Latest news with #GraniteStaters
Boston Globe
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A proposed DEI ban in N.H. would prohibit taxpayer support for programs to help people with disabilities
Advertisement 'As written, it's pretty daunting,' said Karen Rosenberg, policy director for the Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Rosenberg, a trained attorney, said the proposed DEI ban would seem to contradict existing state laws, such as those that offer targeted property tax exemptions to help people with disabilities maintain their housing and home ownership. It's clear the proposal 'wasn't properly vetted,' she said. While the House and Senate adopted slightly different anti-DEI proposals, either version would be bad for New Hampshire, Rosenberg said. 'They're mostly the same, and they're both terrible,' she added. The two proposals define 'DEI' in similar fashion — both refer to programs, policies, training, or initiatives that classify individuals 'for the purpose of achieving demographic outcomes, rather than treating individuals equally under the law' — but they differ in describing which types of classifications would be impermissible. Advertisement While the House said DEI involves classifying people 'based on race, sex, ethnicity, or other group characteristics,' the Senate said it involves classifying people based on any of the characteristics listed in an existing anti-discrimination law. That existing law lists ' Louis Esposito, executive director of Esposito said the proposals could have far-reaching ramifications in education. If a school offers a training session on neurodiversity, for example, would that be deemed a DEI violation? School leaders who are unsure might avoid such topics, at the expense of equity and inclusion for students with disabilities, he said, especially since the proposals would direct the state's education commissioner to In some ways, the Advertisement While lawmakers formed a committee of conference last week to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the state budget, the bulk of their work has revolved around detailed revenue estimates and debates over exactly how much to allocate to each line item, not refining the DEI ban. When asked about the implications for disability-related programming, Senate President Sharon M. Carson, a Republican from Londonderry who sits on the committee of conference for the two pieces of legislation that comprise the budget, said in a statement Friday there is a long way to go before the legislation is finalized. 'It is still too early to tell which provisions and programs will be accounted for as we negotiate with the House,' she said. 'Rest assured that we will ensure the final budget package is one that is suitable for all Granite Staters.' After the committee completes its work this week, the full legislative chambers are expected to take final votes next week on the new budget, which would take effect July 1. Steven Porter can be reached at
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House-Senate conference committee on budget formed
Legislative leaders have named the eight budget writers they want to resolve the seismic split between competing versions of a two-year spending plan that cleared each house of the New Hampshire Legislature. Senate President Sharon Carson and House Speaker Sherman Packard, both R-Londonderry, acted quickly in a sign that it could take some time for the two sides to find common ground. 'There are differences between the House and Senate-approved versions of the state budget. We look forward to working through them over the next two weeks and remain committed to delivering a balanced budget that protects New Hampshire taxpayers while serving all Granite Staters,' Packard and Carson said in a joint statement. As the first-named House member, Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, is likely to become chairman of the conference committee. Weyler chaired the House Finance Committee. The other four House members, who also serve on Weyler's committee, are Vice Chairman Dan McGuire, R-Kingston, House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, Rep. Jose Cambrils, R-Loudon and Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord and the ranking Democrat. Packard decided to name some alternates who had other experiences beyond writing the budget. The potential stand-ins are House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, House Executive Departments and Administration Committee Vice Chairman Erica Layon, R-Derry, House Ways and Means Chairman John Janigian, R-Salem, Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, and Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn. Erf and Edwards each co-chair subcommittees on the House Finance Committee. Carson names herself to commitee Carson chose to name herself as the first senator on the panel along with Senate Finance Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, and Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua, the ranking Democratic Senate budget writer. The only Senate alternate is Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead. Most House speakers don't get involved directly in state budget negotiations. It's not unusual for Senate presidents to get into the fray, however. Carson's predecessor, former Senate President Chuck Morse, took the gavel after serving as Senate finance chairman for many years. The House and Senate meet Thursday to complete the naming of all conference committees that will try and forge compromise on other bills. They have until June 19 to reach agreements and then the House and Senate have to vote on all of them by June 26. The $15.4 billion House-passed budget relied on conservative revenue estimates, which meant their budget writers had to make deep cuts in spending. The House plan would lay off 100 workers in the state prison system and do away with the Office of the Child Advocate, the state Division on the Arts, the Commission on Aging and the Housing Appeals Board. The Senate updated the predictions for revenue, which meant it could spend about $250 million more in state dollars than the House plan did. The Senate budget pared the layoffs down to about 25 in the Department of Corrections. It kept the child advocate office in the running while erasing four of nine jobs, revived support for the arts by proposing a new business tax credit for companies that donate to the program and restoring groups on aging and housing appeals, though with smaller budgets than the ones that Gov. Kelly Ayotte proposed last February. The Senate plan also increased by nearly $70 million the level of state aid to the University System of New Hampshire compared to the House budget. USNH would receive in the Senate proposal $85 million a year, about a 10% cut from its support in the current state budget that ends June 30. klandrigan@
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Text scam falsely claiming to be from DMV sent to many New Hampshire residents
Many Granite Staters received a text message on Monday from someone claiming to be the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles and asking for a payment. The text is a scam.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The lack of housing in New Hampshire is hurting families. Are state senators listening?
Housing is in short supply throughout New Hampshire. (Photo by Dana Wormald/New Hampshire Bulletin) In the most recent UNH Granite State Poll, New Hampshire residents said housing is their top concern. More than three times as many people cited housing compared to the next most important issue, taxes. Yes, we are experiencing a statewide crisis of housing affordability. This crisis constrains economic growth and community vitality. Yet the New Hampshire Senate is poised to vote on a state budget that turns its back on housing, cutting funding for important programs that help our cities and towns meet their housing challenges and missing opportunities to help developers build housing that Granite Staters can afford. The Housing Champions program was created by the Legislature in 2023 with a $5 million appropriation to provide grants to cities and towns to help them voluntarily change their zoning ordinances to be more 'housing friendly.' Communities that made these changes were recognized as 'Housing Champions' and are eligible for additional funding, such as grants for infrastructure improvements. So far, 18 communities have achieved this distinction, and others are poised to follow. Despite this celebrated success, the Senate has proposed zeroing out this program. This shortsighted decision takes away the principal incentive ('carrots, not sticks') for our cities and towns to make important zoning changes. Earlier this year, the Senate passed Senate Bill 81 (then tabled it to add it to the budget) increasing the annual allocation to the state's affordable housing trust fund from $5 million to $10 million and making an additional appropriation of $25 million to the trust fund. The annual increase acknowledges the rising cost of building homes — the same money just doesn't go as far as it once did. The additional one-time appropriation acknowledges the housing deficit we're in — we need to build many thousands more homes just to meet current demand and help our economy grow. Even with good zoning, the developments that house our workforce require significant financial resources. Witness the several developments that have stalled recently in Concord because of higher costs. Senators gave themselves the opportunity to add SB 81 to the budget and then ignored it. Finally, the Senate has proposed reducing funding to the Housing Appeals Board, an innovative approach to addressing appeals of local planning and zoning decisions. The Legislature created the fast-track of the Housing Appeals Board in 2020 recognizing the delays that housing developments faced when local decisions were appealed to court. Time is money, and delays add to development costs. The Housing Appeals Board has been nationally recognized as a light-touch, small-government approach, and it has shown to be an effective and efficient means of hearing appeals. In the midst of a housing crisis, it is nonsensical to pull back on a proven way to speed up final decisions on development proposals. Our current lack of sufficient housing is a drag on economic growth and is hurting New Hampshire's families. It's time for the Senate to put its money — our money — where its mouth is: fund these vital housing programs and help move the Granite State out of its current housing crisis and toward a better, brighter future.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Retirement benefit restoration clears Senate budget panel
Senate budget writers approved restoring pension benefits that 1,550 first responders lost to a 2011 retirement reform law with just a six-month delay before they all would kick in. In a surprise move Monday, the Senate Finance Committee endorsed the proposal from Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, over the opposition of both Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, and Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead. Committee Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, had proposed significantly reducing the budget impact by phasing in the restoration over four years. The reduction in pension benefits for newer, so-called Group II employees was made as part of a retirement overhaul bill in 2011. The pension restoration was a key campaign promise that helped Gov. Kelly Ayotte win the endorsement of several public-sector unions including the State Employees Association. Ayotte's state budget plan proposed restoring the pension cuts right away and paying for them by legalizing slot machine gambling at the state's 14 charity casinos. The House budget bill includes those pension enhancements that cost $26.5 million a year but didn't earmark any of the expanded gambling money to pay for them. In his amendment, Lang said the six-month delay would save the state about $13 million, and during the first year of the budget this would allow the Rainy Day Fund to grow to more than $250 million. Starting in 2027, Lang's proposal would have the state cover the 'normal costs' for the change which otherwise would be passed on in higher local property taxes, Lang said. 'This makes sure there are no downshifting of costs to the political subdivisions,' Lang said. Gray said that provision could cost $6.6 million annually. Pushback Carson said these pension changes should have been presented as a separate bill subject to its own series of public hearings. She would rather wait for any significant change to the retirement system until after 2027 when a commission study will be reconvened. 'This has been a very, very difficult budget. We have had to make a number of very painful cuts,' Carson said. 'I just don't believe this is the time to bring this forward.' Birdsell said she supported Gray's slower reform plan, which included a pension benefit to younger Group II employees that she said would have helped recruitment and retention. Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, was a key swing vote for the Lang proposal, which had the backing of the two Democrats on the panel. 'I think this amendment moves us forward on Group II; it is not where we are going to end up,' said Pearl, referring to negotiations with House budget writers on a final compromise. In an op-ed last weekend, Gray said his plan was the most fiscally responsible alternative. 'I want a plan that is fair to 1,550 employees affected by the 2011 changes and helps the governor fulfill her campaign promises. I also need to protect 1.3 million Granite Staters who pay state and local taxes,' Gray wrote. 'The phased-in approach restores lost benefits to Group II, provides a recruitment and retention incentive for our local police and fire departments, protects cities and towns from higher property taxes, and saves state taxpayers $121 million.' Seifu Ragassa, a corrections officer, union executive and leader in the Group II movement, strongly opposed Gray's plan. He charged that it would not address a workforce shortage that has first responders being trained here only to go to work in neighboring states with better pension prospects. 'Senator Gray's proposed plan does nothing to address these realities,' Ragassa said in a statement. 'In fact, it would likely make things worse, leaving our state even more vulnerable and deepening the public safety crisis we already face.' +++ What's Next: The full Senate votes this Thursday on the proposed budget plan. Prospects: The state budget is the one bill that must pass by June 30 or the Legislature will have to pass a continuing resolution to prevent payless paydays or a temporary shutdown of some government operations. klandrigan@
