© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support NHPR's local news and you could win a trip to Ireland! ☘️

House Votes 231-97 To Prohibit Sex Offender Restrictions

Twelve towns have passed ordinances to limit where sex offenders can live --  barring offenders from living near schools, or child-care centers.

But law enforcement oppose such bans.  Renny Cushing of Hampton, a Democrat, told House colleagues that police know restrictions make monitoring offenders harder.

"The chiefs of police do not want to have a situation where you take away one of the tools they have which is to track where sex offenders are. And that’s also why the coalition against sexual and domestic violence is in support of this legislation."

The House has twice voted to ban such ordinances but the prohibition has never won support in the  Senate.

Two courts have struck down local anti-sex offender ordinances.

In 2009 a judge in Dover ruled that the city had never shown a substantial relationship between its policy and protecting children.

In 2012 a Merrimack county judge ruled similarly in a challenge to an ordinance in Franklin.

I cover campaigns, elections, and government for NHPR. Stories that attract me often explore New Hampshire’s highly participatory political culture. I am interested in how ideologies – doctrinal and applied – shape our politics. I like to learn how voters make their decisions and explore how candidates and campaigns work to persuade them.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.