Governor Visits Hampton, Hampton Falls Tuesday

The governor of New Hampshire will be making a trip to the Seacoast on Tuesday to meet with children in Hampton and Hampton Falls, according to a press statement.

On Tuesday, March 31, Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, will read to students at the Centre School in Hampton as part of the Read Across America celebration. She’s scheduled to visit the school around 9:30 a.m.

Later in the day, around 10:15 a.m., the governor will also stop by the Lincoln Ackerman School in Hampton Falls.

While there, she‘ll be speaking with students involved with a bill that would have made the red-tailed hawk the official raptor of the state of New Hampshire, a proposal that was slammed by state representatives of both political parties and caused a national firestorm of controversy.

House Speaker Shawn Jasper later called on one of the reps, state Rep. Warren Groen, R-Rochester, to apologize for his remarks, which compared the hawk’s attack on its prey to an abortion.

A spokesman for the governor stated that she would be thanking students for their efforts to promote the legislation and would encourage them to remain engaged in the democratic process.

Meanwhile, in the state Senate, Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn has announced plans to ad an amendment to the Senate Rules, Enrolled Bills and Internal Affairs Committee during the public hearing on House Bill 423 to get the student’s effort approved, according to a statement.

“We have an opportunity to right a serious wrong and provide a meaningful and teachable moment for not only our young people, but for all of us,” Woodburn, a former civics teacher, stated. “As legislators, we have a duty to expand educational opportunity for our children by supporting good policy, but we also have a responsibility to expand their opportunity for education through our actions. We can set the record straight that students are welcome in the State House and will be treated with respect and civility. I hope that the entire Senate will support this amendment.”