New Hampshire politics

Gambling Gets Its Day In The House

Laura Knoy — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Gambling has been front and center in New Hampshire politics since January. Governor Hassan made a major political push for it, interest groups weighed in on both sides, and public policy groups came out with data on the possible effects of a Granite State casino. That's why today's vote in the House has been considered by many as maybe the biggest vote of the year. In the end, the House voted 199-164 to kill the casino bill. Today we'll have some of the major players of this debate and ask gaming advocate what's next for them.

Guests

Friday NH News Roundup - Week Of May 6

Laura Knoy — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Today on The Exchange, it's our Friday New Hampshire News Roundup. We're looking at some of the top stories of the week, from the one public hearing held on the state Senate's budget, to the House's hard look at the Senate casino bill, and the removal of "grow your own" policy from the medical marijuana bill.

Guests:

Kevin Landrigan - Longtime political reporter for the Telegraph of Nashua.

On The Political Front For May 6

Josh Rogers — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:17:34 +0000

With April being a big month for state revenue, New Hampshire could end the biennium in the black; things are looking tougher for the casino proposal, as the legislature continues to work on the budget; Senator Ayotte held a handful of town halls meetings last week, getting questions and a bit of backlash on her gun control positions.

On The Political Front For April 29

Josh Rogers — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:58:23 +0000

Senator Kelly Ayotte has been in the news for her opposition to expanded background checks for gun sales; the NH Senate set to vote on a number of bills this week, with a number of them expected not to pass; one bill that may find bipartisan support is the proposed freeze of the Voter ID law, which would mean that more stringent requirements set to go into effect in September would be put on hold.

On The Political Front For April 22

Josh Rogers — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:16:52 +0000

In the wake of the bombings in Boston, NH Senator Kelly Ayotte and other lawmakers are arguing for treating the remaining suspect as an enemy combatant, which would break new legal ground; the national gun bill fails to pass, with Senator Ayotte being the lone New England Senator to oppose the bill; the casino bill backed by Governor Hassan and the NH Senate is now being examined by the NH House Finance and Ways & Means committees; both branches of the NH Legislature continue to work on their budgets.

On The Political Front For April 15

Josh Rogers — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:44:21 +0000

Governor Maggie Hassan Reflects on One Hundred Days in Office

Laura Knoy — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

We sit down with New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan, as she passes her first one hundred days in office. Hassan started out with a long list of priorities -- from restoring funding to public universities and the mental health system to bringing in a casino to help pay for these. We’ll get her take on progress made and some the push back she’s received, including from her fellow democrats.

On The Political Front For April 8

Josh Rogers — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:23:59 +0000

The House passes their budget, which does not include gambling, but funds some of Governor Hassan's priorities, such as mental health and higher education; the budget-writing process now moves to the Senate, where it is likely to see numerous changes; the Senate hears several high-profile bills this week, including a reinstatement of the state minimum wage; Scott Brown announces he "would not rule out" a Senate run in NH.

On The Political Front For April 1

Josh Rogers — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:58:37 +0000

The House votes this week on their State budget bill; an as-yet-introduced amendment to the casino bill seeks to limit any future casino from competing with the Verizon Wireless Arena with a large audience entertainment venue; gambling looks to have staying power in the legislative budget process.

On The Political Front For March 25

Josh Rogers — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:56:05 +0000

The House votes on the "Stand Your Ground" repeal, which would again require people to attempt to retreat before using deadly force, and a bill to increase the state's gas tax; gambling remains a heavily-debated issue, with differing proposals in the House and Senate, and one that could be affected by who replaces Michael Delaney as Attorney General.

On The Political Front For March 18

Josh Rogers — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:33:21 +0000

Some key votes are coming up within a busy House docket: the tobacco tax increase, expected to pass, but at less than the Governor's proposed level; freezing the second phase of the Voter ID law, halting provisions set to take effect this fall that would eliminate some of the current acceptable forms of identification, namely college students' school IDs; a change of the "Stand Your Ground" law, reinstating the requirement that people make an effort to retreat before using deadly force.

On The Political Front For March 11

Josh Rogers — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:35:30 +0000

The casino proposal faces its first major vote this week, is expected to pass in the Senate; the gas tax comes before the House Ways & Means Committee; medical marijuana legislation may have new life with Governor Hassan in the corner office; the House works on a revised budget.

House Readies For Charged Vote On Gas Tax

Josh Rogers — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:38:13 +0000

As the NH house readies to vote on a 15 cent increase to the state’s gas tax, Former house speaker Bill O’Brien is pushing to ensure all gas tax money pays for infrastructure.

Former House speaker Bill O’Brien knows something about diverting gas tax revenue to pay for things other than roads. The state budget he passed as speaker did just that, as so have pretty much every state budget in memory.

But now, as the House stands ready to increase gas taxes for the first time since 1991, O'Brien says it’s time for the practice to stop.

On The Political Front For March 4

Josh Rogers — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:48:36 +0000

Votes are expected in the House this week on whether the state will allow the building of one casino, as outlined in Governor Hassan's budget, and the proposed raise to the gas tax; The House Finance Committee gets to work on the budget.

Hassan Pushes Casino (And Pushes Back On Report)

Josh Rogers — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:34:04 +0000

Governor Maggie Hassan's latest pitch for a single casino along the Massachusetts border is that it's the logical next step in New Hampshire’s long history of state-sanctioned gambling.