Statement on Initial Court Ruling, Deadline Over Sununu Administration Prematurely Ending Federal Unemployment Benefits for Granite Staters Who Lost Jobs, Income During COVID-19

Sununu has 10 days left to change mind on turning away millions of dollars in federal unemployment benefits, local economy boost for Granite Staters

As plaintiffs determine next steps, DOL email obtained thru right to know request shows New Hampshire can act by October 6th to restore federal unemployment benefits Sununu Administration prematurely ended; all Sununu needs to do is act

CONCORD, NH – Today the Hillsborough County South Superior Court denied a motion to require Governor Chris Sununu’s Administration to reinstate the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program it prematurely cut off. The suit was filed on behalf of four plaintiffs seeking a declaratory ruling and injunctive relief to reinstate the federal unemployment benefits.

“The plaintiffs are reviewing the decision, and we are considering all options at this point, including appeal,” said Mike Perez of Perez Law, attorney for the plaintiffs.

Meanwhile, a federal Department of Labor email obtained through a right to know request shows that New Hampshire can act by October 6th to restore the federal unemployment benefits without delay; all Governor Sununu needs to do is act.

“A letter from Governor Sununu is all we need to reinstate federal unemployment benefits to thousands of Granite State families,” said Stephanie McKay, moderator of the NH Unemployment During COVID-19 Facebook group of over 4,500 Granite Staters who experienced unemployment during COVID-19. “This is money that will help families who had a loss of employment or income due to no fault of their own during COVID, and federal benefits which could help put money back into our local economy to help all of us better recover. Why Chris Sununu is continuing to hurt his own constituents is beyond me. This is a fully federally funded program with absolutely no financial cost to the state. Sununu is willing to accept COVID relief funds for corporate businesses but when it comes to self-employed small business owners and thousands of Granite State workers, he has told us tough luck.”

“New Hampshire stands to lose out on millions in federal dollars if action isn’t taken soon,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress, which advocates for working families and is helping with the federal unemployment benefit lawsuit. “All the Sununu Administration has to do is act, but instead Sununu is actually spending taxpayer dollars fighting lawsuits hoping to restore benefits for families. This makes absolutely no sense and is a complete waste of state resources. Sununu should be focused on expanding economic stability for families and small business owners, not harming it.”

Background on Lawsuit

The federal CARES package established several pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs which NH Employment Security prematurely terminated nearly 3 months before the programs were set to expire, impacting tens of thousands of Granite Staters struggling with the loss of income or jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One program in particular, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), covers workers who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits, such as self-employed people, independent contractors, gig workers, and people who started a job too recently before becoming unemployed. The sudden and early termination of this program has harmed Granite State families who faced economic strife due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is fully funded by the federal government, including all administrative costs. An estimated 15,000 Granite Staters are impacted by the early termination of this program alone. In ending the federal unemployment benefits, Sununu argued that it would spur employment in New Hampshire – but instead prematurely cutting the benefit has added more economic insecurity for families facing challenges due to COVID-19, fueling cuts to household spending while not leading to significant job gains. Experts say the real challenge is barriers to workforce re-entry such as child and caregiving responsibilities, health issues, transportation, and other factors.

While the court ruling focuses on NH RSA’s, , Sununu’s legal team also tried to plead both that Governor Chris Sununu is the only one to blame and also that there is no way Governor Chris Sununu should be named as a defendant – arguing competing positions in two separate but related lawsuits around the premature end of the federal benefits.

  • In a motion to dismiss filed in the Hillsborough County South Superior Court, the Attorney General’s office argued the four plaintiffs do not have standing because they sued New Hampshire Employment Security instead of Governor Chris Sununu.
  • In a separate motion filed in the Grafton Superior Court, the Attorney General’s office argued the sole plaintiff does not have standing because they sued Governor Chris Sununu instead of New Hampshire Employment Security.

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. Visit https://granitestateprogress.org/ to learn more.

NH House Republicans, Once Again, Side with COVID Denier Extremists Over Public Health, Science

Speaker Sherman Packard and House Republican Leadership Attempt to Impede National Efforts to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire House Republicans, led by Speaker Sherman Packard, sent a letter today to the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation calling for them to side with COVID denier extremists over public health and science. The letter specifically calls on the delegation to oppose COVID-19 public health efforts by the Biden Administration. 

The letter is the latest in a long line of anti-public health and anti-science actions by House Republicans. In the past two weeks alone:

“Speaker Packard and his Republican colleagues’ behavior is unbelievably dangerous to Granite Staters,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress. “At the same time House Republican leadership amplifies conspiracy theories and endorses disinformation about public health, we are seeing a steady rise in pediatric COVID-19. It is because of the lack of leadership from Governor Chris Sununu and Speaker Packard that our children and community are at an increased risk of contracting a deadly virus. We deserve better from New Hampshire elected officials. Sununu and Packard should immediately apologize and start to take real steps to promote public health and science, for the safety of all of us. This includes removing from leadership and condemning the behavior of any elected official who promotes disinformation about COVID-19.”

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. Visit https://granitestateprogress.org/ to learn more. 

Granite State Progress and Reproductive Freedom Fund of NH Celebrate US House Passage of Women’s Health Protection Act

Critical legislation will protect abortion access throughout the U.S.

CONCORD, NH – Granite State Progress and the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire celebrate the passage of H.R. 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) by the U.S. House of Representatives. The WHPA creates a federal safeguard against state-level bans and medically unnecessary restrictions that single out abortion and impede access to care. Granite State Progress and RFFNH are part of a coalition of more than 100 federal, state, and local organizations supporting efforts to advance the bill.

“With Roe v. Wade on the precipice and abortion access under attack in New Hampshire by anti-choice politicians like Governor Chris Sununu and his Republican colleagues, there has never been a more urgent time for Congress to codify reproductive rights into federal law,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, Executive Director of Granite State Progress. “Abortion access is a human right, and reproductive freedom is a core Granite State value. Since the passage of Sununu’s abortion ban and the defunding of the family planning program, Granite Staters have shown up and made their voices heard, definitively rejecting efforts by lawmakers to criminalize physicians and take away our reproductive rights. We are grateful to our full Congressional delegation for their steadfast support of reproductive freedom and independence, and strongly urge the U.S. Senate to do what is necessary to protect abortion for all Granite Staters and all Americans.”

“The urgency of the WHPA passage simply cannot be overstated,” said Josie Pinto, Executive Director of the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire. “In the nearly fifty years since Roe v. Wade was decided, efforts to restrict abortion access have only increased. This year, New Hampshire passed its first ever gestational abortion ban – the most restrictive piece of legislation relating to abortion in our state’s history. Our fund was already fighting against barriers to abortion care for patients, and these new restrictions make it even harder for Granite Staters to access the reproductive health care they need. We need Congress to take definitive action to protect abortion rights as soon as possible, and then work to expand access for patients and remove other barriers to care such as high cost and limited provider availability.”

A poll conducted earlier this year by Hart Research Associates showed that a majority (61%) of voters believe abortion rights across the country should be protected with a new federal law like WHPA. In New Hampshire, a poll conducted by UNH in July showed that recent legislation passed by Governor Chris Sununu to ban abortions at 24 weeks with virtually no exemptions and mandate medically unnecessary ultrasounds for all patients is highly unpopular.

Since 2011, anti-abortion lawmakers have pushed more than 500 restrictive laws through state legislatures that make abortion difficult and, sometimes, impossible to access. These abortion restrictions and bans are becoming more extreme—and are disproportionately harming people who already face discriminatory obstacles to health care, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, those working to make ends meet, women, young people, people with disabilities, immigrants, people living in rural communities, and members of the LGBTQI+ community.  

The impact is devastating. Today, nearly 90 percent of American counties are without a single abortion provider, and 27 cities have become “abortion deserts” because people who live there must travel 100 miles or more to reach a provider. In New Hampshire, there are only four clinics to serve more than 1.3 million residents, and the Executive Council voted to defund those providers last week by rejecting the contracts for the state’s Family Planning program.

You can learn more about the Women’s Health Protection Act HERE.

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. Visit https://granitestateprogress.org/ to learn more.

WHODUNNIT: Sununu’s Lawyers Point Finger In Both Directions in Dual Lawsuits Over Sununu Administration Prematurely Ending Federal Unemployment Benefits

Whodunnit? Governor Sununu. The case of the PUA lawsuit.

Attorney General’s office pleads both that Sununu is/is not responsible

CONCORD, NH – Governor Chris Sununu’s legal team is pointing the finger in both directions in dual lawsuits filed over Sununu’s decision to prematurely cut off federal unemployment benefits for thousands of Granite State families.

  • In a motion to dismiss filed in the Hillsborough County South Superior Court, the Attorney General’s office argues the four plaintiffs do not have standing because they sued New Hampshire Employment Security instead of Governor Chris Sununu.
  • In a separate motion filed in the Grafton Superior Court, the Attorney General’s office argues the sole plaintiff does not have standing because they sued Governor Chris Sununu instead of New Hampshire Employment Security.

“The Sununu administration is talking out of both sides of its mouth, like usual,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress, which is helping with the lawsuit. “This is baldly two-faced, and particularly cruel to make plaintiffs play whack-a-mole instead of Sununu just taking responsibility for the mess he created. But what else would we expect from an administration that prematurely cut off thousands of Granite State families from federal unemployment benefits, a program that comes at no cost to the State of New Hampshire and which is intended to help families better recover from COVID-19. We hope the courts and public see these two-faced filings for what they are, and that the court can provide relief for families facing ongoing economic hardship from the loss of these federal benefits.”

“The state’s motion to dismiss is just another slap in the face to those of us waiting on edge to hear whether or not we will be able to apply for the federal benefits that Congress passed for us,” said Stephanie McKay, moderator of the NH Unemployment During COVID-19 Facebook group of over 4,500 Granite Staters who experienced unemployment during COVID-19. “None of us wanted to lose our jobs or income due to COVID-19. It could have happened to anyone, and we should not have to deal with the state’s political games when they should just restore our benefits now.”

The case filed in Hillsborough County South Superior Court had a preliminary hearing in early September and is waiting for the court’s response. The Grafton Superior Court case has been in process since July. While the court case will proceed regardless, a communication from the federal Department of Labor makes it clear that states which prematurely ended benefits can reopen the federal unemployment benefits, at no cost to the state and with all administrative costs covered, by sending a letter to DOL no later than October 6th. New Hampshire stands to lose out on millions in federal dollars if action isn’t taken soon. All the Sununu Administration has to do is act now instead of wasting taxpayer dollars opposing lawsuits to restore the benefits.

The initial press release reviewing the Hillsborough case can be found here.

A copy of the full Hillsborough legal petition and plaintiff stories can be found here.

A timeline of the Grafton case can be found here.

To contribute to the GSP COVID-19 Action Fund for important work like this, donate here.

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. Visit https://granitestateprogress.org/ to learn more.

Statement on Preliminary Court Hearing On Lawsuit Filed by Granite Staters Against Sununu Administration Over Premature Cut-Off of Federal Unemployment Assistance Benefit

Text: It's official. We are suing Gov. Sununu. Image: Sununu sitting at desk.

NASHUA, NH – The Hillsborough County South Superior Court held a preliminary hearing this afternoon on a lawsuit filed last week against Governor Chris Sununu’s Administration for prematurely cutting off federal unemployment benefits available under the CARES Act. The suit is filed on behalf of four plaintiffs seeking a declaratory ruling and injunctive relief to reinstate the benefits, which could return thousands of dollars to Granite State families facing the loss of a job or income due to the COVID-19 public health pandemic. Statements on the hearing:

“We presented a strong case today and expect to hear from the court soon,” said Mike Perez of Perez Law, attorney for the plaintiffs. “The plaintiffs are eager to have this issue resolved and to figure out the next steps for each of their families.”

“We have been waiting for our day in court, and we are glad the judge heard the situations and experiences that have led us here today,” said Stephanie McKay, moderator of the NH Unemployment During COVID-19 Facebook group of over 4,500 Granite Staters who experienced unemployment during COVID-19. “It was shocking to hear the State argue that we brought this emergency on ourselves, as many families who lost federal unemployment benefits are struggling to afford school supplies for their kids and pay basic bills for food and rent. But we are thankful for the opportunity to present our case and we hope that the outcome restores these benefits to thousands of impacted Granite Staters.”

“The state’s response makes it clear they are still leaning into the disproven theory that prematurely ending the federal unemployment benefits for struggling Granite State families would significantly impact unemployment rates in the state,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress. “There are real barriers to workforce re-entry, including child care and other caregiving responsibilities, health issues, transportation, finding employment that matches your skills and training, and other such factors. The Sununu Administration could have focused on any of those instead of taking away people’s benefits.”

The initial press release reviewing the case can be found here.

A copy of the full legal petition and plaintiff stories can be found here.

###

Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems. Visit https://granitestateprogress.org/ to learn more.