[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6595822,"mediaKeyId","3023710-18ac3e4852c91b0053d6e0bc89e37daf","parentId",3023710,"title","Heated testimony in Concord as bill would let institutions limit access by biological sex","audioSeconds",11566,"startMs",4796000,"endMs",16362000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023710-18ac3e4852c91b0053d6e0bc89e37daf&start=4796&end=16362","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023710-18ac3e4852c91b0053d6e0bc89e37daf/thumbnail_4796000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6595822/New-Hampshire/Heated-testimony-in-Concord-as-bill-would-let-institutions-limit-access-by-biological-sex","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595822-4e93a33d6881df5bb67f45e35115e3f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775194253&Signature=ext-zKnw3TRDJgvGbLREKQtwywwDRCaiVpJuDVmPDheGxMPu8R1e5B88oUKJogMLBXpuuz0Kf~LD2uC5JgFWDfmJ6N8R2VBZZ~8VLYnfC-SIKAE1TpszzzfYBYhn4keL1Mds9l~mRrqHOxkQ0m0g7VHiwXYm8hvyoqgaCoZk4Np6COqniFBks~Iw2d1FnITQj-cz-Uasvu~IPKmD3Uqpfx65~LPUqz-AgPBHg1JmnrYZqHS~au6Nobbe5YaNL8w5bGQPh8YML8vOG8-EimVpS-6Wcwyp4~ni98Y18cqsBrWm6CifwXgrJ~DiHVJau15AO4MHUPf3lkTtquTGYzPyjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-04-16T18:33:35.59Z","article","The House Judiciary Committee heard hours of testimony on Senate Bill 268, a proposal that would allow public and private institutions to designate facilities and programs by \"biological sex,\" with sponsors and supporters saying the measure preserves privacy and safety in single‑sex spaces and opponents saying it is vague, legally risky and harmful to transgender people.

Sen. Kevin Avard, prime sponsor, told the committee the bill \"allows public and private institutions to protect women only spaces\" and described the measure as \"enabling legislation\" that would not mandate action but would shield institutions from discrimination suits if they limited access to restrooms, locker rooms, athletic activities or confinement by biological male or female status.

Representative Alice Wade (D‑Dover) and other opponents gave personal testimony about people they said would be harmed by the bill. \"People like Danny Davis are getting caught up in the crossfire,\" said Wade, recounting a witness account of an employee who was harassed in a restroom and later fired. Several witnesses said the bill would stigmatize transgender people, increase the risk of harassment and violence against them and produce constitutional and statutory discrimination claims if enacted.

Kevin Avard and pro‑bill witnesses argued the measure protects privacy and women's sports, and that institutions should have discretion to set policies. \"This bill basically allows private institutions or public institutions to make a determination on biological sex ... without fear of a lawsuit,\" Avard said. Proponents included individuals and groups who described concerns about women's safety and competitive fairness in athletics.

Opponents included the ACLU of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Medical Society, the New Hampshire chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and Democratic officials and advocates. Courtney Reed of the ACLU said the bill \"raises constitutional and statutory concerns\" and called data cited by supporters about public safety \"not convincing,\" adding that inclusive policies are linked with reductions in assault and that denying restroom access can harm transgender people.

Committee members pressed proponents and opponents with detailed questions on implementation: who would verify biological sex, whether DNA or birth certificates would be required, how the bill would interact with Title IX and existing nondiscrimination law (chapter 354‑A), and how schools and municipalities would reconcile conflicting local policies. Senator Avard said institutions could adopt policies such as relying on original birth certificates; others said practical enforcement would be difficult and invasive.

Witnesses offered widely divergent data and anecdotes. Supporters argued that protections for women's privacy and fairness in sports are broadly supported; opponents and several medical and social‑service witnesses cited studies and case law indicating that exclusionary policies can increase harms to transgender people and raise legal risks for states and schools. The committee recessed the hearing for a break and later reconvened; near the end of the afternoon the chair announced the hearing was closed and that the committee would pick up remaining testimony at a later time.

Why it matters: SB 268 would alter how public accommodations, schools and correctional facilities may treat transgender people in New Hampshire and could affect Title IX compliance, local school policies, and access to services. The bill provoked strong testimony from both sides and drew questions about enforcement, civil‑rights law, and public safety.

Votes at a glance: No floor or committee vote recorded in the transcript; the hearing concluded with the committee recessed for deliberations and further hearings scheduled.

Speakers quoted in this article include Sen. Kevin Avard (prime sponsor), Representative Alice Wade, Oliver Bonnema (testifier), Courtney Reed (ACLU of New Hampshire), and multiple other legislators and public witnesses.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Judiciary (04/16/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Supporters said Senate Bill 268 lets schools, businesses and prisons protect single‑sex spaces; opponents said the bill is vague, risks harm to transgender people and could invite litigation. The House Judiciary Committee recessed the hearing after extended testimony and set follow‑ups.","taxTitle","Public Works and Highways, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17759,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6595827,"New Hampshire committee hears broad support and procedural concerns for bill easing time limit to seek new trial",3114,266000,3380000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023710-18ac3e4852c91b0053d6e0bc89e37daf&start=266&end=3380","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023710-18ac3e4852c91b0053d6e0bc89e37daf/thumbnail_266000.jpg","/articles/6595827/New-Hampshire/New-Hampshire-committee-hears-broad-support-and-procedural-concerns-for-bill-easing-time-limit-to-seek-new-trial","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595827-ac208609f03cdd8ef6d68b63b7530b1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775194253&Signature=Gy9zMPc1a~4YvBWXNt-G2chRbPIeF49hyhWj3nusbyAmf-P4VDPAlNPjGbfSpK4ry80-hSqadbTaka-ilMyGNg7G7y2qDpgF72fZutfGEd2-IV2mt4c5DC4RWcRJLAMrcGFzFJ3S8Ahi~Di0fbnUJHqxQrF7NjbcJOE~5G7xOZheLRBoWJcWhWrqdbaQJQlMZexRGsgmfcmEMnUNzMoxCAP6xAxW1fOVGASpKgnnJkOJNPIVuoXXOXRmO~Ude-qwZkeM-pk9cene6TKg6eKPc1ee29SoLV6lYWIkkAyI5KyfVcF98OkHVoJd1Tc2VFw~Ec1N7X~kAqKvByqUC-dwnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 141, a proposal to create a narrow exception to New Hampshire's three‑year deadline for filing a motion for a new trial, allowing certain petitions based on newly discovered evidence or scientific advances.

Joshua Shower, legislative aide to Sen. Robert Gannon, introduced the bill on behalf of the prime sponsor and told the committee, \"This bill is about liberty, fairness, and due process.\" He said the measure would let wrongfully convicted people bring petitions that courts could still deny under existing legal standards.

Winnie Yee of the Innocence Project and Cynthia Maso (testimony provided alongside Yee) said current law (RSA 5:26) bars many wrongful‑conviction claims after three years and that scientific advances can take far longer than that to emerge. \"A three‑year deadline is really restrictive,\" Yee said, noting advances in forensic science and citing national reports on exonerations. The group handed the committee a fact sheet and a statutory chart showing the limited change it seeks: allow a court to consider a motion filed after the three‑year bar when the petitioner points to newly discovered evidence, new forensic testing, or new scientific understanding.

Thomas Velardi, director of the Division of Public Protection at the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and a former Strafford County attorney, said prosecutors and courts already have tools to review post‑conviction claims and cautioned the committee about unintended consequences. \"This is a solution looking for a problem,\" Velardi said, adding that the bill's current language could invite a flood of litigation and revive matters that prosecutors believed were resolved through habeas corpus or other collateral processes. He cited Governor Chris Sununu's veto message on a related 2024 bill and urged a broader, studied approach to updating post‑conviction testing statutes beyond DNA provisions (RSA 651‑D).

Committee members and witnesses debated where the line should be drawn between ensuring access to court for potentially innocent people and imposing an initial screening that incarcerated petitioners cannot meet without counsel. Supporters said the bill \"cracks the door open\" so a judge can decide whether newly discovered science might alter a verdict; opponents warned that an unfiltered procedural doorway could generate many costly evidentiary hearings. The Innocence Project representatives signaled willingness to accept a pleading requirement that a petitioner must allege specific newly discovered evidence, to ease prosecutorial and judicial concerns about frivolous filings.

Representative Lynn, the committee chair, circulated a proposed amendment and said he had drafted language intended to address several concerns raised in testimony; he indicated the committee was likely to \"exec\" the bill for further work and asked interested parties, including the Attorney General's Office, to provide comment on the amendment before the next meeting. Thomas Velardi said the Department of Justice would continue the dialogue with stakeholders.

Why it matters: The bill aims to reconcile the three‑year statutory bar under RSA 5:26 with modern forensic developments and cases where innocence may be demonstrable well after that deadline. Supporters argue the change is narrowly tailored to permit courts to hear claims based on new science; critics worry about front‑end screening, court workload and victim notification.

The committee did not take a final vote at the hearing. Members signaled they expect further drafting and comment before the bill moves forward.

Votes at a glance: No formal committee votes were recorded in the transcript.

Speakers quoted in this article were present in committee testimony or questions and include Joshua Shower (legislative aide for Sen. Gannon), Winnie Yee (Innocence Project), Cynthia Maso (co‑testifier), Thomas Velardi (New Hampshire Attorney General's Office), and multiple state representatives who asked questions during the hearing.

Sources: Committee hearing transcript; witness fact sheet distributed at the hearing.","Witnesses, including the Innocence Project, urged the House Judiciary Committee to adopt Senate Bill 141 to allow limited exceptions to a three‑year deadline for motions for a new trial; the attorney general's office and other speakers pressed for front‑end screening and study of potential impacts on courts and victims.","actionData","errors"]

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Heated testimony in Concord as bill would let institutions limit access by biological sex

New Hampshire committee hears broad support and procedural concerns for bill easing time limit to seek new trial