Latest news with #Scanlan
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers decide which bills worth negotiating and kill the rest
On a day when the House and Senate created negotiating committees to try and salvage 50 bills, they voted to summarily kill about 15 others after concluding that compromise was unlikely to be reached on them. A major reform bill (SB 297) that hit the cutting room floor Thursday was the pitched battle between Secretary of State David Scanlan and HealthTrust, the state's largest risk pool, over whether Scanlan should get enhanced power to regulate these groups that manage insurance plans for units of government. Last week, the House of Representatives rejected Scanlan's reforms in favor of an amendment that would have let the groups decide whether to come under the regulation of Scanlan's office or the Insurance Department. Without debate, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Innis, R-Bradford, asked the Senate to 'non-concur' on the House changes and the Senate did on a voice vote which killed the measure. Scanlan said killing the bill made sense. "I am pleased the Senate voted to non-concur on the House amended version of SB 297. What began as an attempt to improve the transparency and accountability of pooled risk organizations entrusted with $750 million taxpayer dollars became an attempt by one risk pool to move to a regulatory environment favorable to them without addressing the underlying concerns," Scanlan said in a statement. Ivermectin bill rejected The Senate also decided to reject out of hand a controversial House-passed proposal (SB 119) to allow any doctor or pharmacist to provide ivermectin to any patient without a prescription. Ivermectin was created as a drug to treat parasites for animals but in the past decade it proved to be a prize-winning medication to treat humans for similar conditions. During COVID-19, the drug became a viral sensation for many Americans who used it to respond to the virus. House Democratic Floor Leader Lucy Weber of Walpole had argued against giving ivermectin the special status of having a 'standing order' for any patient. She noted the only medications that have that designation are EpiPens that treat allergic reactions, smoking prevention drugs and some forms of contraception. This was the main reason that former Gov. Chris Sununu gave when he vetoed a similar bill to this one. Rep. Yuri Polozov, R-Hooksett, said he pursued the bill because during the pandemic many medical providers were ostracized or even sanctioned for prescribing ivermectin. Many other bills were also killed because sections that legislators still wanted to survive had been tacked onto another bill. In this case, the original bill the House amended to favor ivermectin was expected to save the state up to $9 million a year to allow health care providers to prescribe brand name drugs in the Medicaid program if they have discounts or rebates that make these medications cheaper to purchase. The state Senate tacked that provision onto the trailer bill of its state budget. In a similar vein, the Senate on Thursday killed a bill (SB 60) dealing with legalized gambling that would have taken from state regulators and given to the Legislature the authority to write rules regarding immunization requirements. The House had already tacked that section onto the version of its own budget trailer bill. Another bill (SB 100) that died Thursday was meant to alter a 2021 ban on teaching discrimination in public schools to respond to a federal judge's ruling that struck it down as unconstitutionally too vague. The House-passed language would require a showing that the educator 'knowingly' was advocating bias in his or her teachings. Some socially conservative groups that supported the law had warned lawmakers that the House bill only addressed a small part of the legal flaws with the existing law. The Senate also rejected a House-passed bill that would have created a court docket to resolve disputes over so-called blockchain currencies such as bitcoin (SB 25). klandrigan@
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State's lawyer claims HealthTrust misrepresented itself in court deposition
On the eve of a critical House vote about the future of risk pool groups that manage insurance plans for units of government, lawyers for Secretary of State David Scanlan argued the head of HealthTrust, the state's largest pool, had lied or misled during a recent court deposition. Scanlan's lawyer accuses HealthTrust of giving misleading deposition A lawyer representing Secretary of State David Scanlan (pictured) hass accused the chief executive of HealthTrust of misrepresenting the group's legal authority during a recent court deposition. Richard Gagliuso of the BernsteinShur firm accused HealthTrust Executive Director Scott DeRoche of misrepresenting the makeup of his organization. 'We continue to be troubled by your client's dissemination of statements that appear to be knowingly, if not intentionally, misleading with respect to the nature of the coverage offered by HealthTrust and the ultimate responsibility of the political subdivision members for the liabilities of the program,' Gagliuso wrote to lawyers for HealthTrust. In that deposition, DeRoche said HealthTrust is a 'self-insurer' that provides 'fully insured' coverage to member towns, cities, school districts and other governmental bodies. 'HealthTrust is not offering such coverage by 'obtaining insurance' from an insurance carrier. Your argument further begs the question of where such coverage is 'provided by law,'' Gagliuso responded. 'To the contrary, HealthTrust apparently contends that it is self-insuring for fully insured health coverage.' Scanlan's legal team maintains HealthTrust and all the risk pools are self-insured plans under RSA 5-B, the 2010 state law that put them under regulatory control of the secretary of state's office. The House of Representatives on Thursday will vote on amended legislation (SB 297) that would allow HealthTrust and the three other risk pool groups to decide if they would rather come under the supervision of the Insurance Department. HealthTrust executives came out in support of the legislation. 'We view the amendment as ensuring a viable and valuable risk pool environment for the benefit of New Hampshire's political subdivisions and taxpayers,' the group said in a statement. Scanlan strongly opposes the change and supports the original measure from Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, to give his office more sweeping powers over the finances of these groups. In pursuing the original legislation, Scanlan charged that HealthTrust and a second risk pool had been close to insolvent because they failed to raise rates so they wouldn't lose any business. HealthTrust officials insisted those statements were untrue. The other risk pool Scanlan named, the New Hampshire Interlocal Trust, voted to leave the market, and a judge named a receiver to take over its finances. HealthTrust's board has threatened that it would dissolve the organization if Scanlan's proposal became law. 'Accordingly, we call upon your client once again to cease and desist from making false statements about the nature of the coverage offered to New Hampshire political subdivisions through HealthTrust's pooled risk management program and to withdraw or correct such statements as may circulating in the public,' Gagliuso added. In a statement, DeRoche insisted that he hasn't misrepresented the group's mission. 'HealthTrust has served the public sector of New Hampshire for four decades. Over this time, we have offered the same model of coverage, which provides for fixed health coverage costs during a plan year. This model provides the predictability that public sector employers, employees, and taxpayers rely upon,' DeRoche said. Last month, HealthTrust's lawyer defended DeRoche's statements in a separate court filing. The deposition arose after the city of Rochester filed for information under the state's Right-to-Know Law about HealthTrust's specific claims data as it considered whether it wished to self-insure on its own. HealthTrust denied the request, saying to reveal this information would compromise its competitive position in the risk pool marketplace. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee voted to tack into its proposed trailer bill to the state budget (HB 2) a requirement that risk pools and insurers provide 'deidentified' information about such claims. klandrigan@
Sunday World
03-06-2025
- Health
- Sunday World
Two men jailed for incident that led to Garda breaking his hand
Garda Mark Pender said both men were quite loud and aggressive, particularly Kevin Scanlan (29) who was kicking a door and telling him to 'f**k off.' Two Wicklow men have been sentenced to three months in prison each for obstructing a Garda called to a disturbance outside a house in Dunlavin, Co Wicklow three years ago. Kevin Scanlan (29) of Stoneacre, Crehelp, Dunlavin and Ross Coleborn (29) of Castledermot Road, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow both pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing a peace officer in the execution of his duty at Fairgreen Manor, Dunlavin, on April 26, 2022, contrary to Section 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. A sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court heard Garda Mark Pender broke his hand during the incident. Gda Pender told the court that he was called to a house in Dunlavin where he discovered both accused parties in an intoxicated state trying to gain entry to a property. The court heard that Mr Scanlon was in a relationship with Mr Coleborn's sister, Claire, who lived in the house and who wanted both men to go away. Bray Courthouse, where Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court sits News in 90 Seconds - 3rd June 2025 Gda Pender said both men were quite loud and aggressive, particularly Mr Scanlan who was kicking a door and telling him to 'f**k off.' The garda who attended the scene on his own, described how a small scuffle broke out between the three of them when he tried to arrest Mr Scanlan. Gda Pender said he could not execute the arrest as he was being held by both men. The court heard Mr Scanlan had 51 previous convictions including six for public order offences, while Mr Coleborn had 26 previous convictions, the majority of which were for road traffic offences but one for assault. Gda Pender told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that Mr Scanlan was currently serving a prison sentence imposed by a court in Naas in relation to a conviction for criminal damage. He also confirmed that Mr Scanlan had been on bail at the time of the offence in Dunlavin. In a victim impact statement, Gda Pender said he did not blame the accused men that he had broken his hand during the incident but that he was disappointed he had been put in such a situation. Gda Pender said he knew both men but had never experienced such impudence and hostility from them before. He urged both men not to 'throw their lives away' after informing the court that they had issues with alcohol, cocaine and Valium. 'Something is going to give unless that's stopped,' said Gda Pender. Cross-examined by counsel for Mr Coleborn, Éamonn O'Moore BL, the witness acknowledged that the accused had written him a letter of apology. Mr O'Moore said Mr Coleborn was a father of one and mechanic who had significant issues with abuse of alcohol and drugs. Under cross-examination by barrister for Mr Scanlan, Damian Sheridan BL, Gda Pender said neither accused had come to his attention since the incident and both men looked 'much healthier.' Mr Sheridan said Mr Scanlan had a difficult family background but had displayed remorse and shame for the impact of his offending and drug-taking. He said the father of two was a trained chef who had a job offer for when he was released from prison. 'He is counting the days to get back to his family,' said Mr Sheridan. Counsel said the accused had been free from drugs for a period of three years and now realised 'the value of what he has in life.' Judge Patrick Quinn said striking a police officer during a scuffle was treated as a serious offence by the court. 'Interfering with a garda in uniform is a serious matter,' he remarked. The judge also observed that a probation report had assessed Mr Coleborn at being at a high risk of reoffending within the next 12 months and that he did not accept responsibility for his actions. Sentencing both men to three months in prison, Judge Quinn directed that Mr Scanlan's sentence should be served consecutively to his existing term of imprisonment.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NH election law changes draw mixed reviews
NH Democracy Defense Project leaders exchange views with locals Former Ambassador Richard Swett, at right, speaks at a panel discussion with Secretary of State David Scanlan and former Sen. John Sununu at the New Hampshire State Archives in Concord on June 2, 2025. Local elected officials gave mixed reviews to state election law changes during a listening session that Secretary of State David Scanlan hosted Monday with the New Hampshire's heads of the Democracy Defense Project — former Republican U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Dick Swett. New Durham Moderator Linda Calloway is no fan of the 2024 law that requires all new voters to prove citizenship in order to register and eliminates affidavits that allowed people without proper paperwork to swear under penalty of perjury that they were eligible. 'What I am seeing more and more of is the government's lack of trust in the voter,' Calloway said at the 90-minute forum at the State Archives Building in Concord. 'The fact we got rid of affidavits completely shows we don't trust our voter at all. I think that is a bad thing — the trust is not a two-way street.' Stephen Ludwick, moderator in Concord's Ward 9, said his warf has had a large influx of non-English speaking potential voters. He praised the changes the GOP-led Legislature passed and former Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law. 'I think you are going in the right direction when it comes to being a little stricter about who can vote and who can't,' Ludwick said. Portsmouth Ward 3 Moderator Joan Hamblet, a former state representative, urged Scanlan to organize a significant media campaign to educate voters about the new voting requirements on citizenship. 'You need to explain to people even if they have moved to a different town, they are going to need to bring in their passport for (proof of) citizenship,' Hamblet said. Partisan problems? Scanlan said his office is working on that project. He lamented the reality that in the past decade or so, election laws have been adopted here and in most states along partisan lines. When Democrats are in charge they seek ways to make it easier to vote, while Republicans try harder to block access to voter fraud, he said. 'The political parties are headed in two different directions,' Scanlan said. 'When the parties aren't talking to each other you tend to get the extreme version that passes, that can tend to be a whipsaw for any political party. In my opinion, election legislation should not be passed on strictly partisan votes.' A leading election advocate criticized Scanlan, who said much of the voting public "is leery" about election devices. 'The Secretary of State's remarks feed into a false and harmful narrative that erodes public trust in our elections," said N.H. Voting Rights Director McKenzie Taylor. "Granite Staters support proven, secure upgrades like electronic poll books — a modernization his own bipartisan committee on voter confidence recommended. "What actually undermines confidence in our elections is the number of eligible voters who have already been turned away because of extreme registration laws adopted by New Hampshire.' Making it easier to vote Londonderry Town Moderator Jonathan Kipp asked if policymakers need to make it easier to vote, as he presides over one of the largest polling places in the country. 'I can go through the drive-thru and get a cup of coffee, why can't the act of voting be as simple as that?' Kipp said, asking about the prospect of legalizing mail-in voting. Swett answered, as Scanlan has in the past, that states with mail-in voting have lower voter turnout rates than New Hampshire does. Healthy turnout of elected officials at listening session Former Ambassador Richard Swett, from left, Secretary of State David Scanlan and former Sen. John Sununu talk about New Hampshire's election system at a panel discussion at the New Hampshire State Archives in Concord on June 2, 2025. Swett and Sununu were the first two co-chairs named in the eight battleground states that make up the Democracy Defense Project — Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada and New Hampshire. The nonpartisan group is not a lobbying organization, but a clearinghouse that promotes discussion about ways to boost voter confidence around the country. Sununu said the state's reliance on paper ballots and having a verifiable trail to back up all votes cast is New Hampshire's strongest asset. He recalled his work in the U.S. Senate two decades ago to beat back attempts to reject paper ballots in federal races. 'This is an incredibly important thing to me, and it still is today,' Sununu said. 'We have been proven right.' Swett said verifying voter eligibility is critical to restoring confidence in the election process. 'We want to make sure whoever is voting is in fact entitled to vote — that's a very simple premise but it needs to be ensured and assured,' Swett said. Sununu added that state and local election officials need to quickly take ownership when there are glitches at the polls. 'There are issues in elections but 99% of the time it's just human error, an honest mistake,' Sununu said. 'At the same time, it is incumbent on all of us to understand what has happened, be honest about what has happened.' klandrigan@
Boston Globe
30-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Convicted former Catholic priest exposed by Spotlight investigation dies at 87
Talbot was one of the subjects of The Boston Globe's investigation into priest sexual abuse that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 and was adapted into the 2015 movie 'Spotlight.' The investigation revealed widespread sexual abuse, and coverup of that abuse, within the Catholic Church. Jesuits USA East did not offer a comment about Talbot's death. Related : Advertisement He pleaded guilty in 2018 to gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual for sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy at a Maine church in the 1990s. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Prior to the Maine conviction, Talbot spent six years in prison after pleading guilty to raping and sexually assaulting two students in Boston. He has settled lawsuits with more than a dozen victims in addition to the convictions. Talbot was a former teacher and athletic coach at Boston College High School from 1972 to 1980 before he was transferred to Maine, where he worked at Cheverus High School in Portland until 1998. Former Boston College High School student Jim Scanlan, 63, reported Talbot's abuse in Massachusetts. The Associated Press doesn't typically use the names of sexual assault victims without their consent, which Scanlan provided. His reports led to charges against Talbot. Advertisement Scanlan said he has reached out to others who were abused by Talbot. He said he holds people in positions of power within the church accountable for allowing Talbot to continue abusing children over many years. Scanlan said he has tried to deal with his anger at Talbot, but it's a long process. 'The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference,' Scanlan said. 'Maybe I just parked him away a long time ago, resolved I couldn't change what happened.' Jesuits USA East said Talbot had been residing at the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, Missouri, prior to entering hospice care. The center cares for sexually abusive priests and provides other health care services. Talbot's case was emblematic of a pattern of behavior in the Catholic church about how it dealt with sexual abuse and priests. Accusations against him went back decades, and in that time he was transferred to new jurisdictions. Allegations of a cover-up went all the way up to Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston. The Globe investigation revealed Law and his predecessors had transferred abusive priests from parish to parish without alerting authorities, or parents. Law died in 2017. The investigation into the Catholic church opened up wider queries into sex abuse in other religious institutions that uncovered abuse in other faiths and the Boy Scouts.
