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Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, urged support, noting 12 states have judges identified in evaluations and other states do it through state bar associations.
She repeated Lynn’s assessment that the caliber of judicial work in New Hampshire is high. The evaluations don’t look at case outcomes but rather a judge’s impartiality, temperament and the clarity of his or her decisions, Schollett said. “I have seen traumatizing harm that ineffective judges can have,” Schollett added. Union Leader April 7, 2026 The bill’s backers, who include Rep. Bob Lynn of Windham, a former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said the new requirements could improve judicial performance.
“I have seen the traumatizing harm that ineffective judges can have,” Schollett said, noting that a dozen states make judicial evaluations public by law, while others disclose them though state bar associations. NHPR April 7, 2026 NH House Tables Bill That Would Place Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence UNder 91-A3/12/2026
The Coalition has said public records requirements would put confidential information about its clients at risk and that that would jeopardize its federal grant funding.
In a statement after the vote, the Coalition’s public affairs director, Amanda Grady Sexton, said Gov. Kelly Ayotte had indicated she would veto the bill if it passed. “Her commitment sent a powerful message that the safety and privacy of victims must always be protected,” Grady Sexton said. Concord Monitor March 11, 2026 Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the Coalition, thanked Ayotte and the other lawmakers who stopped Read’s attack.
“We’re relieved that HB 1675 has been tabled and effectively defeated. This bill began as a vendetta driven by conspiracy theories and was originally designed to defund the Coalition, silence victims of crime, and punish the advocates who support them,” Grady Sexton said. “The amendment offered by Rep. [Erica] Layon did nothing to fix the fundamental problem. We are grateful that lawmakers ultimately chose to protect victims’ right to confidential services rather than advance personal disputes fueled by misinformation. We also appreciate that Gov. Kelly Ayotte made clear in advance that she would veto this harmful bill, reinforcing that New Hampshire will not compromise the safety and privacy of victims.” NHJournal March 11, 2026 Executive Director Lyn Schollett framed the amendment as worse than the original form, saying the Coalition and crisis centers handle confidential information about their clients. In writing grant applications and police trainings, the Coalition draws on personal stories of the people that it serves.
She also said the federal grants that make up the lion’s share of funding require that information to be kept confidential. “If 91-A were applied, it would be an absolute open-door fishing expedition for defense attorneys to try to get to that information,” Schollett said. “The result would be victims won’t come forward.” Concord Monitor March 10, 2026 Lyn Schollett, the Coalition’s executive director, said her staff lobbies the way they do because they gather input from all stakeholders: survivors, medical experts, law enforcement and prosecutors. Those professionals told the Coalition that Read’s bill was problematic, she said.
The Coalition, based in Concord, helps to train police and nurses on how to handle sexual assault and domestic violence cases, as well as advocating and coordinating services for survivors. It passes funds to 12 crisis centers throughout the state, which help victims safely identify and pursue their options. The organization held $12.4 million in grant revenue as of mid-2025, according to an audit, and 98% of its funding comes from the federal and state government. “The Coalition fully supports oversight and public accountability for nonprofits, including our own,” Schollett told lawmakers. “House Bill 1675 does not advance oversight. Instead, it seeks to upend an already well-established system for overseeing the finances and the grant work of nonprofit organizations.” Concord Monitor February 12, 2026 The Coalition, Schollett said, is already subject to extensive state and federal oversight.
“We fully support appropriate nonprofit oversight — including our own. We have a decades-long, unblemished record of compliance, clean internal and external audits for 25 consecutive years, and rigorous monitoring by state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice. This bill does not strengthen oversight. It attempts to single out one nonprofit for punishment without due process,” Schollett said. NHJournal February 11, 2026 Schollett said the bill would do real harm to victims and advocates.
“HB 1675 manufactures a sham ‘investigation,’ threatens critical victim-services funding, and radically restricts Coalition leaders from raising the voices and needs of survivors in vital public arenas,” she said. “The Coalition already operates under extensive state and federal oversight and has a decades-long, unblemished record of transparent grant reporting and compliance. This bill adds nothing to accountability. It adds only harm.” Schollett added that removing the Coalition from state boards reveals the bill’s true purpose. “Targeting the Coalition does not protect victims. It protects abusers and attempts to intimidate advocates and survivors. It sends a dangerous message that harassment works.” Patch February 9, 2026 "What's most important here is that every school looks out for the students ahead of their own reputation, and it doesn't seem like that happened here," said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.
"The most important thing is for schools to follow the law and to report immediately, so law enforcement have an opportunity to step in," Schollett said. WMUR January 28, 2026 Meg Chant, program director with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said many operators tell their sex workers if they report what’s going on, they would lose their license and could be deported.
“The very women being victimized are the ones who bear liability because they are the licensees,” Chant said. Union Leader January 20, 2026 |
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The 12 member programs of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence provide services to all victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, stalking, and child abuse.
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Funding for this website was provided by The Corporate Fund.
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
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