| Covid-19 update | As of July 27 | As of August 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Total cases statewide | 6,441 | 6,660 |
| Total current infections statewide | 407 | 395 |
| Total deaths statewide | 409 | 417 |
| New cases | 211 (July 21 to July 27) | 219 (July 28 to Aug. 3) |
| Current infections: Hillsborough County | 201 | 197 |
| Current infections: Merrimack County | 28 | 19 |
| Current infections: Rockingham County | 103 | 104 |
Covid-19 news
On July 28, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibit M to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit M, the percentage of gross proceeds available for endowment allocations under the UNIQUE Endowment Allocation Program has been temporarily modified to 30 percent.
On July 29, Sununu issued Exhibit N to Emergency Order No. 29, which temporarily waives certain professional examination requirements for licensing through the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification.
On July 30, applications opened for all qualified health care and long-term care providers for the New Hampshire Emergency Healthcare System Relief Fund, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Relief and Recovery. All state health care providers with Covid-19-related expenses and lost revenues from March 1 to Dec. 30 of this year are eligible to apply now through Aug. 13. More information about the fund is available at goferr.nh.gov.
On July 31, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 61, extending the Safer at Home advisory in the Granite State through at least Sept. 1. The advisory was originally announced on June 15, per Emergency Order No. 52.
A FedEx charter flight aboard a Boeing 777 carried 450,000 gowns to be shipped to facilities across New Hampshire and beyond landed at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Aug. 1 — the largest cargo flight in the airport’s history, according to a press release issued by the Governor’s Office. The State of New Hampshire purchased the entire shipment of PPE, and will be reimbursed for the gowns delivered to the VA. More than 1,200 tons of PPE have been delivered to New Hampshire aboard FedEx charter flights to date, according to the release.
Details of all of Sununu’s Emergency and Executive Orders can be found at governor.nh.gov.
Legislative action
In the past week, Gov. Chris Sununu has signed into law and vetoed several bills, according to multiple press releases from the Office of the Governor.
Here are some of the highlights:HB 1660 was vetoed. In his veto statement Sununu said that the bill “leaves open a serious and real possibility that victims of domestic violence could inadvertently obtain the wrong protective order that leaves them with fewer protections from their abusers.” Further, he said, the legislation would allow a court to enter a temporary order against someone without telling that person, which he said could violate a person’s constitutional rights.
HB 250, which would have created a dental benefit under the state Medicaid program, was vetoed. In his veto statement Sununu said that while he supports the idea of adding dental to Medicaid, with the state facing historic revenue shortfalls his priority is to bring the budget into balance. “I cannot support adding this $11 million a year General Fund expense for a new service that would necessitate cutting $11 million in existing services,” he said in his statement.
HB 1234, which merged almost 40 pieces of legislation, was vetoed. Sununu said in his veto statement that he was “concerned that significant portions of this legislation have not had a chance to go through the public hearing process in the House of Representatives.”
HB 1665, pertaining to the state’s redistricting process, was vetoed. “It will be the responsibility of the legislature we elect in November to take up the redistricting process in a way that our citizens deserve and expect,” Sununu said in his veto statement.
SB 7, establishing the secure modern accurate registration act (SMART Act), was vetoed. In his veto statement, Sununu said that the state already has a very accessible voter registration process and that this bill “would take a system that already works well and add a convoluted, inefficient, and expensive process on top of it.”
SB 311 was vetoed. The bill would have allowed for a shorter waiting period, in certain circumstances, to petition for annulment of records of arrest, conviction, and sentence for simple possession drug-related crimes that were committed when the person was under the age of 25.
HB 1558 was signed into law, addressing several education-related issues, including kindergarten funding; violence in schools; child sexual abuse prevention education and training; student wellness; and criminal background checks for bus drivers, among several other items.
HB 1582 was signed into law, relative to free tuition at colleges and universities for children of veterans who are totally and permanently disabled; programs to aid veterans’ access to employment, housing, health care, and college degrees; educational assistance for members of the New Hampshire National Guard; tuition waivers for children in state foster care or guardianship; and prohibiting higher education institutions from discriminating on the basis of military, law enforcement or veterans status.
iLearnNH
Last week the New Hampshire Department of Education launched a statewide Learning Management System that is open to all schools at no cost, an effort to improve both in-class and remote instruction, Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in a press release. “It will allow schools to be nimble should they face disruptions to education like Covid-19,” he said. The iLearnNH system uses the Canvas learning management system, which allows teachers to build and manage courses and assignments and communicate with students. The University System of New Hampshire already uses Canvas and has contracted with the Department of Education to provide free access and support to iLearnNH to all schools in the state. The three-year, $6.2 million contract that supports iLearnNH is funded through two federal grants and the CARES Act.
The State Historical Resources Council has added 11 properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, according to a press release. Locally, these include the Town Pound in Boscawen, which held stray livestock until their owners could claim them, and the Old Meeting House, which used to be a hearse house and was converted to an outhouse in 1932.
All Manchester residents are being encouraged to get free testing for Covid-19, available at mobile testing sites on the east and west sides any Tuesday or Thursday in August, according to a press release from the city’s Health Department. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling 668-1547.
M&M Construction Services of Bedford announced in a press release that it has completed construction of the only Golden Corral restaurant in New Hampshire, located at 655 S. Willow St. in Manchester, where the Osram Sylvania plant used to be. The grand opening is planned for Aug. 17, according to the release.
The Salem Police Department is now offering online reporting for non-emergency incidents or crimes on its website, townofsalemnh.org/police-department, according to a press release. Residents can now submit reports as well as make record requests and ask questions about the police department 24 hours a day.
