News Roundup from Around NH

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Good morning!

Here is a rundown of today’s must-see, must-read news and opinion!

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Class-action lawsuit filed against Saint-Gobain in Merrimack

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and its general manager at the Merrimack facility on behalf of residents with contaminated wells near the Merrimack plant. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for the trespass, nuisance, loss of enjoyment and property damages in connection with water contamination allegedly caused by the Saint-Gobain site at 701 Daniel Webster Highway.  Kevin Brown, a resident at 498 Charles Bancroft Highway in Litchfield, is the plaintiff in two separate class action suits — one focusing on medical monitoring as a result of the exposure to the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, and the other seeking a class action complaint and request for jury trial.

Legislators reach compromise that would eliminate free skiing for seniors

Seniors will no longer ski for free on weekdays at Cannon Mountain if the House and Senate approve an agreement reachedWednesday. Under the agreement, those 65 years old and above will pay $5 a day at the only state-run ski area, increasing $5 a year until the lift ticket is one-third the standard price. The Senate version of Senate Bill 441 would charge seniors one-third the ticket price during the week, and two-thirds during weekends and holidays, while the House version would have continued to allow seniors to ski for free during the week.

Lawmakers OK additional $5m for drug abuse treatment

Negotiators Wednesday agreed on a bill providing an additional $5 million for drug abuse treatment, recovery and housing. Senate Bill 533 contains $2.5 million for treatment programs through the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment, $2 million for housing for recovering addicts, $500,000 in grants for peer-to-peer recovery and support programs, and possibly $130,000 for a drug prosecutor for the Attorney General’s Office.  Negotiators Wednesday agreed on a bill providing an additional $5 million for drug abuse treatment, recovery and housing

N.H. Lawmakers Can’t Find Compromise on LGBT “Conversion Therapy” Ban for Minors

A controversial practice that seeks to convert minors from being gay is likely to remain legal in New Hampshire. Lawmakers this week failed to agree on a bill that would ban so-called conversion therapy for those under 18. The House and Senate passed differing versions of a ban on conversion therapy earlier this session, but lawmakers in both chambers still needed to agree on a final compromise version. That didn’t happen during Tuesday’s committee of conference. Actually, there wasn’t even a discussion on the issue. 

Lawmakers reach agreement on business tax bills

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Wednesday on the two major business tax bills this session. One bill would change how closely held companies such as sole proprietorships or limited liability companies are taxed when they receive an infusion of cash, such as an initial public offering or investment capital. And the other bill, Senate Bill 235, would increase the amount companies can deduct for one-time capital expenditures.

New Hampshire Retirement System lowers assumed rate of return to 7.25%

New Hampshire Retirement System, Concord, lowered its assumed rate of return to 7.25% from 7.75%, spokesman Marty Karlon said. The $7.2 billion pension fund will adjust its investment policy to reflect the new assumed rate of return based on the results of a five-year actuarial experience study conducted by actuarial consultant Gabriel Roeder Smith & Co. The new assumptions will be used to establish employer contribution rates this fall for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Separately, the pension fund renewed contracts of its active domestic large-cap value equity managers Institutional Capital and LSV Asset Management, which run $207 million and $243 million, respectively, through May 31, 2018.

Legislators call for audit of state’s community college system

The Legislature’s Public Higher Education Study Committee has called for a performance audit for the Community College System of New Hampshire, after a student and two staff members complained about its schools. At this point, there’s not enough material for an audit to go forward and legislators are asking current and former students, staff and faculty to contact them with written testimony about their experiences within the community college system. “There were enough complaints that it prompted the higher education committee to seek to perform an audit,” said Sen. John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican and the member of the committee asking for testimony.

OPINION

Out of state, out of touch: Hassan ignoring NH Constitution (Union Leader)

When is the governor of New Hampshire not the governor? When she’s not in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Constitution is crystal clear that in the event of the governor’s “absence from the state,” the Senate president “shall act as governor.” Yet Gov. Maggie Hassan has decided to slip out of state without letting anyone know of her absence. We haven’t made much of Hassan’s frequent travels around the country raising money for her U.S. Senate campaign. That was to be expected as soon as she announced her candidacy in October.

Dan Tuohy’s Granite Status: Granite Staters ready to battle with GOP for primary’s date

“Everybody’s lining up their troops and getting ready for battle.” The battle, as Steve Duprey put it, is a repeat for the Republican National Committeeman as he prepares to defend New Hampshire’s traditional role hosting the nation’s first presidential primary.The national convention in Cleveland is more likely to address potential rule changes to alter the nominating calendar and how the GOP chooses its nominee.

 

CAMPAIGN 2016

Stiles to retire from state  Senate, Innis to seek seat

STILES OUT, INNIS IN. The shakeup in the New Hampshire State Senate will continue on Thursday with another retirement announcement and a familiar name emerging as a candidate for the open seat. WMUR.com has learned that Sen. Nancy Stiles of Hampton will become the sixth Republican senator, and eighth senator overall, to announce that she will not seek re-election. Her decision has been the subject of much speculation for weeks, and she made the announcement in an exclusive interview Wednesday. We’ve also learned that the first Republican candidate to jump in with a bid to succeed her is former congressional candidate Dan Innis, who recently moved from Portsmouth to New Castle and is now a resident of District 24. Also interested, we understand, is Rye GOP activist Ray Tweedie.

Birdsell wants another District 19 Senate term

State Sen. Regina Birdsell will seek another term for the District 19 Senate seat. Birdsell, of Hampstead, announced her candidacy this week, saying she wants to win another two-year term to continue representing the needs of her district. District 19 includes Derry, Hampstead and Windham. “During my first term in the Senate, I worked diligently to represent the needs of the district and I am pleased with what my colleagues and I accomplished,” she said. “I promised the voters I would be their voice in Concord and I have been honored to represent them.” Birdsell, a Republican and former two-term state representative, won the District 19 seat in 2014 over Democratic opponent Kristi St. Laurent of Windham.

Clinton urged to go liberal with vice presidential pick

Hillary Clinton would be smart to move left in selecting a running mate to win over supporters of presidential rival Bernie Sanders, say Clinton allies and Democratic strategists.

Picking a liberal running mate would help the Democratic presidential front-runner unify the party, they say, driving young progressives to the polls against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. “She needs to do something in the coming weeks to show that she’s also trying to unify the party,” one Clinton surrogate said. “And that would be a clear signal.Prospective running mates who would be a hit with progressives include Sen. Elizabeth Warren(Mass.), the only female Democratic senator who has yet to endorse Clinton, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Clinton’s email troubles deepen

Hillary Clinton broke State Department rules through the use of her private email server during her time as secretary, according to a government report that will be formally released on Thursday. The 83-page report from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was leaked to The Hill and other media outlets on Wednesday, compounds the problems that have dogged the likely Democratic presidential nominee since before her entry into the race. It said definitively that Clinton “did not comply with the department’s policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act,” and that federal officials claimed they “would not” have approved the setup, had a formal request been made.

Trump fires top aide

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign on Wednesday night announced it had parted ways with its national political director, Rick Wiley — a move that appears to stem in part from an ongoing turf war atop the campaign. Wiley was the first high-profile hire by Paul Manafort, the veteran GOP operative who Trump brought on board in late March to help professionalize a campaign that had cruised through the GOP primary season with a skeleton staff.


IN OTHER NEWS

Supportive NH employers are recognized at awards ceremony

Jim Rivers

Director of Communications

Office of the Speaker

State House, Room 312

107 Main St.

Concord, NH, 03301

Jim.rivers@leg.state.nh.us