Who Supports NH Business? Interesting Question.

A recent LTE to The Forum accused NH Democrats of being anti-business. The accusation came because a candidate rating site called Project Vote Smart used ratings submitted by the BIA to find that 70 percent of NH Democrats received a zero rating for support for business.  The average for all Democrats was a rating of 6.2.  Many Republicans, on the other hand, received ratings of 100 percent with an average of 87.4.  Do those numbers make you question the size of the sample? They should. Turns out there were only two votes used to determine the rating out of the hundreds of bills deaing with business seen by the legislature every year.  [Project Vote Smart also used some weird conversions to get percentages.]

To see the original article accusing Dems of being anti-business, click here

To see my  response relating to the validity and credibility of Project Vote Smart click here

To see my response to the specific allegations about Democrats, check back tomorrow. I will post that link as soon as it goes active in The Forum.

About Those Taxes and Fees

One of the most common complaints I hear about Democrats is that we are the Party of "tax and spend." Click  here to see my response to that allegation in The Forum.

Downshifting by the State--NOT

Below is a LTE I have written about the Municipal Association's comments on the state downshifting costs to counties and towns-NOT. The Municpal Association is essentially an information source for municipalities and promotes their interests with the state. If they don't feel the state budget created downshifting, it did not.

As I campaign for re-election as your state Representative in Rockingham District 1, I often hear questions about the state legislature “downshifting” huge costs to the cities and towns. The following paragraph from the NH Municipal Association newsletter should make clear this is not the case:

Balancing the State Budget

I thought the following article by Susan Almy, the House Ways and Means Chair, might be of interest.
Even In Deep recession, We Balanced the State Budget Responsibly

The bi-partisan revenue projections set by the New Hampshire House Ways & Means committee, despite the claims of critics, were done very carefully and conservatively, and they have been more accurate than most other states. It was the economy, not our revenue projections, that caused revenues to fall short of even our lowered expectations.

Short Break for the Election

The legislative session is over, except for some committee work, and election season has begun. Fortunately there is no Democratic primary but I will still be campaigning hard from late summer through election day on November 2, 2010. Because this blog deals primarily with legislation, I am planning a Re-elect Maureen Mann facebook page which will be up shortly. Please visit Maureen Mann--NH State Representative, I really appreciate your support.

Robert Johnson Highway is Official

On September 1, the signage identifying Route 43 in Northwood as the Robert A. Johnson Highway was installed. There are signs at the Deerfield line and near the Chesley Library. I was delighted when Chief Glen Drolet of Northwood notified me that the Northwood Police Association voted to fund the full cost of fabricating and installing the signs. Thanks.

STOP!

Installation has begun on the traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 4 and 107 in Epsom. New England Signal Systems of Northwood has been awarded the contract for the work. [Our own little ARRA project?]

If all goes as planned with the several subcontractors involved, it is anticipated the project will be completed by the end of June.

UPDATE: The light is in and functioning and traffic is flowing smoothly. This, along with the Forum and one February day in the legislature are my proudest moments in public service.

Honorable Robert A. Johnson Highway Signed into Law

Jeanne Johnson [center] and family, as well as bill sponsors and some former colleagues, surround Governor Lynch as he signs HB1181.

On Tuesday, May 25, Governor John Lynch signed HB1181, a bill naming the portion of Route 43 from Route 4 to the Deerfield line for the Honorable Robert A. Johnson. Johnson, who died in January 2009, was a beloved public figure who served Northwood, his state and nation in multiple capacities for seventy years.

Several members of Johnson's family were able to attend the signing ceremony as were some of the representatives with whom he served in the State House. The prime sponsor of the bill was Representative Maureen Mann. Co-sponsors included Senator Jack Barnes and Representatives Frank Case, Susi Nord, John Reagan and James Sullivan.

The design and size of the memorial sign will be determined by the Bureau of Traffic in the Department of Transportation. When that is finalized the signs will be fabricated at the state prison in Concord. They should be installed within a few months.

Budget Woes

On Wednesday May 12, one bill, SB450, an effort to deal with the budget deficit, took almost seven hours to debate in the New Hampshire House. While many of the votes on the 14 amendments which were introduced along the way followed party lines, this was not always the case. People in both parties, let alone the Libertarians, had concerns about different sections of the bill which included substantial cuts, new revenue sources and bonding-"the good, the bad, and the ugly" according to Representative Neal Kurk of the Finance Committee.

For a detailed explanation of the process, and to see how your representatives in Rockingham 1 voted, click here .

Then, click here to see what happened in the Senate.

Finally, an Adequate, if not Excellent Education.

The issue which most occupied the legislature from 2006 through 2009 was defining, costing, funding and establishing accountability measures for an adequate education of New Hampshire's children. The funding formula, which was to be put in place for fiscal 2012, faced a challenge in the legislature on May 5.

Click here to see how your representatives voted on funding education-and the effect on your property taxes if the state does not assume its fair share.

Report from the Legislature: Energy and Speed Limits

A lot of work, but not many roll call votes are taking place in the NH House. On May 6, small scale energy projects and Winnipesaukee speed limits got the most attention. Check it out right energy projects here.

NH Gets on Board?

SB515, voted on this week, would allow the Commissioner of the Department of Employment Security to participate in the Local Employment Dynamics [LED] Program. The Program provides online information for economic development, transportation planning, emergency management and workforce development. It is used by companies across the nation and the world seeking to expand as a first step in relocation consideration. All the other states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands already participate. Because New Hampshire does not, it receives no consideration from those using the tool.

Check how your representatives in Rockingham 1 voted on this proposal to support economic development by clicking here.

You can also read how your reps voted on land parcels and DWI as well as concurence issues.

Report from the Legislature: Gambling on Water

This week those who feel gambling will solve all New Hampshire' financial woes had their chance to present their case to the 'full House. This week also saw a vote on whether the state will support local control of resourses, particularly water.

For a full report, click here.

Next time you see them, ask your Republican reps how they voted on the water issue that so affects their Nottingham and Northwood constituents.

Save NH State Parks-and other stuff

This week the NH House voted in support of license plates to support state parks. NH is the only state which relies totally on fees and our parks, one of the cornerstones of the NH advantage, need help. There is a serious threat from those who want to privatize these treasures.

The governor has indicated that he would support sequential numbers as a version of park vanity plates [get yours early for a low number] which could make them even more enticing as NH has a high incidence of vanity plates.

Click for photos from The Forum of the plate designs as well as other issues considered recently.

Report from the Legislature: 4th Grade Legislators

Ready for a new New Hampshire cat, rock or fruit? To find out how click here.

Constituent Concerns

This week in the New Hampshire House there were 28 roll call votes, 18 division votes and too many voice votes to count. All House bills must be acted on by March 25in time for "crossover" to the Senate.

For a list of the votes on those issues which elicited the most emails and from constituents click here.

Report from the Legislature: Short-Term Bedfellows

Just in case you thought the five House members representing Rockingham District 1 never agreed on anything, or thought disagreement was consistent along Party, social or economic lines, you might be interested to see the results of some recent votes. Perhaps it is Spring Fever, but lately there have been some odd alignments.

Take a look.

Report from the Legislature: Freedom and Choice

Once the Blurb War got out of the way, some actual business was conducted during the New Hampshire House of Representatives sessions on February 10 and 17. Several of the role call votes dealt with issues of personal choice and individual freedom.

Click here for details.

Report from the Legislature: Positioning for the Fall Election

The white gloves came off at the February 3 session of the New Hampshire House, and the boxing gloves went on, as the Parties began to duke it out for votes in November. Multiple bills were presented, sponsored by members of the Republican Party, whose purpose was to show their members as tax cutters and Democrats as big spenders unconcerned about the taxpayers. The Democrats fought back during debate on each bill, casting the Republicans as happy to cut but unwilling to deal realistically with the cost of services taxpayers both want and need.

Click here for a summary. [Again, originally posted in The Forum.]

Report from the Legislature: Blurb Wars

The February 10 session of the House of Representatives took twice as long and accomplished half as much as could reasonably be expected, due to what would be described as a hissy fit if it had been carried out by an eight-year-old. Because it was engaged in by a member of the legislature, that member chose to call it "exercising his right to freedom of speech."

Read more.

Report from the Legislature: Water Bills

This week the Senate heard some bills directly related to local water issues. I was pleased to be involved as a sponsor on SB411 with Senator Cilley who at one point during the hearing expressed the crux of the issue when she remarked "DES is worried about pumping and communities are worried about quality."
Click to read all about it.

UPDATE: SB411 received some serious mangling when it reached the House. Because if changes it was killed when it returned to the Senate.

Report from the Legislature: A Good Man Honored

For over 60 years, the Honorable Robert A. Johnson served his community and his state, as well as being a great family man. On January 27, 2010 the New Hampshire House of Representitives honored his service by a unanimous vote naming Route 43 in Northwood the "Honorable Robert A. Johnson Memorial Highway. I was proud to be the prime sponsor of that bill.

Click here to read about some of Johnson's contributions.