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House Votes to Take Away Emergency Powers

American Red Cross

 

The New Hampshire house voted today to repeal the Emergency Powers Act, which allows the government to take private property during a declared state of emergency.

The bill’ssupporters call the Emergency Powers Act a government overreach.

Representative Brandon Giuda spoke in favor of the repeal saying, "We now have a large government agency that came out of 9/11, but if that agency doesn’t properly plan with all the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are going to it, it can come to your house and take things from you."

Opponents, like Democrat Cindy Rosenwald, say that the emergency powers act can be necessary to respond quickly to disasters.

The committee clearly believes that like the boy scouts we should all be prepared," she said, "but there are certainly situations where repealing the Emergency Powers act could leave New Hampshire Residents vulnerable to harm."

The repeal goes now to the senate for consideration.  

Sam Evans-Brown has been working for New Hampshire Public Radio since 2010, when he began as a freelancer. He shifted gears in 2016 and began producing Outside/In, a podcast and radio show about “the natural world and how we use it.” His work has won him several awards, including two regional Edward R. Murrow awards, one national Murrow, and the Overseas Press Club of America's award for best environmental reporting in any medium. He studied Politics and Spanish at Bates College, and before reporting was variously employed as a Spanish teacher, farmer, bicycle mechanic, ski coach, research assistant, a wilderness trip leader and a technical supporter.
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