When he first ran for office in 2016, NH Governor Chris Sununu promised in a letter to pro-life voters that he would sign a bill to repeal the buffer zone law, and yet he recently said that he is planning to veto HB1625, the Sidewalk Free Speech Act which would repeal the buffer zone law.
He hasn’t given an explanation on why he is reneging on his promise or even acknowledged that he made that promise.
Last week he vetoed HB1131, a bill that would have banned schools from imposing mask mandates on students. In his veto message, he claimed he vetoed it because he is concerned about government overreach. The buffer zone law is a huge government overreach because it allows private businesses to take control of public sidewalks and unconstitutionally restricts freedom of speech and assembly.
Sununu also said he would veto HB1431, the Parental Rights Bill if it got to his desk because he is concerned that it could put a school at risk of a lawsuit. The buffer zone law is a huge risk for a lawsuit because it is unconstitutional and yet as long as it is the law the State has to defend it.
The State of NH has already had to defend the buffer zone law against a legal challenge in Reddy v. Foster. That case ended when a judge ruled that the plaintiffs had no standing because no buffer zones have ever been posted.
Any NH abortion facility can legally post a buffer zone without permission from anyone and that would immediately put the State on the hook again to defend the buffer zone law and the State would lose because the law is unconstitutional.
In 2014, Massachusetts had to pay out $1.2 million dollars to the plaintiffs’ attorneys in McCullen v. Coakley on top of the state’s own legal fees after they lost the case against their buffer zone law.
If Sununu is worried about government overreach and liability then his #1 concern should be signing HB1625.
If he vetoes HB1625 then his opposition to HB1131 and HB1431 are hypocritical and his concerns about government overreach and liability should not be taken seriously. He is gaslighting us when he pretends that there is any consistency in his stance on these bills.
Call Governor Sununu at 603-271-2121 and ask him to keep his promise to repeal the buffer zone law and sign HB1625, the Sidewalk Free Speech Act.
Learn more about the buffer zone law at Top 10 Reasons Why the NH Buffer Zone Law Must Be Repealed.