Governor Chris Sununu Vetoes HB 1166

Concord, NH — Today, Governor Chris Sununu vetoed HB 1166, which contains provisions in violation of federal law and would make New Hampshire the only state in the nation to be ineligible for Federal unemployment funding from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program under the CARES Act. In addition, if this bill were to become law, then New Hampshire workers would no longer be eligible for those critical $600 federal payments which have provided over $700 million to Granite Staters.

A copy of the Governor's veto message can be found here.

"This legislation contains three major problems that would result in drastic consequences for New Hampshire," said Governor Chris Sununu. "These problems prompted three different state agencies, the Department of Employment Security, the Department of Labor and the Department oflnsurance to raise strong concerns with this bill. Ultimately, this legislation would undermine the state's effort to recover from the pandemic and would significantly harm employers by subjecting them to higher unemployment taxes if this bill were to become law. To be frank, this a terribly written and poorly thought out bill that puts New Hampshire citizens at risk by violating federal requirements. Our job is to open doors of opportunity in times of need, not cut off federal support when families are struggling."

Note: New Hampshire Employment Security Deputy Commissioner Rich Lavers is available for interviews to discuss the harmful impacts of this bill. You can contact him at: Richard.J.Lavers@nhes.nh.gov or (603) 496-0096.