NH Senate kills attempt to repeal refugee resettlement program

The New Hampshire Senate killed legislation that would’ve ended the state’s participation in the federal refugee resettlement program.

If legislators had moved forward with the measure, they would have rejected roughly $4.5 million annually in federal funding and prohibited state spending on services that aim to help refugees become economically self-sufficient as quickly as possible. Through the program, nonprofits assist refugees with getting a driver’s license, finding a job, learning financial literacy and other tasks.

The Senate’s vote on House Bill 1706 was unanimous and came without debate. During a public hearing, senators from both parties questioned claims that refugees usurp housing and government services on the taxpayers’ dime.

While pitching his bill to a House of Representatives committee earlier this year, Republican Rep. Travis Corcoran of Weare, who sponsored the bill, objected to sending U.S. citizens’ tax money to what he views as unsuccessful welfare for non-citizens. He said the program is “massively socially detrimental.”

Republicans have pitched some form of this legislation before, with little luck. House leadership had pledged its support to Corcoran in exchange for his vote on the narrow passage of the state budget last year, he said on social media. That support did not translate to the Senate.

Since the 1980s, more than 7,500 refugees have resettled in New Hampshire. Most of those, 5,157, have arrived in the last 15 years, according to data from the state Office of Health Access, which administers funding for the program.