skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

“Buckle Up” Bill Could Net NH $3.7 Million

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 3, 2009   

Concord, NH – For years, New Hampshire legislators have said "no" to passing a law that would require adults in the state to wear seat belts. This year, however, their decision is tied to more than $3 million in federal money.

This year's adult seat belt law proposal makes its debut at a hearing today (Tuesday), sponsored by State Rep. Sally Kelly (D-Merrimack). Kelly says she used to oppose a seat belt law, but changed her mind after reviewing safety information and the results of a statewide poll showing Granite State residents favor such a law.

Kelly also likes the carrot being dangled by the federal government if the law is in place by the end of this summer.

"The $3.7 million is just the icing on the cake. It's a time when our New Hampshire economy really needs something sweet."

Steve Gratton is a racecar driver and long-time Volvo car company employee. He supports the "buckle-up" requirement because, he says, today's vehicles are designed to protect people who are wearing seat belts.

"Everything about the car -- in the construction of the car, airbag technology, the seatbelt technology -- all of that is built around the fact that the person's going to be belted."

And Concord orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gary Woods has been advocating for adult seat belt laws since the 1980s, because of his firsthand experience treating injuries related to not wearing a seat belt.

"It keeps you in your car, and it keeps you out of my hands, so that you can be home with your family."

Opponents of the proposal, HB 383, say the decision to wear a seat belt is a personal right that should not be dictated by law. Kelly says she'll argue that not buckling up interferes with other people's rights, when accidents result in lifelong injuries that require taxpayer-funded care.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021