Sununu vetoes “Right to Know bill,” signs bills regarding medical marijuana, electric utility costs and more

Eagle Times Staff
CONCORD, N.H. — Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed HB 337 on Tuesday. The bill directs the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification to provide notice of public meetings, an opportunity for public comment and creates a new Attorney II position.

“This bill creates different standards for the boards administratively attached to the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification than other public bodies subject to RSA 91-A,” Sununu said. “Currently, public bodies are required to post a public notice 24 hours in advance, and records become available for public inspection after the completion of the meeting. This bill would require OPLC to notice meetings 14 days in advance and provide materials about those meetings seven days before the meeting. This bill essentially requires a legal review for every document that would need to be released in advance.

“While I believe more transparency is important in state government, House Bill 337 would be unreasonable and burdensome for OPLC to implement, especially while the office is still working on implementing the major legislative achievements we’ve passed in this session.

“There is no justification for singling out OPLC and holding them to a different standard than every other public entity in New Hampshire. This bill would open the door for carve-outs for other state agencies, eroding the uniformity among state and local governments that follow RSA 91-A.”

Sununu signed 13 bills into law, including HB 188 relating to the duration of physical therapy, HB 221, about the acquisition of agricultural land development rights and relative to the use of game cameras and HB 281, about least cost integrated resource plans of utilities; municipal hosts for purposes of limited electrical energy producers; the cost of compliance with disclosure of electric renewable portfolio standards; repealing the energy efficiency and sustainable energy board: and procedures for energy facility siting by the site evaluation committee.

Sununu also signed HB 315, prohibiting provocations based on a victim’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation from being used as a defense in a criminal case, and HB 409, about the organization of the OPLC.

In addition, he signed HB 584, the Uniform Commercial Code’s article on controllable electronic records, and HB 611, which establishes eligibility criteria for the therapeutic cannabis program and establishes a commission to study state-controlled sales of cannabis relative to the prohibition on the sale of hemp products containing certain levels of THC.

The Governor signed SB 53, outlining the definition of the state building code; SB 60, relative to water quality; SB 85, outlining emergency behavioral health services and behavioral health crisis programs; and SB 126, licensure requirements for telehealth services to license physicians and physician’s assistants treating patients incarcerated with the Department of Corrections.

He also signed HB 149, Relative to nurse agencies, and SB 166, for electric grid modernization.