UNITED STATES NEWS

Bill to force schools to inform inquiring parents about transgender children fails in New Hampshire

May 17, 2023, 9:16 PM | Updated: May 18, 2023, 10:44 am

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A bill that would have required school officials to disclose to inquiring parents that their child is using a different name or being referred to as being a different gender was defeated Thursday in the New Hampshire House.

The bill had passed the GOP-dominated Senate in March along party lines. But while Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the 400-member House, Democrats had a one-vote edge in attendance for Thursday’s session.

Democrats passed several “poison pill” amendments to weaken the bill before it was defeated on a 195-190 vote, with two Republicans crossing party lines to oppose it. Rep. Gerri Cannon, a Democrat from Somersworth who was one of the first transgender lawmakers elected in New Hampshire, said her heart was beating faster and faster with each amendment until the final vote.

“I was truly excited,” she said. “I’ve been so upset with what’s going on in this country.”

Many states with Republican-controlled legislatures have In the U.S. House, such a bill was the first legislation that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy formally announced — fulfilling a major part of the GOP campaign platform.

The New Hampshire version sought “to establish a consistent mechanism for parents to be notified of information relating to the health, well-being, and educational progress of their minor children while those children are in the custody and control of the public schools.”

“Now is the time to recognize that parents, not schools, not school personnel, are the parents with all those rights and responsibilities for their minor children,” said Rep. Rick Ladd, a Republican from Haverhill.

The final vote to “indefinitely postpone” the bill means the topic can’t be revisited this session, a scenario that drew an angry response from House Majority Leader Jason Osborne.

“This will send a message to parents that they must continue, until the next election when they can replace their representatives, to accept that school is a mysterious and secretive black box where they deposit their children, who knows what happens inside that box and who knows what comes out the other side,” he said.

Opponents have argued that while it may appear benign in detailing many rights already covered by existing state and federal law, the bill would have exposed LGBQT+ students to the risk of abuse at home — a bad idea for young people who are already prone to stress, depression and suicidal thoughts. Rep. Linda Ryan, a Democrat from Nashua and a retired teacher, objected to a provision that would have allowed parents to sue school personnel.

“If I have to keep a record and call every one of those parents every single time I see Susie and Sally hugging in the hallway, we will never have another public school teacher again,” she said. “I strongly encourage you to go to your public schools and substitute for less than $100 a day and see for your very own self what this bill will do to our public schools and our teachers.”

Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar bill last year that would have required schools to automatically notify parents about students’ sexual or gender identity. Sununu said Wednesday he generally supported the new bill.

United States News

FILE - A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. ...

Associated Press

First congressional hearing on Maui wildfire to focus on island’s sole electric provider and grid

Hawaii’s top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric are expected to testify Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month’s deadly Maui wildfire. Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee are expected to question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire […]

2 hours ago

FILE - The fire-damaged Wellspring Health Access clinic is cordoned by tape, May 25, 2022, in Caspe...

Associated Press

The woman who torched Wyoming’s lone, full-service abortion clinic is about to be sentenced

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A woman who says anxiety and nightmares led her to set fire to Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic, setting back the facility’s opening almost a year, is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. Lorna Roxanne Green could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for burning the Wellspring Health Access facility in […]

2 hours ago

FILE - New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks during the New York State Democratic Co...

Associated Press

NY Attorney General Letitia James has a long history of fighting Trump, other powerful targets

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Letitia James fixated on Donald Trump as she campaigned for New York attorney general, branding the then-president a “con man” and ″carnival barker” and pledging to shine a “bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings.” Five years later, James is on the verge of disrupting Trump’s real […]

3 hours ago

FILE - President Joe Biden leans in to hear a question as he speaks with reporters before walking t...

Associated Press

House Republicans are set to make their case for Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have insisted for months that they have the grounds to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. On Thursday, they will begin formally making their case to the public and their skeptical colleagues in the Senate. The chairmen of Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means will hold the opening hearing of […]

3 hours ago

President Joe Biden landed at Sky Harbor International Airport where he will honor late Senator Joh...

Brandon Gray

President Joe Biden arrives in Arizona, will honor John McCain in Tempe, road closures expected

President Joe Biden arrived Wednesday night in the Valley where he will honor the late Senator John McCain Thursday in Tempe. 

4 hours ago

Associated Press

Gang violence in Haiti is escalating and spreading with a significant increase in killings, UN says

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Gang violence in Haiti is escalating and spreading from the capital Port-au-Prince through the center of the country to its two other major cities, Gonaives and Cap-Hatien, with a significant increase in killings, kidnappings and rapes in the past few months, the U.N. chief said in a report circulated Wednesday. Secretary-General […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SCHWARTZ LASER EYE CENTER

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

Bill to force schools to inform inquiring parents about transgender children fails in New Hampshire