State of New Hampshire secondary Archives: on Families & Children
Chris Sununu:
More home-care funding ultimately lowers the cost of care
Q: What would you do to improve access to respite care so that more family caregivers can take a break from their caregiving duties & continue their caregiving responsibilities?Chris Sununu: I believe increases in home-care funding ultimately lowers
the cost of care. We need to recruit & retain caregivers so that we have the resources necessary to support the care that's required. I'll work to retain skilled nurses & caregivers in NH after graduation, ensuring we have the resources to provide
family caregivers breaks from their duties. Incentivizing recent graduates to enter the field of respite care will improve access, increase competition & lower costs. Family caregivers should have access to funding, which provides a familiar level of
comfort for seniors who may prefer a family member's caregiving.
Colin Van Ostern: I support New Hampshire's policy of including respite care as a covered benefit under Medicaid and would oppose any attempts by the legislature to eliminate funding.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2016 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
Oct 31, 2016
Chris Sununu:
Focus on kids in foster care, instead of paperwork
I also believe we must reform our foster care system. We must ensure that our system is one that attracts and retains those caring families who extend their homes and hearts to foster children.
And once we retain them, let's get governmental bureaucracy out of their way so they can focus their attention on the children and not waste their time dealing with paperwork.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to New Hampshire legislature
Jan 3, 2019
Chris Sununu:
Paid medical leave can be done without an income tax
Paid family medical leave: it can and must be done without an income tax. This pandemic has highlighted how vital a program like this can be. And this budget introduces legislation for a voluntary paid family
medical leave plan that expands access, benefiting all State Employees, which will lower premiums for private companies and individuals, if they want to buy into this incredibly important program.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
Colin Van Ostern:
Include respite care for family caregivers
Q: What would you do to improve access to respite care so that more family caregivers can take a break from their caregiving duties and continue their caregiving responsibilities?Colin Van Ostern: I understand how important it is for a family member
who is providing care to be able to take a break and be confident that their loved one is properly being cared for. It's essential for enabling seniors to stay in their homes and out of nursing homes. I support New Hampshire's policy of including
respite care as a covered benefit under Medicaid and would oppose any attempts by the legislature to eliminate funding for respite care. We must also look at potential opportunities for tax relief and deductions for those serving as caregivers.
Chris Sununu: I believe increases in home-care funding ultimately lowers the cost of care. Family caregivers should have access to funding, for seniors who may prefer a family member's caregiving.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2016 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
Oct 31, 2016
Dan Feltes:
Public-private partnership for paid family and medical leave
Feltes said Senate Democrats [in the N.H. state Senate] will instead be prioritizing the opioid epidemic, mental health, child protection, infrastructure, affordable child care, affordable and workforce housing and education. "Senate
Democrats know it shouldn't be so expensive to live and raise a family in New Hampshire," Feltes said. "Our economy should work for working families--not just the wealthy.
We're all better off when every Granite Stater has the tools to build a good life, including a living wage, affordable education and job training, and paid family and medical leave."He said this year's paid family and medical leave proposal
is a public-private partnership. Moreover, Soucy will continue her fight to establish and raise a New Hampshire minimum wage by submitting legislation for the seventh year in a row.
Source: Nashua Telegraph on 2020 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
Jan 3, 2019
Dan Feltes:
Hire more DCYF caseworkers for family services
Feltes said the Division for Children, Youth & Families needs more employees because, he said, caseworkers are overwhelmed.
"The average caseload of a DCYF caseworker is supposed to be around 12 cases," Feltes said. "Currently, caseworkers in New Hampshire are handling caseloads of up to 40 or more."
Source: Nashua Telegraph on 2020 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
Jan 3, 2019
Dan Feltes:
Stop any effort to backslide on marriage equality
Dan will work to stop any effort to backslide on marriage equality. The government should not deny the personal marriage relationship between two loving adults.
The simple fact is this: New Hampshire is a better place for having marriage equality.
Source: 2020 New Hampshire governor campaign website DanFeltesNH.com
Jan 1, 2014
Jilletta Jarvis:
Family & medical leave is insolvent even when mandatory
In all the states that have tried to pass Family & Medical Leave, it has been insolvent. Those states all have mandatory participation and they still cannot fund this effort.
In the over 5 years since Washington passed the bill they have yet to make it pay for itself. I have not yet seen a program that works except the voluntary programs run by businesses.
Source: WMUR Manchester on 2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial race
Aug 20, 2018
Maggie Hassan:
Fought for right to education for son with cerebral palsy
A dozen years before running for governor, Maggie Hassan got her start in public service at the invitation of then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, the woman she now hopes to serve alongside in the US Senate. A lawyer at the time, Hassan caught Shaheen's eye for her
advocacy work on behalf of children with disabilities, including her son Ben. Now 27, Ben was born with cerebral palsy and cannot walk or speak. Hassan believed he and children like him should have the same access as any child to a good education--and
she fought for it.Shaheen appointed Hassan to a state commission on education funding. Hassan's advocacy work prompted Democrats to encourage her to run for state Senate, winning a seat in 2004.
In the journey from parent advocate to US Senate
candidate, Hassan's home life has helped shape her political philosophy. "I really began to realize it was families like ours, and advocates for those families and elected leaders, public servants, who really made change happen," Hassan said.
Source: ABC News on 2016 New Hampshire Senate race
Oct 6, 2015
Maggie Hassan:
Joshua's Law:easier to prosecute domestic violence attackers
Governor Hassan knows that maintaining the safety of New Hampshire's communities and citizens is the most important job of state government.- The Governor championed and signed into law "Joshua's Law" making it easier to identify, charge and
prosecute domestic violence attackers.
- Governor Hassan put more state troopers on the road, maintained drug task force teams, and added additional funds for alcohol and drug prevention programs.
- She launched a public-private initiative with
Manchester-based Media Power Youth aimed at reducing the risk of violence and crime in our schools and communities.
- She worked to rebuild and restore funding for the Children in Need of Services (CHINS) program, which is critical to helping our
at-risk young people & keeping our communities safe.
- The Governor maintained funding for the Cold Case Unit & funded for the first time child advocacy centers where law enforcement can interview & provide ongoing support for young crime victims.
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2014 New Hampshire Gubernatorial incumbents
Oct 30, 2014
Maggie Hassan:
Hassan bill preventing child abuse passes Senate
The U.S. Senate has passed a new bipartisan bill from Sen. Maggie Hassan that focuses on preventing child abuse. In a statement, Hassan said, in part: "This bipartisan bill will help ensure that adults working with children can spot the signs of
abuse--and act to address it--and help young people know what to do if they are experiencing abuse or hear that a friend is in trouble. Our bill will help to save children's lives, and I urge the House to quickly pass this bill."
Source: WCAX on 2022 New Hampshire Senate race
Aug 5, 2022
Molly Kelly:
Supports and will sign for paid family and medical leave
As governor, I will: Sign paid family and medical leave that will allow everyone to be with their loved ones in times of need, such as new parents or when family members experience a medical crisis;
Pass legislation requiring businesses to give adequate notice to employees on schedule changes so that families can plan for child care.
Source: 2018 New Hampshire Governor campaign website MollyKelly.com
Oct 9, 2018
Rick Santorum:
Gay adoption is a state issue; no federal ban
Q: We're in a state where it is legal for same-sex couples to marry. Your position on same-sex adoption?SANTORUM: Well, this isn't a federal issue. It's a state issue, number one. The states can make that determination. I believe the issue of marriage
itself is a federal issue. If we don't have a federal law [on marriage], I'm certainly not going to have a federal law that bans adoption for gay couples when there are only gay couples in certain states. So this is a state issue, not a federal issue.
Source: WMUR 2012 GOP New Hampshire debate
Jan 7, 2012
Rick Santorum:
Address breakdown of American family from bully pulpit
Q: The presidency is often called the bully pulpit. How would you use the bully pulpit to try to shape American culture? SANTORUM: I haven't written a lot of books, I've written one: in response to a book written by Hillary Clinton called, "It Takes a
Village." I didn't agree with that. I believe it takes a family, and that's what I wrote. And I believe that there's one thing that is undermining this country, and it is the breakdown of the American family. It's undermining our economy, and you see
the higher rates of poverty among single parent families. We know there's certain things that work in America. If you graduate from high school, and if you work, and if you marry before you have children, you have a 2% chance of being in poverty in
America. And to be above the median income, if you do those three things, 77% chance of being above the median income. Why isn't the president talking about that and trying to formulate policy to help people do those things?
Source: Meet the Press 2012 GOP New Hampshire debate
Jan 8, 2012
Steve Marchand:
Make NH the best state to start a family & start a business
Q: What challenges for New Hampshirites will your campaign address?Marchand: Our mission is to be the best state in America to start a family and to start a business. I think our two biggest challenges to thrive in the next few years is we need
to get younger, and we need to get more entrepreneurial and nimble as an economy. I don't believe the policies that our current governor pursued would move us toward a younger and more entrepreneurial economy. I want to get us in the right direction.
Source: N.H. Journal on 2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial race
Apr 24, 2017
Kelly Ayotte:
Contraception coverage is affront to religious liberty
Ayotte repeatedly voted to defund Planned Parenthood. She backed unsuccessful efforts in 2012 to eliminate a requirement that health insurance plans cover contraception, calling the mandate "an unprecedented affront to religious liberty.
This is not a women's rights issue. This is a religious liberty issue."
Source: American Independent on 2024 New Hampshire Governor race
Jul 24, 2023
Chuck Morse:
A strong economy helps daycare, not worker pay
What did the candidates say on universal pre-K? Well, there was a pretty clear partisan split on that one. Democrats Cinde Warmington and Joyce Craig both said New Hampshire needs to join the states that now do have some form of universal pre-K. The
Republicans, Morse and Ayotte, were more circumspect. Morse said his focus was to build on the school policies enacted under Gov. Sununu and to create state budgets that foster prosperity.
What about on the daycare front? Well, all of them acknowledged
that daycare workers probably need to get paid more money, but some, Morse most emphatically, said there was little the state could do directly to affect that, other than having a stronger economy. For Chuck Morse, it's clear that all policies,
including those dealing with child well-being, tie directly back to the state budget.
Ayotte, meanwhile, seemed to be pretty attuned to who was in the audience, mostly people in the child care and education fields.
Source: N.H.Public Radio on 2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
May 15, 2024
Cinde Warmington:
It's worth pursuing universal pre-K
What did the candidates say on universal pre-K? Well, there was a pretty clear partisan split on that one. Democrats Cinde Warmington and Joyce Craig both said New Hampshire needs to join the states that now do have some form of universal pre-K. About
40 plus states do. Neither Warmington nor Craig got into many specifics on how to pay for universal pre-K, but both were clear in stating that it was a goal they felt worth pursuing. The Republicans, Morse and Ayotte, were more circumspect.
What about on the daycare front? Well, all of them acknowledged that daycare workers probably need to get paid more money. Joyce Craig stressed her mayoral background and argued that it's equipped her to understand how to listen to what communities want.
For Warmington, who's pitched herself as the Democrat poised to fight for what she believes, we heard a willingness to be forceful. "Feed the children. Let's start with that," she said repeatedly at one point during her discussion.
Source: N.H.Public Radio on 2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
May 15, 2024
Joyce Craig:
It's worth pursuing universal pre-K
What did the candidates say on universal pre-K? Well, there was a pretty clear partisan split on that one. Democrats Cinde Warmington and Joyce Craig both said New Hampshire needs to join the states that now do have some form of universal pre-K. About
40 plus states do. Neither Warmington nor Craig got into many specifics on how to pay for universal pre-K, but both were clear in stating that it was a goal they felt worth pursuing.What about on the daycare front? Well, all of them acknowledged
that daycare workers probably need to get paid more money. Warmington said repeatedly, "Feed the children. Let's start with that."
Joyce Craig, meanwhile, stressed her mayoral background and argued that it's equipped
her to understand how to listen to what communities want when they deal with the state, and that she can deal with these issues from the perspective of someone who's had to lead locally.
Source: N.H.Public Radio on 2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
May 15, 2024
Kelly Ayotte:
Forgive college debt for people who work in mental health
What did the candidates say on universal pre-K? There was a partisan split on that one. Democrats Warmington & Craig said NH needs to join the states that now do have some form of universal pre-K. The Republicans, Morse & Ayotte, were more circumspect.
Ayotte made a broad case for incentivizing outcomes that would benefit children. She talked about possibly forgiving the debt of people who attend state schools, and then commit to work in NH in certain fields--mental health, for instance. That was one
proposal she made.What about on the daycare front? All of them acknowledged that daycare workers probably need to get paid more money. Ayotte seemed to be pretty attuned to who was in the audience at these events, mostly people in the child care and
education fields, and she really pitched herself as someone wanting to solve problems and as someone opened to taking ideas from anywhere, which is a different vibe than her early campaign's focus that NH is on the verge of becoming Massachusetts.
Source: N.H.Public Radio on 2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race
May 15, 2024
Page last updated: Feb 06, 2026