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Senate sustains most governor vetoes but overrides two measures
Summary
The New Hampshire Senate considered a slate of governor vetoes July 2. Lawmakers overrode the vetoes on HB1622 and HB1293 but sustained the governor's veto on several bills including SB63, SB318, SB501, SB507, SB543, HB274, HB1415 and HB1581.
The New Hampshire Senate met July 2 to consider multiple governor vetoes and other business, overriding two vetoes and sustaining the rest.
The chamber overrode the governor—s veto of House Bill 1622, which concerns administrative rulemaking and license renewals for the Office of Professional Licenser and Certification, with a roll-call vote of 23-0 in favor of overriding the veto. President Bradley announced the two-thirds threshold had been met and HB1622 will become law.
Lawmakers also overturned the veto on House Bill 1293, a measure on the use of certain fertilizers on turf, by a two-thirds margin (22-1). The president announced the ayes had it and the veto was overridden.
Several override attempts failed. The Senate sustained the governor—s veto on Senate Bill 63 (municipal adoption of public health ordinances) after a roll call showed 13 yeas and 10 noes, short of the two-thirds requirement. The governor—s veto on Senate Bill 318 (restructuring several boards and creating a new advisory board) was likewise sustained after the roll call produced a preponderance of no votes. President Bradley commented on the unexpected original passage of that bill.
Senate Bill 501, a bill to clarify the driver—s-license process for noncitizen residents, drew extended debate before a roll call yielded 13 ayes and 10 noes; the two-thirds threshold was not met and the veto was sustained. Senator Fenton argued the bill "does not add any new categories of noncitizens" and instead codifies longstanding DMV practice requiring proof of lawful presence; Senator Abbess urged colleagues to sustain the veto, saying the measure would "allow" some temporarily authorized entrants to obtain licenses.
Senate Bill 507, which would extend the time to petition for new trials in certain cases, was debated as a post-conviction reform aimed at accommodating new forensic evidence. Senator Whitley said the bill addressed wrongful convictions and the limits of absolute timelines; the roll call was 10 yeas to 13 noes, and the veto was sustained.
Senate Bill 543, establishing a State Environmental Adaptation, Resilience, and Innovation Council, drew a lengthy floor statement from Senator Waters stressing planning for climate impacts. The override vote failed 10-13 and the governor—s veto was sustained.
Other votes: the Senate sustained the veto on HB274 (administrative rulemaking process) and on HB1581 (locations for cultivation for alternative treatment centers). The chamber considered HB1415 on PFAS facility liability; after debate over conflicting definitions with other PFAS bills, the veto was sustained on a 6-17 vote.
The president closed the legislative business and the Senate adjourned to the call of the chair.
Votes recorded in the transcript and announced on the floor match the tallies reported above.
