Senate Republicans Oppose Measures Against Unconstitutional Gun Overreach

CONCORD, NH – Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) and Senator Daryl Abbas (R-Salem), issued the following joint statement today on passing SB 322 and rejecting SB 360, SB 577-FN, and SB 571-FN:

“New Hampshire is the safest state in the nation because we have responsible gun owners. These unconstitutional bills infringe on the rights of our law-abiding citizens. Instituting waiting periods for purchasing firearms and restrictions on firearm sales tells our gun owners that we do not trust them. SB 360 undermines due process protections for New Hampshire gun owners by establishing a ‘red flag law.’ This is practice would unconstitutionally remove people’s firearms without a trial or conviction. We stood against this attempted gun overreach. Instead, the Senate reinforced our constitutional rights as Granite Staters by passing SB 322, making it easier for citizens to utilize gun license reciprocity by clarifying that police chiefs must sign permits. This created issues for citizens trying to prove their firearms licenses are legitimate and this bill resolves that problem. We need legislation that makes New Hampshire safer and not grow our government,” said Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson

“We already have requirements for background checks meeting the requirements of federal guidelines. SB 571-FN and SB 577-FN sends the wrong message to gun owners given our state’s longstanding culture of responsible gun ownership. These bills would open the door to more second amendment restrictions and longer waiting periods for Granite State gun purchases. We should not pass laws that simply create additional and unnecessary barriers to purchasing firearms,” added Senator Daryl Abbas

Background: SB 322 requires law enforcement officers to sign off on gun permits.

SB 360-FN would create a chapter of law that allows law enforcement to confiscate a firearm from a person that poses a significant risk to injure themselves or someone else.

SB 571-FN would require a background check prior to any commercial firearm sale and create an additional process for commercial sales of firearms where neither party is a licensed firearms dealer.

SB 577-FN would impose a three-day waiting period for delivering a firearm after purchase.

Getting the job done for NH families

By Sens. Jeb Bradley and Sharon Carson

It’s hard not to get cynical about our national politics these days. But here in New Hampshire, Senate Republicans have led the way to get things done for New Hampshire working families. We are proud of what we’ve done this year to keep New Hampshire the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Our top priority is always to keep New Hampshire families safe. For several years, we have worked to fix New Hampshire’s broken bail system. This year, we have finally gotten meaningful bail reform over the finish line. While no one will be denied bail simply because they cannot afford it, we have set up a system that requires violent and repeat offenders go in front of a judge or magistrate before being released.

We’ve taken proactive steps to address our nation’s border crisis by making sure the Northern Border Alliance has the tools and resources to stop illegal immigration into New Hampshire and the resulting drug smuggling and human trafficking that comes with it.

Lack of affordable housing continues to be a major hurdle, both for New Hampshire families and our state’s economy. Last year, we dedicated $35 million to the Affordable Housing Fund, an additional $10 million to InvestNH, $5 million for Housing Champions, and $10 million in state aid for homelessness programs. This year we worked to lower bureaucratic hurdles that stifle housing development and allocated $2.5 million to increase rates for shelter programs. We also protected the rights of property owners by prohibiting squatters’ rights.

During the last legislative session, the Senate led the way in passing more than $500 million in property tax relief for cities and towns. We built on that record this session, sending nearly $2.7 billion in state aid to cities and towns, including $683 million in new state aid. That includes the $169 million increase to local school districts under our Student-Centered Education Funding Formula, $90 million for water and wastewater infrastructure and treatment programs, $40 million for municipal roads and bridges, and $260 million in local Rooms and Meals revenues over the biennium, double the amount going back to towns from just four years ago.

We stood up for vulnerable New Hampshire children, putting new protections in place for kids placed in the state’s care, increasing penalties for child pornography and violations of privacy involving minors, and banned life-altering and irreversible gender reassignment surgery for children.

We kept our promise to fight for New Hampshire families, passing a Parents Bill of Rights that would guarantee every parent has a right to know what’s going on with their children in New Hampshire schools. We voted to protect girls by allowing schools to distinguish bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams based on biological sex. We passed legislation to provide a clear complaint and appeals process for parents who believe school materials are inappropriate. We also expanded eligibility for New Hampshire’s wildly successful Education Freedom Account program, which is already helping 4,200 working families choose the best educational path for their children.

We will always protect the New Hampshire Advantage. We blocked big spending bills that would force us into an income tax, sales tax, increased property taxes, or the return of donor towns. We will never tax our way to prosperity. Instead, we passed a balanced budget that has produced a revenue surplus of $146.5 million through the end of June.

This fiscal discipline and common-sense policy making has helped make New Hampshire not only the freest state in the nation, but the safest, the healthiest, the best for economic opportunity, and the best for child well-being in the nation.

There are always new challenges ahead. Senate Republicans stand ready to face them with the same dedication and commitment that we’ve shown over the past four years. We will never take for granted the trust that Granite Staters have placed in us to get things done for New Hampshire working families.

Senate President Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) represents District 3. Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) represents District 14.

NH finally protects the unborn in the last months of pregnancy

By Sens. Regina Birdsell and Sharon Carson

At long last, New Hampshire has joined the ranks of 43 states that limit the practice of late-term abortion. For too long, we were among a small group of states that provided no protection for unborn children until the moment of birth.

The recently-passed budget bill includes the Fetal Life Protection Act, which limits abortions to the first 24 weeks (6 months) of pregnancy unless the life, health, or well-being of the mother is endangered. This is in line with most other states, which place limits on abortion late in pregnancy. Most states limit abortions at 18 to 22 weeks. At 24 weeks, the child is considered viable. Testing for major birth defects occurs much earlier in the pregnancy.

The public has consistently and overwhelmingly supported limits on late-term abortion. 79% of voters oppose third trimester abortions (7 months through 9 months). Even 66% of self-described pro-choice voters oppose third trimester abortions. There is plenty of disagreement over abortion early in pregnancy, but most pro-life and pro-choice voters agree that we have a compelling interest to protect innocent lives as they approach the day of birth. Only 6% of people believe that abortion should be allowed up to the time of birth. This is abortion extremism, but it has fueled opposition to New Hampshire’s reasonable new law.

Supporters of late-term abortions complain that we require an ultrasound for doctors to determine fetal age before performing an abortion. But as Lovering Health Center in Greenland recently told New Hampshire Public Radio, “ultrasounds are already routine for most abortions.” And they are covered as prenatal care under New Hampshire insurance policies and ACA plans. In fact, 27 states have some sort of imaging requirement in place, so that doctors can be sure whether the fetus has passed its sixth month and is protected. Doctors acting to save the life or health of the pregnant mother would not be breaking the law.

Supporters of late-term abortions say that by punishing doctors who perform late-term abortions, we will discourage them from practicing in New Hampshire at all. Yet 35 states have criminal penalties for doctors who perform illegal abortions.

Those who support abortion until birth object to any and all protections for the unborn. They objected to setting a viability standard to protect the baby, arguing that it was too vague. Now they object to 24 weeks, arguing it is too rigid. They opposed parental notification requirements to ensure that children would not be seeking abortions without their parents’ knowledge. They even voted against New Hampshire’s ban on partial birth abortion. Now we’re hearing that this late-term abortion law is extreme, even though it’s already in place in 43 other states.

We are proud that New Hampshire has finally become the 44th state to finally protect infants in the 7th, 8th, and 9th month of pregnancy. This is long overdue. Voters have consistently and overwhelmingly supported limits on abortions in the third trimester. They oppose an extreme pro-abortion agenda without any limits up to the moment of birth.

Sen. Regina Birdsell (R-Windham) represents District 19. Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) represents District 14.

Senate Protects Youth in the Custody of the State

CONCORD, NH – Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) and Senator Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton), released the following statement today on the Committee of Conference report for SB 417-FN and HB 1573, relative to out-of-home placement for children:

“Children are often unable to advocate for themselves, which is why it is up to legislators to be their voice. These bills prioritize keeping children in an out-of-home placement with their siblings, grandparents, other family members, or fictive kin, and importantly, in their communities. They also create a certification team for certifying residential treatment facilities for kids that helps ensure our youth are safe and their well-being is prioritized. These bills also expand evidence courts may consider when determining whether it is in a child’s best interest to give a non-custodial parent custody of a child already in the state’s custody due to abuse of neglect. This bill strikes a balance between the rights and safety of the child and the rights of parents,” said Senator Carson.

“It is one of our highest duties as lawmakers to protect New Hampshire’s most vulnerable children, and we must act with extreme care and caution when placing a child in an out-of-home situation. I am truly grateful for the bipartisan work of everyone involved with SB 417, as I know we all had the best interests of children and families at the forefront of our hearts and minds. SB 417 will protect our most vulnerable children and make New Hampshire a safer place for Granite State kiddos to grow and thrive into the amazing people they are meant to be,” added Senator Whitley.

Senate Protects Granite State Women’s Spaces

CONCORD, NH – Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) and Senator Kevin Avard (R-Nashua) released the following joint statement on the Senate passing HB 396, permitting the classification of individuals based on biological sex under certain limited circumstances:

“Men and women have basic biological differences between them. We want to ensure the safety and opportunities available to biological females. This bill clarifies that it is not discriminatory to have different facilities, such as bathrooms, locker rooms, sporting events, and prisons, for males and females. This bill is not a mandate. It is simply a clarification under the State Commission on Human Rights that separate bathrooms or prisons are not discriminatory practices,” said Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson.

“New Hampshire law does not allow discrimination against people because they are transgender. They have the same rights as every Granite Stater. However, there are no special rights for biological males to use intimate female spaces. Biological male athletes have taken opportunities from female athletes and have sexually assaulted female inmates after being transferred to a women’s prison. We cannot allow the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission to become a battleground in this culture war,” added Senator Kevin Avard.