N.H. Governor Sununu Statement on RSA 91-A and COVID-19

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu issued a statement today clarifying the Right-to-Know Law’s provisions on emergency meetings of public bodies in response to questions about how boards can reduce risks during the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The statement is available here.

The statement highlights existing provisions in RSA 91-A that allow for emergency meetings of public bodies that bypass the requirement to have a quorum of the body physically present at the location of the meeting. The statement also highlights additional procedural requirements in the law for such a meeting. It notes that such a meeting still requires that the public be given proper notice and public access to the meeting.

We also note that public bodies should do what they can to provide remote access to the public, such as public access cable channels or live streaming over the Internet. This not only reduces risk of exposure to members of the public but also to any members of the public body who do participate in the meetings in person.