Sununu signs bill to let workers have loaded guns in locked cars
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Jul. 12—CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu signed 33 bills into law Friday, including one to let workers keep loaded guns in locked cars at employer parking lots (HB 1336) and to restrict the use of artificial intelligence throughout state government (HB 1688).
Sununu vetoed two bills: one that would expand the right of medical marijuana marijuana dispensaries to add a second cultivation site (HB 1581) and the other to create an environmental innovation council (SB 543).
The state's gun lobby pushed for HB 1336, which, starting Jan. 1, will permit any employee working for a company that receives any state or federal money to store their loaded gun in a locked car.
The gun and ammunition may not be visible to the public.
The measure prevents those employers from asking if their workers have a gun in their car or conducting a search of that vehicle unless it's in response to a law enforcement inquiry.
Finally, the bill exempts the employer from any liability stemming from the use of such guns on company property.
The House had passed the bill with some Democratic support, 197-176, while the Senate voted along party lines with all Democrats in opposition.
In another victory for gun owners, Sununu signed a bill (HB 1186) preventing New Hampshire gun sellers from ever using a receipt code that would identify gun purchases to credit card companies.
An international credit group had advanced this idea to better track gun sales, but the major U.S. credit card firms all rejected it after the program drew controversy.
New Hampshire joins eight other states that have adopted similar laws.
The vetos
The two bills that Sununu vetoed had only Democratic sponsors.
The medical marijuana bill would have allowed the state's three Alternative Treatment Centers to operate a second cultivation center that may include a greenhouse.
"The legislation provides scant detail regarding safety, security and location requirements. Those details are necessary to ensure appropriate controls on a regulated substance," Sununu wrote in that veto message.
Medical marijuana supporters did get some good news as Sununu signed a separate bill (HB 1349) to add "generalized anxiety" to the list of medical conditions that make a patient eligible to receive cannabis for treatment.
The bill to create a state Environmental, Adaptation, Resilience and Innovation Council, while "well-intentioned," Sununu said, was "overly broad, vague and impotent."
"The Council's structure and uncertain funding seems destined to make the efforts of many government employees unproductive and wasteful," Sununu wrote.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, urged lawmakers to override the veto when it takes up the rejected bills this fall.
"This council would have a significant impact on our state's ability to plan for risk avoidance, save taxpayer dollars, and ensure coordinated efforts across agencies, as we navigate our changing environment," Watters said.
Child care bills signed
Sununu also signed two bills dealing with the shortage of child care in the state.
One measure (HB 1584) exempts from child care licensing home day care operators who care for up to four children other than their own.
The current limit is three unrelated children.
The second bill creates specific staffing ratios for child care programs yet at the same time allows programs to seek one-year waivers from these mandates (HB 1407).
These staffing mandates will be tried out for two years and then be dropped in 2026 unless the Legislature decides to renew them.
