CONCORD — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Republican Gov. Chris Sununu from spending New Hampshire’s $1.25 billion in coronavirus relief aid without legislative approval.
The Democratic leaders of the New Hampshire House and Senate and its joint fiscal committee sued the governor last week to halt the new Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery. In a ruling Wednesday, Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge David Anderson agreed with Sununu that the lawmakers lacked standing to sue. Even if such a lawsuit was allowed, an order halting the work of the recovery office would be inappropriate, he said.
“Even in an ordinary case, the court must be cautious in granting a request from any individual or group of individuals to stop the governor from acting, as it presents a scenario rife with complications that directly impacts the orderly operation of the government,” he wrote. “To go even further and allow an individual state taxpayer to stop or even the delay the governor from distributing purely federal funds intended for the benefit of the public in the midst of a global pandemic would be contrary to the public interest.”
Sununu issued a statement thanking the judge.
“In this unprecedented public health emergency, it is paramount that we get relief out to New Hampshire families fast, and that is what I am determined to do,” he said.
Sununu had argued that the recovery office was allowed under a 2002 law granting the governor authority to take immediate action during a statewide crisis. Democrats argued that provision doesn’t override a more specific law that says during an emergency, “the governor may, with the advice and consent of the fiscal committee, authorize such expenditures, by any department or agency, as may be necessary.”
The plaintiffs said they disagreed with the ruling.
“Knowing that time is of the essence it is discouraging that instead of arguing this case on the merits, Governor Sununu continues to put up technical roadblocks on this issue and continues to allow a cloud of constitutional uncertainty to persist over how more than a billion dollars in federal aid is properly provided to our communities,” they said.
Southern New Hampshire University is responding to the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn by accelerating new education models that combine online classes with on-campus living.
The private college in Manchester is launching a new program for the 2020-21 academic year in which students would take courses online while living on campus and participating in campus clubs, athletics and other activities. Students would still pay room and board, but tuition would be $10,000 per year, which is 60% lower than the current tuition. And for the first year, the college is offering a one-time “Innovation Scholarship” to all incoming freshmen covering the tuition costs.
SNHU President Paul LeBlanc said students need access to affordable degrees more than ever, but a traditional education was increasingly out of reach even before the pandemic.
Residents in two New Hampshire long-term care centers have become pen pals to help deal with the coronavirus-related isolation.
The Eagle Times reports residents at Sullivan County Health Care in Unity and Summercrest Senior Living in Newport are exchanging letters.
“I think there is something about taking the time to write a note to someone that money can’t buy. It’s something that a person cherishes,” Summercrest resident Gloria Stetson said.