State House Dome: State primary date change bill at crucial point

Mar. 8—SENATE ELECTION laws and Municipal Affairs Committee Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, urged all Senate members from both parties to decide soon where they stand on a House-passed bill to move the state primary election ahead three weeks to the third Tuesday in August (HB 115).

That's because the change would take effect this election year on Aug. 20.

"If it is going to apply, this might have to be done sooner than later," Gray said.

The House voted, 281-82, for this reform, which House Election Laws Committee Vice Chair Ralph Boehm, R-Litchfield, said is supported by Secretary of State David Scanlan.

In the past, Scanlan has said the federal requirement that absentee ballots must be sent to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before the state primary gives the state very little wiggle room every two years.

Currently, New Hampshire's primary date — the second Tuesday in September, which this year would be the 10th — is one of the latest in the country.

If this change were made, New Hampshire would join 14 other states with August primaries, including Vermont.

The state Senate already passed its own primary date measure (SB 380), which would move the election up three months to the second Tuesday in June.

The Senate bill wouldn't make that change until the 2026 state election.

In 2022, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed an August primary bill, arguing that turnout could be lower because the date would conflict with voters' summer vacation plans.

A spokesperson for Scanlan said he would prefer any new primary date to be in August rather than June.

Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy of Manchester questioned whether it was possible to get this done in time for this election cycle.

To underline that House leaders want this resolved quickly, the House Election Laws Committee will hold a public hearing on the Senate's June primary date bill on Monday afternoon.

Senate honors Haas

The state Senate voted, 24-0, to pass over to the House a bill (SB 592) naming a section of Route 127 from Main Street in Franklin to Sanbornton the Bradley Haas Memorial Highway in honor of the New Hampshire Hospital security officer shot to death by an ex-patient in November.

All senators signed the roll-call sheet so it could be presented to the Haas family.

In a related action, the Senate initially approved and sent to its Finance Committee a special bill (SB 604) granting a $100,000 death benefit to the Haas family.

The benefit is for public safety officials killed in the line of duty, but Haas was not eligible because he had retired as Franklin police chief before he went to work at New Hampshire Hospital.

Merrimack officials upset

The House Public Works and Highways Committee renewed a fight with local Merrimack officials over the town's Continental Boulevard, endorsing a change to the 10-year highway plan bill (HB 2024) that changes the road from a Class 2 state highway to a Class 5 local highway.

Two years ago, at the state Department of Transportation's request, the Legislature designated Continental Boulevard as a local road rather than a part of the state turnpike system.

The argument was that with the closure of the final turnpike exit ramp tolls in Merrimack, there was no justification for Continental Boulevard off the F.E. Everett Turnpike to remain under state control.

Assistant DOT Commissioner David Rodrigue said the change would mean the state would no longer have to pay to maintain or repave the road.

Keeping it as a Class 2 road could create a claim that, despite ownership status, the state would bear some responsibility for upkeep, Rodrigue said.

"If this were to be Class 5, all of that would be very clear," he said.

Chairman Mark McConkey, R-Freedom, said making this change is consistent with the Legislature's view.

"It has always been clear to me this section of road should no longer be paid for by the turnpike system," McConkey said.

The state's annual cost to maintain the road has been about $60,000. The last repaving cost $1.6 million.

State Rep. Bill Boyd, R-Merrimack, cast the only dissenting vote on the change, which passed, 19-1.

Rep. Robert Healey, R-Merrimack, said town officials' position is that if the state walks away from paving and maintaining this road, the town could choose to abandon it.

McConkey said that's always a possibility, but this is the responsible thing for the state to do.

"We are bleeding dollars" in the turnpike system, McConkey said.

Also-ran's 15 seconds

Venture capitalist and Maryland Democrat Jason Michael Palmer got his 15 minutes of fame this past week, taking the American Samoa primary and snapping President Joe Biden's winning streak.

Palmer edged out Biden, 51-to-40, in the American territory, where citizens don't have the right to vote in the general election.

During New Hampshire's primary, Palmer never caught on, finishing 10th with only 142 votes among 24 candidates on the ballot. Biden captured nearly two-thirds of the vote with write-ins.

Massachusetts comedian and frequent presidential candidate Vermin Supreme beat Palmer by a 6-1 margin here.

Palmer attended the lesser-known candidates forum in December at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, where he highlighted his push for ending the violence in Gaza.

"As a Quaker, I think a cease-fire is what the U.S. should be recommending. We need to do everything possible to preserve life," Palmer said.

Voting machine bill signed

Late this past week, Sununu signed a bill making changes in the voting machines law (HB 154) sought by state election officials to allow the selection of new vendors.

Voting machine opponent David Richard filed a motion with the state Supreme Court asking that it consider this matter as the high court mulls Richard's constitutional challenge to the current use of voting machines.

The state Senate in early January slapped this bill onto an unrelated one dealing with public health offices.

Three weeks ago, the House initially took a voice vote to non-concur with this change and seek a committee of conference to review all the changes.

Later the same day, House Election Laws Committee Chair Ross Berry, R-Manchester, asked that the House support the Senate changes, and that move passed on a voice vote.

When state Rep. Nikki McCarter, R-Belmont, asked the House to reconsider its action, the House voted against it, 201-162.

A review of that roll call confirmed the House GOP rank and file wanted to reconsider its action, presumably to take a further look at the details.

Only 27 House Republicans opposed the reconsideration move, including Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, and his entire leadership team, while 157 Republicans supported it.

House Democrats split, 174-5, against reconsideration, which sent the bill to Sununu.

Fee bill takes a hit

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Lynn, R-Windham, came up short on his attempt to convince his committee to support a revised bill to allow the state and local municipalities to charge fees for extensive records requests under the state's Right to Know Law (HB 1002).

The fees would apply only when a government entity finds the request requires at least 10 hours of work.

The House initially passed the bill, but after Americans for Prosperity, the Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and media executives raised concerns, the House changed course and shipped it back to Lynn's committee.

In response, state Rep. Katelyn Kuttab, R-Windham, proposed amendments to make clear the fee would not be charged to anyone indigent or if it would be a "hardship."

Another change would put the burden on government to prove the fee charged was "reasonable" if the levy was appealed to the state's right-to-know ombudsman.

Despite these changes, however, Lynn's committee broke against it and voted 11-9 in favor of interim study.

Expect another spirited debate when this bill returns to the full House, likely later this month.

Pappas's immigration switch

We saw another example of the political power of the immigration issue last week, when U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., joined 36 House Democrats who broke ranks and supported the Laken Riley Act, named for the Georgia woman who authorities said was slain by a Venezuelan man in this country illegally.

The bill would require the detention of any migrant who committed burglary or theft.

The 251-170 vote was symbolic; the Democratic-led U.S. Senate won't even touch the bill. Pappas's Democratic colleagues from Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut (two) also supported the measure.

AG quells unrest over Merner

Attorney General John Formella helped House Republicans avoid a bitter fight over legislation to require he consult leaders in both parties when his office has probable cause to believe a legislator does not reside in a district.

House Democrats pushed the issue after being in the dark for months that the AG had been looking into whether then-Rep. Troy Merner, R-Lancaster, was in fact living in Carroll 20 miles away. Merner has been charged with several misdemeanors, including illegal voting at his town meeting and filing false mileage paperwork at the State House.

House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm of Manchester agreed to table the pending bill (HB 1629) after Formella announced a new policy that would achieve the ends of the bill.

Ex-state parks head recalled

Former State Parks Director Richard McLeod, 77, will be remembered as a passionate North Country advocate who helped ensure Cannon Mountain remained a state-owned treasure rather than a glitzy commercial ski resort.

His surviving wife, Martha Stroup McLeod, served in the New Hampshire House, his daughter Kristyn was a former aide to ex-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, and his son-in-law Colin Van Ostern was the 2016 Democratic nominee for governor.

Bill would cap ticket prices

Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, decided to delay for two weeks action on legislation aimed at controlling the price of entertainment tickets sold on the secondary market (SB 328).

The bill would ban the resale of tickets for more than face value. The fiscally conservative Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy came out strongly against the idea.

"That's a price cap, and price controls are bad," the center wrote in a commentary.

"Banning the resale of tickets for more than face value won't change the actual market value of tickets for popular events. It will create shortages in legitimate secondary ticket markets and stimulate a separate black market for event tickets."

Ayotte's North Country support

Republican candidate for governor and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte continues to land endorsements in the North Country, the latest coming from recently elected GOP state Reps. Michael Murphy of Gorham and Sean Durkin of Northumberland.

During his four runs for governor, Sununu flipped that part of the state from reliably blue to red territory. Ayotte or GOP primary rival Chuck Morse would like to see that trend continue this fall.

Kevin Landrigan is State House Bureau Chief for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Contact him at klandrigan@unionleader.com.