciary Committee, said she found the original bill “very troubling,” adding, “If we were to suggest something like this five years ago, we would’ve been accused of racial profiling.”
Joseph Lascaze of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and a member of the commission said having racial information on driver’s licenses is important because of the way data are collected, through the Department of Safety and the National Incident Based Reporting System. The only data collected now is related to arrests and not to traffic stops and other interactions with police. Additionally, Lascaze said, since it is self-reported, some law enforcement agencies do not comply or do it incorrectly.
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