Also on today’s menu:
Housing For Those Discharged From Psych Treatment
Bill Would Make Everyone Eligible For EFAs
Data released by the Customs and Border Patrol under a settlement agreement in a lawsuit filed in May 2023 reveal that there were only 21 encounters or apprehensions at the New Hampshire-Canadian border between October 2022 and December 2023, far short of the 6,925 figure that Governor Chris Sununu used as he assigned $1.4 million toward the purchase of unspecified equipment and additional police patrols within 25 miles of the border.
The American Civil Liberties Union-New Hampshire cited the new figures specific to the Granite State to counter state politicians’ use of data for the entire 295-mile border of the Swanton Sector comprising parts of New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. In fiscal year 2023, the Swanton Sector had 6,925 encounters, compared to 1,065 in fiscal year 2022. New Hampshire’s portion of that border is a mere 58 miles.
Gilles Bissonnette, ACLU-NH’s legal director, said the state’s support of the Northern Border Alliance was based on the false premise that there has been a significant surge of illegal border crossings into New Hampshire.
Discussion: Those high figures always seemed a little fishy, but if true, would have indicated a huge problem. It is reassuring to see that it was all a hoax perpetrated by our governor to score points with those fearful of illegal immigration. I just think of where that $1.4 million could have been put to better use. Such as…
Housing For Those Discharged From Psych Treatment
The Executive Council has approved the spending of $1.2 million to expand Granite United Way’s landlord incentive program to support individuals as they transition from New Hampshire Hospital and other inpatient psychiatric residential facilities to the community. The program assists in finding housing for them.
The effort is a partnership between Granite United Way and the Department of Health and Human Services and is a key component of Mission Zero, an initiative created by DHHS to eliminate psychiatric boarding in emergency departments across the state.
“Successful treatment does not end the day a patient is discharged from the hospital,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “With wraparound services, Mission Zero works to not only address the challenges of emergency department boarding, but to provide Granite Staters with the tools to reintegrate into their communities and thrive.”
The funding will provide property-owner incentives, coordinated landlord engagement, and tenancy support.
Discussion: As noted above, if the state had not wasted $1.4 million on an unnecessary expansion of border patrols, it would have had that money to spend in other areas, such as this initiative, without creating additional spending of taxpayer money.
Bill Would Make Everyone Eligible For EFAs
The House Education Committee on a 10-10 vote sent House Bill 1634 on to the full House for consideration. The bill would remove income restrictions on participation in the Education Freedom Accounts that have proven so popular among New Hampshire families.
The EFAs provide state support for home schoolers and private-school education at a fraction of the cost it spends on public-school education, but it has proven costly because it applies to those already attending private schools. As originally created in 2021, the program was aimed at assisting families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level in choosing appropriate education that they might not otherwise be able to afford. In 2023, the New Hampshire Legislature increased the income cap to 350 percent of the federal poverty level, or $109,200 for a family of four. HB 1634 would broaden the program to allow any New Hampshire family to send their children outside of the local public school district. The only ones ineligible for the program would be students in the special school district within the Department of Corrections.
Bill supporters say the change would address the “cliff effect” facing families who are just outside the income limits and help ensure that all families are able to choose the school that best suits their child’s needs. Opponents say it would deplete the Education Trust Fund that provides adequacy grants to public schools.
Discussion: There is good reason to support programs that allow a child to receive an education that suits their style of learning, and as originally conceived, education freedom accounts made sense. However, using taxpayer money to subsidize the wealthy who would be sending their children to private schools anyway is unfair. If a family exceeds the limits, they are not being denied educational opportunity because they can afford to pay the money. There is a good reason that the bill has a single sponsor, Alicia Lekas (R-Hudson), and it’s a shame that the committee vote simply went along party lines.