Story Archives of 'John Stephen'

Republican Congressional candidates Jeb Bradley and John Stephen last night went toe to toe in a debate in Manchester.

The two candidates fought it out on Manchester Community Access Media, the city’s municipal cable station.

As New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman reports, the rhetoric is heating up between them.

Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen has notified the governor that he plans to step down in mid-August.
That’s two months before his term officially ends.
Stephen’s supporters credit him for his work ethic, his dedication to reducing bureaucracy, and keeping within a tight budget.
But his critics are looking forward to the day when someone else is heading the state’s largest department.
NHPR’s Dianne Finch has more.

Four months after the most substantial overhaul of the state welfare system in a decade, health officials report positive initial results.

Critics, however, point to a steep drop in enrollment.

Some believe fewer people on assistance means poor people are falling through the cracks.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.

As policymakers gear up for budget season, Governor Lynch seems to be paying particularly close attention to two of the largest state departments -- transportation and heath and human services. The Governor says he wants to improve agency performance as the budget process begins. But Lynch may be looking at more than numbers.

Governor Lynch allowed legislation for stricter welfare reform to become law... but attached a last minute executive order... demanding more spending on transportation, education and childcare for job seekers. Today on the Exchange, we’ll explore the debate over the best way to get the Granite State’s welfare recipients back to work without the state losing federal funding or going bankrupt. Laura's guests are New Hampshire Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen and Jack Gettens, welfare advocate, former Director of Family Assistance for New Hampshire, who helped design the original TANF program for New Hampshire. We'll also be joined by Representative Liz Hager, a Republican from Concord and vice-chair of the House Finance Committee and Representative Peter Batula, a Republican from Merrimack and Chairman of the House Health, Human Services Oversight Committee that will be looking at House Bill 1331.