Joint Statement on the Court Ruling
Contact Name: Sara Persechino, Michael O’Brien
Phone: (603) 271-3479, (603) 271-0515
Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us, mike.b.obrien@leg.state.nh.us
MANCHESTER, NH—Today, Superior Court Judge David Anderson dismissed Mary Jane Wallner et al. v Christopher Sununu for standing.
Representative Mary Jane Wallner, Senator Lou D’Allesandro, Senate President Donna Soucy and Speaker Stephen Shurtleff released the following statement:
“We respectfully disagree with the Court's ruling. The legislature constitutionally holds the “power of the purse,” and the Joint Fiscal Committee is the body that legally approves proposed spending requests by the executive branch during an emergency. This lawsuit is ultimately about a dispute between two equal branches government and it is appropriate for the third coequal branch of government to settle this disagreement in a timely manner so critical relief to Granite Staters is not delayed. Knowing that time is of the essence it is discouraging that instead of arguing this case on the merits, Governor Sununu continues to put up technical roadblocks on this issue and continues to allow a cloud of constitutional uncertainty to persist over how more than a billion dollars in federal aid is properly provided to our communities."
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