Governor Rejects Protections and Funding for Long Term Care Facilities and Child Care Scholarships

Contact Name: Sara Persechino

Phone: (603) 271-3479

Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us

CONCORD - Today, Governor Sununu vetoed HB 1246, a portion of the Senate Democrats’ Granite Promise Plan addressing the COVID-19 crisis in New Hampshire’s nursing homes and long term care facilities and providing funding for the child care scholarship program.

Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) issued the following statements in response:

“Let’s be clear: Chris Sununu is trying to sweep the nursing home crisis under the rug, even instructing his own commissioner to ‘change the narrative’,” stated Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord).

“We have a much worse COVID-19 crisis than either Maine or Vermont. Over 300 Granite State seniors have been lost to COVID-19, accounting for 80% of our total loss of life, yet Chris Sununu says he is doing a “very good job” protecting New Hampshire’s nursing homes and long term care facilities. As elected officials, it is our responsibility to take care of our most vulnerable, not simply offer spin at press conferences. This veto today denies an independent review of what went wrong with recommendations for a second wave, denies funding for proper infection control measures, testing and supplies of PPE in nursing homes, video conferencing for family members, and keeping facilities that receive Medicaid afloat. Sununu says a second wave is coming, but insists on shielding himself from any oversight and refuses to do an independent review with recommendations for that second wave. This is the most reckless and self-serving veto of all the record-setting vetoes of bipartisan legislation from Chris Sununu.”

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