By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – The vehicle inspection program is suspended until further notice, but drivers are still responsible under current law to ensure “that any vehicle driven in New Hampshire is safe to operate, regardless of the status of the inspection program.”

That’s according to a press release issued late Friday afternoon by Attorney General John Formella and Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn.

But they failed to say how a driver can guarantee the safety of their vehicle without an inspection program.

The vehicle inspection program has been a source of confusion since a new law to end it was supposed to go into effect Jan. 31.

On Friday, the New Hampshire Department of Justice and Department of Safety said they are providing a further update on the state’s vehicle inspection program in response to the federal District Court’s Jan. 27, 2026 preliminary injunction order:

• The vehicle inspection program is suspended until further notice. 
• Inspection stations will no longer be authorized to issue state inspection stickers and vehicles will not be required to obtain an annual state inspection at this time. 
• Drivers are still responsible under current law to ensure that any vehicle driven in New Hampshire is safe to operate, regardless of the status of the inspection program

Following the Executive Council’s denial of the Department of Safety’s request to extend the termination date of the State’s vehicle inspection contract with Gordon-Darby NHOST, Inc, the State currently has no approved vendor to operate the State’s vehicle inspection program, the release said.

It was Gordon-Darby NHOST that sued the state in federal court arguing it couldn’t end the inspection program because it would have ended emissions testing, which would violate the federal Clean Air Act.

“As a result, and after careful review of the legal implications under current state statutes of the lack of
an approved vendor, the vehicle inspection program is suspended until further notice. Inspection stations will no longer be authorized to issue state inspection stickers and vehicles will not be required to obtain an annual state inspection at this time,” Friday’s news release said.

“The Department of Safety and the Department of Environmental Services are exploring all options to continue to comply with the Court’s order but currently lack the legal authority to operate a vehicle inspection program given that there is no approved vendor for the program.

“In addition, the State is continuing to seek relief from the Court’s order and has filed a Notice of Appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals as well as a motion requesting that the Court stay its preliminary injunction order. 

“While the vehicle inspection program is currently suspended, the status of the program remains subject to change as the legal landscape continues to evolve.  The State will update its public guidance on vehicle inspections as more information becomes available and will provide additional regulatory flexibility as needed in the event of future changes, including further deadline extensions should the program resume.

“At this time, the public is reminded that they are responsible under current law to ensure that any vehicle driven in New Hampshire is safe to operate, regardless of the status of the inspection program.  Vehicle safety requirements are set forth in New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) Chapter 266,” the news release said.

The state House voted, 186-168, Feb. 12 to remove hepatitis B from the list of required vaccines in New Hampshire.

Rep. Kelley Potenza, a Rochester Republican and sponsor of House Bill 1719, framed it as an effort to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which under new Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has moved in a controversial direction on vaccines.

In December, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to change the federal government’s guidance to not recommend the hepatitis B vaccine at birth for infants unless the mother tested positive for the virus. The decision came months after Kennedy fired every member of the panel and replaced many of them with fellow vaccine skeptics and was condemned by dozens of major medical organizations.

Potenza has in the past argued that aluminum ingredients in the vaccines cause myriad health complications. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the CDC have all previously reported that aluminum is included in vaccines in doses too small to be toxic.

Supporters say the bill targets government overreach

“What (HB 1719) does is make the hep B vaccination a real choice,” Rep. Matt Drew, a Manchester Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, said on the House floor. “Not a government mandate with the force of the state behind it and the lurking threat of being banned from your day care or school if you refuse.”

State law allows for exemptions on religious and medical grounds, though Drew argued these were insufficient.

Democrats say bill harms public health

The bill was passed over Democrats’ opposition, who decried the bill’s potential effects on public health.

Rep. William Palmer, a Cornish Democrat, noted that since the universal hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in 1991, “there’s been a 99% drop in infant infections.” After 1 billion doses administered around the world, he said, it has proven to be “one of the safest and most effective of all vaccines.” Indeed, from 1993 to 2019, there was a 99% drop in infections among children and adolescents, according to a letter from the American Public Health Association and a coalition of health professionals.

“The peer-reviewed data around the world supports this impressive safety profile,” Palmer said. “And we should not be misled by reports that have not been subjected to such vigorous review.”

This bill will be considered by the House Finance Committee before it heads to the Senate.

Vaccine religious exemption bill passes, too

In a 197-163 vote, the House also approved another vaccine related bill, House Bill 1584. The bill would allow parents to receive religious exemptions from vaccines simply by providing any written statement attesting to the religious exemption as opposed to filling out a specific form created by the Department of Health and Human Services, as is the process now.

Additionally, the bill would require that any time the Department of Health and Human Services promotes vaccines, it must write that “medical and religious exemptions are available under New Hampshire law” in “bold, clearly noticeable, starred print on the front or top portion of the material.”

The original version of the bill imposed a fine of up to $1,000 on any department employee or officer who violates this requirement, but the bill was amended before it passed to allow department management to handle disciplinary action.

HUDSON, N.H. — A Hudson man is awaiting a bail hearing after police charged him with multiple felonies related to possessing child sexual abuse material and secretly installing recording devices in a residential bathroom.

Jeffrey Lee Ritze, 43, was arrested on Wednesday following a months-long investigation triggered by a CyberTip about suspected online distribution of sexual abuse material from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a press release from the Hudson Police Department.

Police executed a court-authorized search warrant at Ritze’s home on Intervale Court on Oct. 16 with assistance from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. During the search, police said they seized numerous electronic devices and digital storage media for forensic review.

Investigators later alleged that Ritze not only possessed and distributed illegal images but had also installed hidden recording devices in a residential bathroom without the knowledge of people who had a reasonable expectation of privacy. According to court documents, the bathroom where the device was installed was shared by two juveniles.

Court documents also state that Ritze “manufactured a visual representation of a child being engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

Following the forensic examination, police charged Ritze with five counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, one count of distribution of publication of child sexual abuse images, one felony count of violation of privacy, and two misdemeanor privacy-violation counts.

Ritze was arraigned on Thursday in the 9th Circuit Nashua District Court, where he entered no plea on seven of the nine charges. Court documents show he pleaded not guilty to two counts involving the alleged installation of recording devices.

He is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at 1 p.m. Friday.

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the Hudson Police at 603-886-6011.

“The Hudson Police Department continues to work closely with the ICAC Task Force and state and federal partners in aggressively investigating crimes involving the exploitation of children,” police said in the release.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.