House Republicans Reject Support for Working Mothers, Affordable Housing, and Mental Health Care
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD – House Republicans removed significant sections of HB 610 which included reasonable accommodations for pregnant and nursing women, a provision to support affordable housing, and reimbursement for mental health treatment in the collaborative care model.
Senator Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton), Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D-Portsmouth), and Senator Tom Sherman (D-Rye) issued the following statements in response:
“In rejecting the language of SB 69, House Republicans are continuing their assault on women’s rights,” stated Senator Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton). “Helping keep nursing mothers in the workforce is an essential part of building a modern economy. Rather than doing their part to support working women, House Republicans leaned in to systemic misogyny because they didn’t like the legislative process.”
Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D-Portsmouth) added, “House Republicans had a choice. They could have chosen to support babies, working mothers, businesses, and our economy. They could have chosen to support pathways for affordable housing in the middle of a housing crisis. They could have chosen to support well researched, bipartisan policy work done by their Senate colleagues. But rather than do their jobs and govern, House Republicans turned their backs on Granite Staters.”
Senator Tom Sherman (D-Rye) added, “In the midst of the darkest days of a mental health crisis, with adults and children being boarded in our emergency rooms, we should be doing everything we can to support our families, friends and neighbors in need. As amended, HB 610 would have addressed our dire workforce shortage in psychiatry, increased access to mental health care, and bolstered efficiencies resulting in decreased cost of that care. Claiming procedural issues as a thinly-veiled excuse, House Republicans have turned their backs the people of New Hampshire.”
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