[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6525422,"mediaKeyId","3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c","parentId",3445556,"title","Senate OKs framework allowing utilities to pursue advanced nuclear and multi'year power agreements, with guardrails","audioSeconds",863,"startMs",6298000,"endMs",7161000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c&start=6298&end=7161","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c/thumbnail_6298000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6525422/New-Hampshire/Senate-OKs-framework-allowing-utilities-to-pursue-advanced-nuclear-and-multiyear-power-agreements-with-guardrails","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525422-b6b80f987c24fa08ff95f499b50043e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945918&Signature=PDc9FdFWTh0YtuTSIX-bgYqRR0yrKC1SE8uVKgE5OGqFWQkdHz3XliQjmaz8t9qGNvcdEmB3G1ojm48uPYl~7-KW2tv2JlBqI4MxtOGWpnbOpNCzojgQxyBo304CVU9l19n~zoB5zDUlwqG2gaYWetb18B45KkbiR7lXpIxRW6QY7LyrUjX1j3IiWT0yWET1UTrDG7Dtx7m-zXFi3DpPROAU3Or2sPHoVSUcN~NSlN3lln~ZZs9B-4JdHkT~9SEWiND0AAfUAyrODjkA-ZUkZJbuxO674EVXrn6RA0uwAo1avz6yeC3AZ7nJ0t1qMlwV8V0iGmMD2TWH2kDCPk3KxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-05-22T00:00:00Z","article","The New Hampshire Senate on May 20 adopted an amended version of House Bill 710 that expands electric utilities' authority to own and offer advanced nuclear resources, and to pursue multi'year power purchase agreements, while adding regulatory limitations designed to protect ratepayers.

Under the amendment approved on the floor, utilities would be authorized to solicit long'term proposals that can include advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors through 2040, subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) under public'interest and reasonableness criteria. The amendment also raised the annual cap for low'to'moderate'income community solar from 6 megawatts to 18 megawatts and expanded net metering eligibility in specified ways.

Senator Avard, who offered the floor amendment and moved the bill, emphasized the state's need for price stability and resource diversity. \"This legislation provides tools to address that challenge,\" he said, noting stakeholder testimony about New Hampshire's higher-than'average electric costs and the potential for advanced nuclear to provide long'term reliability.

Senator Rosenwald pressed for caution about long'term power purchase agreements (PPAs), arguing that such contracts can transfer financial risk to ratepayers for decades. \"Power purchase agreements present the same quandary. ... If the state enters into a bad deal, ratepayers will be stuck for decades,\" Rosenwald said, and cited examples from neighboring states where nuclear PPAs cost consumers above'market sums.

The floor process included at least two amendments: floor amendment 2329, which the Senate adopted and which contained the principal structure for procurement and guardrails; and a subsequent amendment (2257) that would have removed sections authorizing long'term PPAs for existing resources; that amendment failed on the floor after debate over whether long'term guarantees could protect consumers or expose them to undue risk.

Senator Waters, speaking in favor, said the move signals that New Hampshire is open to new technologies and regulatory structures that could stabilize prices and diversify supply. \"It is significant that we are saying now ... that we would consider letting utilities own sources of generation,\" Waters said.

Outcome and next steps: The Senate adopted the amended bill and ordered HB 710 to third reading. The language approved on the floor grants the PUC explicit authority to approve contracts that meet stated public'interest criteria and places limits on procurement levels and other guardrails; detailed PUC review and possible further rulemaking will shape any final projects.

Policy context: Floor debate highlighted a tension common in energy policy: whether long'term contracts and utility ownership can protect consumers from price volatility and encourage new technologies, or whether they risk locking ratepayers into above'market payments if conditions change.

Votes: The Senate adopted floor amendment 2329 (aye vote recorded on the floor) and later adopted the bill as amended, ordering it to third reading. A subsequent amendment to restrict procurement for existing resources failed in floor voting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Session (05/22/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate on May 20 approved an amended version of House Bill 710 that expands utility options to pursue advanced nuclear resources and multi'year power agreements, while adding limits and PUC review to mitigate ratepayer risk.","taxTitle","Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29500,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6525432,"Senate rejects committee'recommendation and advances bill on parental notice for youth risk behavior survey",3993,1745000,5738000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c&start=1745&end=5738","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c/thumbnail_1745000.jpg","/articles/6525432/New-Hampshire/Senate-rejects-committeerecommendation-and-advances-bill-on-parental-notice-for-youth-risk-behavior-survey","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525432-7c93c919e0d0c7436ac035dc4d8b3368/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945918&Signature=h9zJ5PJ4in8MUPUDCDwPpsI9taUdaniDJVHzqtJCZyacxtAMQe2i7s5r7Ptj90ZZ~6AMIsYmdZmpTFVMBFZp8nWeq~g7z7h34hOjNKRszxQeaGBuzIPW-m3mFkELXW1VtFix23K8L6KI2fVREaV1yhCLb8vQ3NUXJ~SDUNh97Rn1L1clRDngnWFCF2aiKdvgPD3zTFM5XWPQPA8qp3VbSo0udrGMyKNmNCubpnVgrAtb1jAIy0~ojMxBmiq1tGzbuKKvYv8fVwBYtsydhKpYheQkOdb5eawt84yLz5twhSDpOTwcrXW9~rhZFD0EWT6zK31A2~lVuKyF8OUDx3nXgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New Hampshire Senate on a roll call vote on May 20 rejected a committee recommendation to find House Bill 446 \"inexpedient to legislate\" and instead advanced the bill to third reading after extensive debate over the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and parental consent.

HB 446, as discussed in the Senate education committee and on the floor, would change how schools notify and obtain consent for nonacademic surveys administered to students, including the 13'page Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) used to track health, safety and prevention metrics. Proponents of the bill argued the change would ensure parents have clear notice and a right to opt in; opponents warned that making YRBS opt'in would lower participation below thresholds needed for statistically reliable results used by school districts and community organizations to apply for prevention grants.

Senator Prentiss, speaking for the Senate education committee, explained the committee'vote for \"inexpedient to legislate\" because the panel concluded shifting the YRBS to an opt'in model would likely cut participation and \"compromise the quality and statistical significance of the data that is critical in developing student health, safety, prevention, and mental health programs.\" The committee cited testimony from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control that the YRBS is anonymized and used for public health planning and grant applications.

Senators pressing for change said parents should receive clearer advance notice and the opportunity to consent. \"Every non academic survey that we give to students in New Hampshire require prior parental consent except for the youth risk behavior survey,\" said Senator Ward, urging that the Senate protect parental rights. Ward and others emphasized some parents object to specific content and want explicit consent.

Opponents of an opt'in shift pointed to the 62% participation rate state witnesses reported on the floor and said falling below a commonly cited 60% threshold would jeopardize the survey's validity and the ability of local organizations to secure federal and private grant funding. \"If we make it opt in, that means that we need to ask more of our busy parents ... so we want to make sure we're supporting our working families and not putting additional burdens on them,\" said Senator Perkins Cuoco.

Several senators raised concerns about questions in the YRBS that probe sensitive topics and whether responses are sufficiently private and whether teachers could recognize individual students from identifying questions. \"We're asking very intimate questions of students, and there's no help for them if they're facing these things on their own,\" said Senator Sullivan, who described classroom and counseling limitations when children disclose trauma on surveys.

Legislative maneuvering: the Senate first considered a motion from the education committee to find the bill inexpedient; that motion failed on a roll call (16'to'8, noes prevailed). An alternative \"ought to pass\" motion was later offered and adopted (16'to'8), ordering HB 446 to third reading. A floor amendment (2157) that would have kept opt'out but added a notification requirement failed on a roll call.

The debate included repeated testimony that the YRBS data are commonly used by police, public health and nonprofit groups to write grant applications (for example, to fund substance misuse prevention and peer support programs) and that the data are reported in aggregate and not reported as individually identifiable records, testimony supporters used to argue against an opt'in change.

What happens next: With the Senate majority voting to advance HB 446, the bill moves to third reading where final passage could occur. Supporters said they would continue to press for better parental notification and protection; opponents said changing to opt'in would reduce data quality and the grants and prevention programs that use that data.

Votes at the floor: The Senate rejected the committee'recommended inexpedient to legislate motion on HB 446 (vote: failed 16''8) and later adopted \"ought to pass\" on a roll call (vote: 16'to'8), sending the bill to third reading. A proposed floor amendment to require parental notification (amendment 2157) failed (vote: 8'to'16).

Ending note: Senators on both sides described the subject as difficult and consequential: supporters framed the issue as a parental rights and informed'consent matter; opponents framed it as a public health and data'integrity concern that affects prevention programming across the state.","The New Hampshire Senate on a roll call vote May 20 rejected its education committee'recommendation and advanced House Bill 446, a measure that would change parental notice and consent procedures for the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, amid a lengthy floor debate about student privacy, survey reliability and grant funding.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6525418,"Votes at a glance: key Senate floor actions on May 20, 2025",6861,1540000,8401000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c&start=1540&end=8401","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c/thumbnail_1540000.jpg","/articles/6525418/New-Hampshire/Votes-at-a-glance-key-Senate-floor-actions-on-May-20-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525418-9fbb915c9f18caffd8b8afed5a6390b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945918&Signature=AUOzW7E~WKFxMRr~T-xzaMcVEtZjmS8VHIOoRbajk-b-Ni4TFw0asFkyeaOUciwvEgP-o5ck7rMnv7g5frhC23AD35Kt4XfhDKSPCdUhrjxuvDLPAAZfs1gB1w5PiNczoPqW7ReBlNSv2JzQNnzr7QKbTUIpChHzGNM3qPyamhoBB9dPW3n5RnI8nKs~DnyfglbktLe4UyGMTtWuZbF~~DljU1dJiEVxeBxkkQwQeOOB9yXnq6mGwK1zgnm79mQjvufpe~-fI~GDq3jiAQnFeMsGa-VSwTypxMImbP2HIf~0UCyWsQ~JhwHZlOVGSHOAaUEVcOu93re8AKC-uTfh~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New Hampshire Senate clerk recorded the following motions and outcomes during the May 20 session. This roundup includes committee recommendations, floor votes, and notable procedural actions that were taken to advance, table, refer, or otherwise dispose of bills.

- House Bill 296: Committee on Commerce recommended \"ought to pass with amendment\"; the Senate adopted the committee amendment and the motion of \"ought to pass as amended\" and ordered the bill to third reading. (Committee report noted at s1542.755; bill ordered to third reading at s1647.905.)

- House Bill 499 (FN): Committee on Commerce recommended \"ought to pass\"; floor adoption moved the bill to the committee on finance. (Second reading and referral recorded at s1745.94's1745.94.)

- House Bill 446: See separate article. Committee recommended Inexpedient to Legislate; the Senate rejected ITL and instead adopted \"ought to pass\" on the floor (roll calls recorded; bill ordered to third reading).

- House Bill 677 (FN): Committee on Education recommended \"ought to pass with amendment\" to require schools to maintain emergency epinephrine supplies and create a non'lapsing fund to support procurement. The Senate adopted committee and floor amendments and ordered the bill to third reading. (Committee report and amendment adoption recorded at s5772.725's6017.0596.)

- House Bill 566 (FN): Committee on Energy and Natural Resources recommended referral to committee initially, then the floor adopted a technical amendment requiring landfill applicants to submit comprehensive leachate plans and contractual documentation with at least two disposal facilities; the bill was ordered to third reading. (See s6105.285's6273.6797.)

- House Bill 710 (FN): See separate article. Committee recommended \"ought to pass with amendment\"; Senate adopted a revised floor amendment with PUC guardrails and ordered the bill to third reading.

- House Bill 63: Motion to lay HB 63 on the table was adopted; HB 63 was laid on the table. (s7243.745's7312.14.)

- House Bill 57: Committee on Judiciary recommended \"ought to pass with amendment\" (bail/arraignment changes); the Senate adopted the committee amendment and ordered the bill to third reading (roll calls recorded). (s11937.561's12563.71.)

- House Bill 148: Committee recommended \"ought to pass\"; the Senate adopted the committee recommendation and ordered the bill to third reading (roll call 16'to'8). (See separate article.)

- House Bill 191 (FN): Committee on Judiciary recommended re'referral to committee; the Senate adopted the committee recommendation to re'refer. (s14824.96's14907.25.)

- House Bill 301: Committee recommended Inexpedient to Legislate and the sponsor moved to table; the Senate adopted the motion to lay on the table (non'debatable). (s14912.995's14960.7.)

- House Bill 387: Committee recommended Inexpedient to Legislate; the Senate adopted ITL. (s14998.385's15078.98.)

- House Bill 397: Committee recommended Inexpedient to Legislate; the Senate adopted ITL. (s15173.635's15173.635.)

- House Bill 480: Committee recommended re'refer to committee; the Senate adopted re'referral. (s15187.97's15219.29.)

- House Bill 520: Committee on Judiciary recommended \"ought to pass\" (authorizing DOE hearing officers to issue subpoenas); the Senate adopted the committee recommendation and ordered the bill to third reading. (s15250.21's15515.065.)

- House Bill 151: Committee on Election Law and Municipal Affairs recommended \"ought to pass with amendment\" changing supervisor of checklist term length options; the Senate adopted a floor compromise amendment and ordered the bill to third reading. (s15562.28's15788.71.)

- House Bill 464 and House Bill 475: Identified on the consent/regular calendar; the Senate adopted consent calendar motions and referred specific items as printed in the day's calendar (consent calendar adopted). (s1271.07's1531.5549.)

Notes on procedure and votes: For bills where floor roll calls were recorded in the transcript, we list the recorded outcome and direction (for example, HB 446 and HB 148 recorded 16'to'8 roll calls on key motions). Many other bills were advanced with voice votes or committee referral; where the transcript did not print a roll call tally, the outcome is summarized and the clerk's minute referenced.

If you need a single bill's recorded roll'call names and exact vote tally beyond what is summarized here, note which bill and we will extract the verbatim roll'call lines from the transcript.","The Senate acted on multiple bills during its May 20 session. This roundup lists each bill that received a formal motion or vote on the floor, the outcome, and key details recorded during debate or action.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6525427,"Senate advances bill allowing biological sex classifications for limited facilities; heated debate invokes Plessy v. Ferguson",2187,12622000,14809000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c&start=12622&end=14809","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3445556-cb373f5e5853b1afd50cd8b8ff8c4d3c/thumbnail_12622000.jpg","/articles/6525427/New-Hampshire/Senate-advances-bill-allowing-biological-sex-classifications-for-limited-facilities-heated-debate-invokes-Plessy-v-Ferguson","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525427-7423e9089481334f889f3038a28fcf47/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945918&Signature=IhryA2yKLzIvsCQsEtyUZl~bu1Sgix0eW-sHJtEXF-545KoEUfT7hYbXOF4U8diP3g0C~tHzstMJs0GF0kwkjOS~bctcBhBnQgU71ipfaDRO0o3bicjOh4QZhrSj4v0Xn16pp2mcqbHwrUlDBlXYb5knjxB6JG4xnFEfLcpGig73Svj6LiCLntT82a0HUNA3TLl7mYH1VTiM5IwInGFpQj3NT-azUsQp7qaMRvgoC0-5L7XR8tLavfM9dhcN3A5yRaMwogefvcJKf5VKFs0xi8AKgHg7iEtk5f8ea8UdGxf4aRcaRbT77fKT~c4sjOOJDUaJ7EG5YaP1r01gIFBwvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New Hampshire Senate voted on May 20 to advance House Bill 148 to third reading after more than two hours of floor debate that divided members along philosophical and policy lines.

House Bill 148, reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a recommendation that it \"ought to pass,\" would allow certain limited classifications based on \"biological sex\" for purposes of bathrooms, locker rooms, detention facilities and athletics. Supporters said the change is narrowly tailored to protect privacy and physical safety for women and girls in sports and certain institutional settings; opponents called the bill discriminatory and raised enforceability and civil rights concerns.

Senator Gannon, describing the committee recommendation, said the bill \"maintains that such classifications are proper in limited scenarios to serve the compelling state interest of privacy and physical safety.\" He cited sports competition and correctional settings as the chief policy rationales.

Opponents framed the measure as a step backward. \"Regression is what we're voting on today,\" said Senator Reardon, arguing the measure would strip rights and dignity from transgender Granite Staters and likened the legal theory to the historic \"separate but equal\" doctrine rejected by Brown v. Board of Education. \"This bill is dehumanizing, targeting in a poisonous policy,\" Reardon said in opposition.

Senator Waters delivered a longer floor history and constitutional argument, invoking concerns that statutory exceptions erode equal protection principles and warning that the proposed \"notwithstanding\" carve'outs could recreate legal precedents associated with segregation.

Supporters said the bill addresses concrete safety questions. \"They have a right to their own privacy,\" said Senator Birdsell, who argued that women's athletic opportunities and safety are at stake and cited examples from other states of physical injuries and competitive advantages.

Practical enforceability was also raised frequently on the floor. Several senators asked how the law would be applied in practice, and whether categories such as non'binary identity would complicate enforcement. Senator Abbas said the committee included a \"catch'all\" provision to cover felony offenses with an element of physical force to ensure violent crimes are treated consistently.

Roll calls and outcome: The Senate adopted the committee recommendation of \"ought to pass\" on House Bill 148 on a roll call (ayes 16, noes 8) and ordered the bill to third reading. The committee vote on the bill earlier was 3 to 1 in favor of ought to pass.

What to watch next: The bill will return for third reading and final passage votes. Sponsors said the bill is intended to be narrowly applied; opponents have signaled they will keep pressing arguments about civil rights, enforceability and unintended harms.","On a 16'to'8 roll call the Senate voted to order House Bill 148 to third reading after lengthy floor debate. Supporters said the measure protects privacy and safety in sports, restrooms, locker rooms and correctional settings; opponents called the bill discriminatory and compared it to historic segregation rulings.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate OKs framework allowing utilities to pursue advanced nuclear and multi'year power agreements, with guardrails

Senate rejects committee'recommendation and advances bill on parental notice for youth risk behavior survey

Votes at a glance: key Senate floor actions on May 20, 2025

Senate advances bill allowing biological sex classifications for limited facilities; heated debate invokes Plessy v. Ferguson