Concord, N.H. – On March 12th, Governor Kelly Ayotte once again called on the Legislature to fix the broken bail system by sending House Bill 592 to her desk:

“To keep our state the safest in the nation, we must fix this broken bail system that lets too many dangerous criminals out on our streets,” said Governor Ayotte. “Mayors, sheriffs, county attorneys, and local officials from both sides of the aisle have spoken out. It is now the Legislature’s job to act. I urge the House to pass this bill on Mar 13th, so we can shut the revolving door for criminals in our state once and for all. We owe it to the people of New Hampshire to get this done.”

The Governor was joined by mayors, county and local law enforcement officials from both sides of the aisle, police chiefs, and members of the House and Senate. 

State Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare), lead sponsor of HB-592, urged his House colleagues to vote in favor of the bill: 

“We have seen too many innocent people harmed by criminals who should never have been out on the streets in the first place. It is long past time to shut this revolving door. The changes we have made will ensure we respect civil liberties and keep our communities safe. I am proud to stand with Governor Ayotte, and I urge my House colleagues to vote yes on HB-592 tomorrow.” 

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais also spoke out in favor of fixing our bail system: 

“This is not a partisan issue, this is a public safety issue, and the safety of our municipalities is nonnegotiable. I recently joined a bipartisan group of eight mayors from across the state on a letter in support of strengthening our state’s bail laws, and our entire Board of Aldermen sent a similar letter. Crime tears at the fabric of our communities, and makes the job of our law enforcement officers that much more difficult. We have to do everything in our power to remove violent and repeat offenders from our streets. HB-592 does this, and I want to thank the Governor for her steadfast leadership on this issue, and I urge its passage tomorrow in the House.”

Strafford County Sheriff Kathryn Mone added the following statement: 

“With over two decades of law enforcement experience, I have spent the majority of my career believing that when I made an arrest, I was doing my part to make the community a safer place. Since 2018, the bail process has been failing in its critical role in our Justice System. This bill is a common sense step to close the loopholes that have let dangerous criminals roam our streets, and I urge our representatives to vote yes to help keep New Hampshire safe.”