Sununu signs 53 bills, vetoes two, lets one become law without his signature
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Jul. 28—CONCORD — For the third straight week, Gov. Chris Sununu decided to act on a pile of bills left over from the 2024 session on a Friday afternoon.
With this latest batch, Sununu signed 53, vetoed two and let one more become law without his signature.
One bill he signed designated a section of Route 127 in Franklin in honor of slain New Hampshire Hospital security officer Bradley Haas. (SB 592).
"Through this tribute within his hometown, Chief Haas will be remembered as a devoted public servant who faithfully served his community for nearly three decades," Sununu said in a statement.
Prior to joining the hospital security staff, Haas had retired as the Franklin police chief.
Sununu also approved an expansion of the state's safe haven law (HB 1607) that permits parents to turn over infants they can't care for to law enforcement or at a hospital without facing criminal prosecution.
The current law only applies to newborns up to seven days old. In 60 days, this new law will apply to infants up to 61 days of age.
The legislation also permits the child to be left at a secure drop off box, which will end the requirement that the child must be turned over to authorities in person.
Cornerstone Action, a leading socially-conservative group that at times has criticized Sununu regarding abortion policy, praised this decision.
"Babies at risk of being abused, abandoned, and killed by their parents should never be used as bait to catch criminals," said Cornerstone Executive Director, Shannon McGinley. "This law rightly ensures that the most vulnerable Granite State babies like Mattilynn Kitner, who was suffocated in a couch while her mother was high, won't pay for their parents' crimes with their lives."
Sununu backs moves to preserve 603 area codeAnother bill Sununu backed (SB 603) will give the state additional tools to preserve the use of 603 as the one and only area code in New Hampshire.
"603 is more than just an area code — it's part of our identity in the Granite State," Sununu said.
Other bills Sununu signed included:
—Homeless Shelters (SB 406): This offers $2.5 million to increase rates paid to homeless shelters in the state. The money will come from the state budget unless it is eligible to use federal American Rescue Plan Act grants to boost these payments and,
—Sports officials (SB 327): Refs in youth sports across the state lobbied for this bill, which will give a judge the discretion to ban a parent or fan who harasses a sports official from attending such sporting events for up to life;
The two bills Sununu vetoed got little attention at the State House, one to prohibit municipal leases of facility equipment (HB 1187) and the other to change the licensing procedures for installers of manufactured housing (SB 318).
The bill (SB 311) Sununu declined to sign commits the state to pay Hampstead $191,600 to compensate for the loss of property taxes once the state bought privately-owned Hampstead Hospital to convert it into a treatment center for juveniles with mental health challenges.
The bill requires about $37,000 of that payment to come from the existing state budget of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The general state budget will pay for the remainder of this benefit to the town unless the federal government allowed American Rescue Plan Act grant dollars to be used for this purpose.
