House Republicans celebrated “promises made, promises kept” when the bail reform fix backed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte passed in a 204-175 vote Thursday.
Ayotte has made the legislation a priority, and she’s built a bipartisan coalition of supporters, including mayors, law enforcement, and legislators, to reverse what she’s called “a failed social experiment” that has resulted in a “revolving door for criminals.”
Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the legislation, with many urging the state to continue the “decarceration” effort that motivated the 2018 reform.
Republicans said that legislation, while well-meaning, was a mistake.
“The legislature was sold a false bill of goods,” Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare) said at a Thursday presser before the vote. “There was a George Soros-funded effort, saying ‘Hey, you’re keeping poor people in jail for crimes they might not have committed for way too long,’ and it just wasn’t true.”
“It was a mistake to push that law in 2018, it was a mistake to listen to George Soros, and it’s never happening again. I can assure you that,” Berry added. “Today is an attempt to correct that mistake.”
HB 592 calls for dumping a magistrate bail system enacted in 2024 to address weekend arrests and aims to tamp down on the number of violent offenders released on personal recognizance.
The legislature tried to fix the problem last year, but fell short due to Democratic opposition, said Rep. Terry Roy (R-Deerfield).
“The bill last year was a good bill, but it wasn’t a Republican bill because we didn’t have a Republican majority,” Roy said. “So we compromised. Now there’s a Republican majority and we’re going to pass a Republican bail bill. We don’t need to be ashamed of that. We’re Republicans and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Added Roy:
“I hate to say it, but I have to, because someone famously said it – elections have consequences.”
(President Barack Obama used that line after the 2008 election to dismiss GOP complaints about his policies.)
Thursday’s floor debate included an attempt by Democrats to weaken the impact of the legislation by raising the threshold for detaining an arrestee to “clear and convincing evidence.”
“That’s more than what it takes to get a search warrant,” Rep. Jennifer Rhodes (R-Winchester) said. “We aren’t talking about vandalism or trespassing. We’re talking about child sex predators. We’re talking about people that have child pornography on their computers. We’re talking about people that are sexually assaulting people.”
Rep. Jared Sullivan (D-Bethlehem) mocked GOP members for boasting about New Hampshire’s status as a safe place to live while calling for tougher bail restrictions.
“Republicans: New Hampshire is among the top three safest states in the country.
“5 minutes later…
“Republicans: We need to change bail reform laws and take away personal liberty because there was a knife fight in Manchester a few weeks ago.”
Rep. Alissandra Murray (D-Manchester) said the bail reform bill passed in 2024 “made me believe politics could work.”
“Today’s repeal of that legislation reveals how broken our system is,” Murray continued. “(House Republicans) aren’t interested in legislating based on facts – they’ll just follow whatever orders Ayotte gives them. Beyond disappointing.”
Ayotte and House Republicans were singing a different tune after Thursday’s vote.
“We are one step closer to shutting the revolving door for violent criminals,” Ayotte said in a statement. “I look forward to its swift passage in the Senate and signing it when it reaches my desk.
“Together, we will ensure New Hampshire remains the safest state in the nation.”
The Committee to Elect House Republicans posted a statement saying, “Promises made, promises kept.”
“House Republicans just delivered a fix to our broken bail reform laws over the objection of radical-left Democrats who want to keep dangerous criminals out on the street,” the committee added.
House Maj. Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) said in a statement, “It is no surprise that House Democrats decided to turn their back on their constituents and adopted a feckless and irresponsible wait-and-see attitude when it comes to ending our revolving door bail system.
“Upholding law and order and finishing our work to fix New Hampshire’s bail system were a key part of the mandate which voters handed us when they sent a Republican trifecta to represent them in Concord.”
HB 592 now advances to the House Finance Committee.
