The State of the State for Young People is Grim Under the Sununu Administration

Concord, NH– While Governor Sununu delivers his State of the State today, his record shows young Granite Staters that his priorities aren’t with us. Governor Sununu’s historic number of vetoes in 2019 adversely impacted New Hampshire’s young people. Young Granite Staters need relief from the student loan debt crisis, are fighting for civil rights, to lower the record high cost of going to college, working to protect reproductive freedom, want to keep students and children safe from the epidemic of gun violence, support common sense and compassionate cannabis regulation, and demand action on the climate crisis. To fight for the voice of young people in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Youth Table is offering the following recommendations to Governor Sununu to consider this legislative session:

College Affordability- In his budget last year, Governor Sununu short changed the University System which would have forced tuition increases for students and then during budget negotiations, he again proposed slashing millions of dollars in funding.

  • HB 1500, which will help turn the tide on the student debt crisis by offering protection & education through a borrower’s bill of rights.

Civil Rights – The Governor will have several opportunities this year to support legislation advancing civil rights. We urge Governor Sununu to support the following bills: 

  • HB 1577, which will allow people to amend their birth records to reflect their gender identity.
  • HB 1163, which will direct schools to update documents and software to allow students to be marked as gender non-binary. 

Reproductive Rights – The vast majority of Granite Staters support reproductive rights. Governor Sununu has a duty to protect reproductive rights and commit to vetoing the many anti-abortion bills being considered in the legislature including the following bills: 

  • HB 1678-FN which imposes unconstitutional restrictions on the right to have an abortion.
  • HB 1475-FN which would ban abortion after the detection of a “fetal heartbeat”. 
  • HB 1640-FN which would remove the judicial waiver under New Hampshire’s parental notification law. 
  • HB 1675-FN, an additional attack on access to safe and legal abortion.  

 Gun Violence Prevention – Last year Governor Sununu vetoed three common sense pieces of gun safety legislation. We strongly urge him to reconsider his position on this by supporting the following bills:

  • SB 1285, which will implement gun-free school zones. 
  • HB 1379-FN,which will expand our background check system in New Hampshire to cover private, and noncommercial sales. 
  • HB 1101-FN, which would implement a 3-day waiting period for gun purchases. 
  • HB 1143, which would repeal limited liability for gun manufacturers.

Cannabis Legalization – Governor Sununu is out of touch when it comes to the legalization of cannabis , and we urge him to support sensible, compassionate and well-regulated cannabis policy for New Hampshire by supporting:

  • HB 1663-FN-A-L, a positive step that will legalize marijuana for adult use. 
  • SB 420, the home grow bill which was passed by the Senate again this year. Governor Sununu vetoed this bill last year despite bipartisan support. 

Clean Energy – Governor Sununu decided to veto bipartisan net metering legislation for the second year in a row, slowing progress on an important step to convert New Hampshire to clean energy and help create more jobs young people are searching for. This year Gov. Sununu will have the opportunity to show his commitment to addressing climate change by supporting:

  • HB 1218-FN, which will incentivise Granite Staters to invest in expanding clean energy sources while offering a return on that investment in their utility bill. 

Young Granite Staters will be watching Governor Sununu closely this year, and we will hold him accountable in November if he continues to ignore our voices. New Hampshire’s economic success is predicated on the viability of youth powered industries. In order to be a more attractive home to millenials and Gen Z, our Governor needs to recognize the power of progressive policies. By ignoring these legislative demands, Governor Sununu is closing the door on so many young people that could power New Hampshire’s future.