Ethan DeWitt

Statehouse reporter @NHBulletinNews. Past: @ConMonitorNews, @Keene_Sentinel, @TheStudentPaper at @EdinburghUni. Email [email protected]

[Will Skipworth @WillSkipworth]

An update (and perhaps for some, a conclusion) to the recent saga at North Country Healthcare: https://t.co/86OH0bsWdk

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

Bill a bit different from past efforts.

What's the same:
-All districts must send/receive students

What's new:
-Sending districts pay receiving districts up to their own per-pupil cost, no more
-Any difference is borne by parents as tuition
-School boards can set capacity at 0

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

News: NH Senate Republicans plan to fast-track an open enrollment bill tomorrow — allowing NH kids to attend any NH school district.

The plan: Add it as a floor amendment to an existing House bill (HB 751) so it goes right to the House w/o hearings. #NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

If they succeed, the House could approve the amended bill when they next meet and send it to Gov. @KellyAyotte's desk within a few weeks.

Sen. @tlangsr tells me House GOP leadership supports the bill, which could allow for quick passage. #NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

The nominee, Daniel Will, has strong support from Rep. Bob Lynn, the former Supreme Court chief justice, an influential voice. And other councilors appear much more open to him.

But with 3 yes votes needed, and 4-1 GOP control, this could be closer than expected. #NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

NEW: Gov. Kelly Ayotte's latest Supreme Court nominee is facing conservative backlash. One GOP Exec Councilor tells me he's opposed.

And @nhcornerstone is already urging "no".

The issue? Past work defending NH's COVID state of emergency.

https://t.co/qMCCAxhtxQ #NHPolitics

[Steven Porter @reporterporter]

Republican State Representative Glenn Cordelli (who had been chairing the House Education Policy and Administration Committee) has resigned from the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

Coming to a Midtown near you:
"New Hampshire: What NYC used to be"

#NHPolitics

[Kevin Landrigan @KlandriganUL]

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has vetoed three favorite bills of social conservatives, to allow segregation by biological sex, to make it easier to censor material in public schools considered to be obscene and to compel parents to "opt in" for their children to take risk behavior surveys.

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

More vetoes from Ayotte today (7 total):
-HB 148, allowing separation by biological sex in some areas
-HB 358, easing process for religious exemption to child vaccines
-HB 466, making student surveys opt-in not opt-out
-HB 667, requiring ultrasound videos in sex ed.
#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

BREAKING: Gov. Kelly Ayotte has *vetoed* House Bill 324, a bill to make it easier for parents and guardians to remove "obscene" books and materials from schools.

Veto confirmed via Secretary of State's Office. GOP lawmakers will need 2/3 majorities to overturn.
#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

BREAKING: Gov. Kelly Ayotte has *vetoed* House Bill 324, a bill to make it easier for parents and guardians to remove "obscene" books and materials from schools.

Veto confirmed via Secretary of State's Office. GOP lawmakers will need 2/3 majorities to overturn.
#NHPolitics

[Adam Sexton @AdamSextonWMUR]

Near-century old, massive Norway Maple that towered over the State House arch is coming down today. #NHPolitics #WMUR

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

Correction: Rep. Brian Taylor of Freedom

#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

UPDATE: In a second twist, the House has reversed course, and *passed* HB 1, 185-180.

Second chance came after a Republican rep who voted on the prevailing side against the budget, Rep. Brian Taylor, moved to reconsider the vote.

https://t.co/3aMVR93OVr #NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

JUST NOW: In an upset to what had seemed to be a compromise, the New Hampshire House just barely *voted down* the 2-year budget, in a 182-183 vote.

22 GOP reps on the right joined with almost all Dems to vote it down. This chart tells the story:

#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

In total, 4 Republicans who originally voted against HB 1 switched their votes to support it the 2nd time:
Rep. Travis Corcoran of Weare
Rep. Joe Guthrie of Hampstead
Rep. Brian Taylor of Weare
Rep. David Walker of Rochester

List of surviving GOP no votes below:
#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

The list of Republicans who voted no. One Democrat, Dale Girard, voted yes.

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

JUST NOW: In an upset to what had seemed to be a compromise, the New Hampshire House just barely *voted down* the 2-year budget, in a 182-183 vote.

22 GOP reps on the right joined with almost all Dems to vote it down. This chart tells the story:

#NHPolitics

[Adam Sexton @AdamSextonWMUR]

Gov. @KellyAyotte says she cannot support the state budget approved by the @NHHouseofReps & @TheNHSenate Committee of Conference, and will veto it if it reaches her desk. #NHPolitics #WMUR

[Adam Sexton @AdamSextonWMUR]

More big news in education today: Gov. @KellyAyotte to nominate Caitlin Davis from within NH DoE to be the next Commissioner of Education #NHPolitics #WMUR

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

It also suggests something that might trouble the plaintiffs in the Rand and ConVal school funding suits:

Even if the court does find a piece of the school funding formula unconstitutional, as it did today w/r/t negative tax rates, it might not order a fix directly #NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

JUST IN: In a 3-1 ruling, the NH Supreme Court has *rejected* taxpayers' arguments that NH's Statewide Ed. Property Tax is unconstitutionally unequal.

Chief Justice MacDonald writing for majority; Donovan + Countway concurring; Bassett dissenting on this point.

#NHPolitics

[Ethan DeWitt @edewittNH]

The ruling does not affect the court's bigger anticipated ruling on the constitutionality of the NH school funding formula. Both the Rand and the ConVal lawsuits are continuing.

But it puts to bed the ? of whether SWEPT retention by wealthy towns is unconstitutional. #NHPolitics