New Hampshire

Concord update: What do you want to see in Governor Ayotte’s budget?

Published

11 months ago

February 13, 2025

Concord update: What do you want to see in Governor Ayotte’s budget?

State Rep. Chris Muns
| Portsmouth Herald

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to do something nice for that “special someone” before it’s too late… and all the “good cards” and still alive roses are all gone.

State budget

On Thursday, Feb. 13 Governor Ayotte will be presenting the outlines of her budget for the next two years to the NH House of Representatives. If you are interested in watching her address go to the NH House’s YouTube Page and you can stream it live. The next day on Feb. 14, the governor will be sitting down with me and my colleagues on the House Finance Committee to discuss her proposal in more detail.

We on the House Finance Committee will be making our budget recommendation to the full House by no later than April 3. The full House will then vote on the budget and pass it over to the Senate for their consideration by no later than April 10.

A budget is about priorities and our state’s budget should reflect the priorities of Granite Staters. Ahead of Governor Ayotte’s budget address, I – along with my House and Senate Democrats – want to hear from you — what are the top priorities you want to see receive funding? Please take a few moments to share your thoughts by Clicking Here or going to https://www.facebook.com/NHHouseDemCaucus.

Housing

The low supply of housing units in New Hampshire is driving up prices and our property taxes. We need to build about 60,000 new units before 2030 and 89,000 units before 2040 to meet projected demand. I am looking forward to hearing what Governor Ayotte will be proposing to “jump-start” that effort.

Whatever the governor does propose, will take several years to have a dramatic impact. In the meantime, we need to do what we can to keep the homes that already exist affordable and available for Granite Staters.

On Feb. 6, the House voted on two bills that are likely to make that more difficult.

HB 60 allows tenants to be evicted without cause when their lease has expired. Given our historically low vacancy rate (0.6 percent for a two-bedroom rental unit), Democrats felt that this “no cause” eviction should only take effect when the vacancy rate is 5% or more (which is the generally recognized indicator of a “healthy” rental market). That amendment was defeated with 217 no (Hampton State Reps. Nicholas Bridle and Linda McGrath) to 140 yes (Hampton State Reps. Erica de Vries, Mike Edgar, and Chris Muns). A subsequent amendment to delay no-cause evictions only when the rental vacancy rate is 2.5% or higher was also defeated 212 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 145 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

HB 444 would have ensured tenants in a restricted multi-family residential property receive 30 days’ notice before the sale of their building, so that if they have to move, they can begin planning to do so or if they want to make a competing offer, they have a chance to do so. Defeated 213 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 144 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns).

Abortion

Since 2021, New Hampshire has had a ban on abortions after 24 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother and fatal fetal anomalies.

During the 2024 election season, House and Senate Republican leaders pledged they would not pass further restrictions on abortions. And, in her inaugural speech, Governor Ayotte pledged that “if you send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law, I will veto it.”

That did not, however, stop a group of nine House Republicans (backed by Cornerstone Action, a religious liberty advocacy group) from sponsoring HB 476, which would have made abortions after 15 weeks illegal, even if the pregnancy was caused by incest or rape.

On February 6, that bill was withdrawn from consideration by a vote of 340 yes (Bridle, de Vries, Edgar, McGrath and Muns) to 15 no.

While that is an encouraging sign, it is no guarantee that other limitations on every woman’s right to safe and protected reproductive healthcare will not be considered by this legislature. We will need to hold Governor Ayotte to her promise.

Climate change

In mostly partly line votes, the House’s Republican majority rejected several efforts to address the local impacts of climate change during our February 6 Session. Among them were:

HB 189 changes the state’s definition of clean energy, to include “low greenhouse gas emitting sources.” In other words, rather than cutting our greenhouse gas emissions, we are OK with continuing to emit them. Adopted 206 yes (Bridle and McGrath) to 148 no (de Vries, Edgar and Muns).

HB 526-FN would have established a Division of Climate Change and Damage within the Department of Environmental Services to take a proactive, data-driven approach to climate adaptation. Defeated 207 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 146 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

HB 106 would have created a commission to study the financial risks of climate-related impacts like extreme precipitation, coastal flooding and extreme heat and recommend equitable ways to pay for resilience efforts. During the debate, the Republican vice-chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee said the bill ran contrary to the Trump Administration’s “Drill, baby, drill,” approach to climate change and added that the premise of climate change as a real issue is “still up for debate. Defeated 207 no (Bridle and McGrath) to 149 yes (de Vries, Edgar and Muns)

This was only the first session of the House in which we voted on bills that were voted out of committee. Approximately 800 bills were introduced by House members this year. We will be meeting every week to get through all of those by mid-April, when we need to hand over those that we pass to the NH Senate.

Office hours

I will be holding Open Office Hours on Saturday, Feb. 15, between noon and 2 p.m. at the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton. If you have any questions or would just like to say hello, please join me then. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at chris.muns@gc.nh.gov.

Chris Muns is one of Hampton’s five NH state representatives. He is currently serving his third term, having previously served between 2012 and 2014 and 2022 and 2024.

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New Hampshire

NH Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 7, 2026

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

The New Hampshire Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

15-28-57-58-63, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

05-14-15-21-39, Lucky Ball: 10

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Day: 1-5-7

Evening: 0-1-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Day: 6-8-6-9

Evening: 7-8-6-6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

03-08-13-33-40, Megaball: 04

Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Gimme 5 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

16-19-21-25-34

Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the New Hampshire Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Pick 3, 4: 1:10 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. daily.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Megabucks Plus: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Hampshire managing editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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New Hampshire

Civics 101: What’s happening with Venezuela?

Published

23 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Civics 101: What’s happening with Venezuela?

On January 3, the United States military carried out what the administration called a “large-scale strike” in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, amid several reported explosions and aerial bombardment.

Tune in to Civics 101 during Here & Now on Thursday, January 8 for a special edition breaking down one of the most unprecedented events in recent international affairs. This segment begins at 1:40 p.m. EST.

Listen to NHPR on your radio, stream us online, or just ask your smart speaker to “play NHPR.” You can also listen to this special episode of Civics 101 on demand.

In this episode, hosts Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice break down the history, context, and legality of what’s unfolding now — and what it could mean for Venezuela, the United States, and international law.