Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Hours of testimony as House committee hears bill to investigate statewide domestic-violence coalition
Summary
Lawmakers heard more than three hours of testimony for and against HB 16-75, a bill that would create a legislative investigative commission with subpoena power to review the operations and funding of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; proponents cited opaque finances and alleged preferential treatment, while the coalition warned the bill would disrupt victim services.
A House committee on Feb. 11 heard hours of divided testimony on HB 16-75, a bill that would create a special legislative commission with subpoena power to examine the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Prime sponsor Rep. Ellen Reed told the Committee the bill is aimed at bringing transparency to an organization she described as "almost entirely publicly funded" and responsible for coordinating services for victims statewide.
Reed said the coalition receives what she estimated to be "about $10 million to $12 million" a year in public funding and that the group holds a de facto monopoly on many victim-services functions. "We have effectively outsourced core Department of Justice functions to a private nonprofit without the normal transparency and accountability," Reed said, urging lawmakers to create a confidential venue where current and former staff and victims could report misconduct without fear of retaliation.
Why it matters: HB 16-75 would give the legislature an investigatory vehicle with subpoena authority to examine whether…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
