Periklis Karoutas

Concord, NH – As a result of urging by the Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) and Senate Finance Chair Jeanie Forrester (R-Meredith) commended the recent efforts by DRED to publicize and promote new laws reducing business tax rates designed to draw businesses to New Hampshire to help create jobs.

“We know that the recent cuts to business taxes in New Hampshire are a strong incentive for new, small businesses to open and existing businesses to move into our state. However, if prospective employers don’t know about these cuts, the first of their kind in more than 20 years, the benefits to New Hampshire’s economy won’t be realized,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).

“We were disappointed to learn that this meaningful reduction of business taxes passed into law was not actively being used as a tool to attract businesses to New Hampshire by DRED, which is why we created legislation that would require the department to aggressively market these benefits. We are pleased to learn that DRED has improved on these efforts and as a result, the bill is no longer necessary. We applaud DRED’s efforts to market yet another New Hampshire Advantage and look forward to the expanded business opportunities to come,” added Bradley.

“We know that the business tax reductions included in the budget make New Hampshire more competitive nationally, allowing small businesses to keep more of their hard earned profits, reinvest in their workforce, to grow, expand, and maintain a stronger economic impact on the state as a whole,” said Senator Jeanie Forrester (R-Meredith), Senate Finance Chair. “We want to make sure we are letting businesses nationwide know that New Hampshire is open for business and we expect DRED will continue to promote this benefit to prospective businesses in a strong, coordinated effort, utilizing the resources they have at their disposal.”

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Concord, NH – Today, the Senate passed legislation, SB 533, which would increase reporting requirements for substance abuse spending, and provide additional resources for critical priorities in the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General’s office.

“The Senate has made significant progress in working to combat the heroin and opioid crisis in the state and we all agree that we need to continue working to address these issues, but we must make sure that we are effectively spending taxpayer money before we can responsibly appropriate additional funding to address this issue. The legislation passed today includes additional oversight and reporting requirements from the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery so that we can make sure funds are being spent as effectively as possible to combat this crisis,” said Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem).

“As chair of the Joint Task Force on the response to the opioid and heroin crisis in the state, I agree that we should take every opportunity to ensure resources are being utilized to the best of their ability to combat this crisis, and by creating greater reporting requirement, we will be able to focus resources where there is the greatest need and where they are proven to be most effective,” said Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro). “This bill also establishes a new position in the Attorney General’s office to prosecute drug-related cases, creates a grant program for peer to peer recovery services, and provides the Governor the authority to use nearly $3 million in unspent funds within the Department of Health and Human Services to address other critical priorities. We expect the Governor will act quickly to direct these resources where they are needed most within DHHS, and we will begin to see positive results.”

“In light of several unanticipated financial obligations, we have prioritized finding ways to curb the opioid crisis and committed an additional 75% increase in funding in the state’s budget to address these issues. That being said, we also need to put in place accountability measures to both ensure money is well-spent, and this legislation gives the Governor the ability to transfer unspent funds in the Department of Health and Human Services to bolster those programs showing the most success,” said Senator Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford).

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Concord, NH – Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) issued the following statement upon the House’s vote to pass the NH Health Protection Plan reauthorization legislation.

“I applaud the New Hampshire House of Representatives for their support of HB 1696, to reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan. Supporting this legislation is the right thing to do for the state of New Hampshire because it means 48,000 citizens have health insurance, which reduces the cost of uncompensated care and slows the increase in health care costs for individuals and businesses. This program has also helped nearly 6,000 individuals suffering from substance abuse or addiction by providing them with critical treatment options.”

“This reauthorization proposal also includes a number of taxpayer protections, strengthened by the House Finance Committee amendments, ensuring that there are no new taxes, or fees and general fund dollars cannot be used to pay for this program. Additionally, if Federal funding falls short, the program will end.”

“The Senate looks forward to receiving this bill and working together to make sure that 48,000 citizens can continue to receive health care in our state.”

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Concord, NH – Today, the Senate Finance Committee heard a bill, SB 526, which would require the Department of Resources and Economic Development to promote reductions to New Hampshire’s business tax rates as part of their marketing pitches to potential employers and out-of-state companies looking to relocate.

Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) issued a statement following the bill’s introduction.

“This bill would require that a portion of the marketing and promotional budget within the Department of Resources and Economic Development be spent specifically for the purpose of promoting New Hampshire’s business tax reductions in an effort to encourage new business and out of state employers to set up shop in the Granite State,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).

“The business tax reductions passed in 2015 help re-establish New Hampshire as a competitive state to do business, where small startups and tech businesses can grow and create jobs. By appropriating funds specifically for the promotion of low taxes, we continue to encourage this type of business growth so critical for New Hampshire’s economy,” said Bradley.

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Concord, NH – Today, the House of Representatives passed HB 1696, a bill to reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan. This bill will now go to the House Finance Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), who is a co-sponsor on the bill, issued a statement following the vote.

“Today’s vote in the house is a big step forward in ensuring that 47,000 low-wage earning citizens have health care through the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan,” said Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).

“We know that the 2-year reauthorization and reform plan in HB 1696 will protect our state’s taxpayers by restricting any general funds or new taxes from being used to pay for reauthorization. It maintains private insurance plans for these citizens, which have helped reduce the hidden tax of uncompensated care by nearly $150 million. Hospitals and Insurers will pay for the portion of the program no longer covered by the Federal Government and if we are short any funding, the program will end.”

“This plan will also establish work requirements based on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program which is already used in the state to help people obtain education or work in the state,” said Bradley.

“We are encouraged by the support we’ve seen thus far and look forward to working together to seek ultimate passage of this bill.”

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CONCORD, NH – Today, the Senate voted to increase the net metering cap for residents and businesses who sell renewable energy they generate to utility companies in the state.

This bill would raise the cap from 50MW, to 75MW and direct the Public Utilities Commission to develop a net metering tariff for all generation above the 75MW cap limit.

“Today’s vote by the Senate addresses the growing market for the sale of renewable energy generated by private citizens or business by increasing the amount of surplus energy they are able to sell to utility companies at retail prices,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R- Wolfeboro).

“While this legislation increases the cap, it also serves to protect customers who are not taking advantage of residential solar which is subsidized through higher electric rates for other customers. By limiting the amount of energy that can be sold through net metering, and requesting the PUC to develop a rate for all net metering above that cap, we limit the cost shifted to other customers while allowing solar projects to continue to grow in New Hampshire,” added Bradley.

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Concord, NH –The Senate Finance Committee passed three early bills Tuesday on the response to the heroin and opioid crisis, including bills to increase interdiction measures, funding for system upgrades to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and establishing a Drug Court grant program. These bills, supported by the Joint Task Force, will go to the Senate floor for a full vote on Thursday.

“There is clear evidence that targeted police presence aimed at drug trafficking has taken numerous dealers off of the streets, effectively reducing the supply of deadly heroin and fentanyl in our communities. I am encouraged to see this bill, SB 485, unanimously approved by Senate Finance, which establishes a program to provide grants to local communities to be used for increased interdiction measures. By providing the resources for this program that we know is successful, we can increase our local police forces’ ability to remove drugs from our streets, effectively curbing the cycle of substance abuse,” said Senator Jeanie Forrester (R-Meredith), Senate Finance Chair and prime sponsor of SB 485-FN-A.

“Senate Finance also voted in support of a bill, SB 522, funding upgrades to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program [PDMP] in order to expand its usage by medical providers and pharmacists. The PDMP system serves to reduce the practice of doctor shopping or seeking opioid pain medication from multiple prescribers. It will also serve to lessen instances of overprescribing which may lead to addiction and the abuse of heroin and other illegal and deadly substances,” said Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), prime sponsor of SB 522-FN-A.

“We first proposed a state-wide County Drug Court grant program back in October, and through conversations with all of the stakeholders and extensive work by the Joint Task Force, this bill has been thoroughly vetted and was approved, with an amendment, by the Senate Finance committee. This is a critical step forward in establishing this evidence based, recovery program in the State of New Hampshire,” said Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett), sponsor of SB 464-FN-A.

“Drug courts offer a holistic approach to combating the heroin and opioid crisis by providing treatment and recovery services for addicts with a history of incarceration in order to restore healthy behaviors for the long term. The amendment to this legislation also includes measures to allow for an alternative drug offender program in counties, suitable for lower risk drug offenders. I am grateful for the support we’ve seen on this legislation and look forward to voting on this bill on the Senate floor this week,” said Boutin.

“The amendment to the drug court legislation also requires that for every dollar spent outside of the budget on these programs, one be saved to the Revenue Stabilization Fund, totaling $5 million, in order to be better prepared for future economic downturns,” added Forrester.

“I am proud of the swift work done by the Senate Finance Committee in passing these early bills from the Joint Task Force today, and I am confident that these bills will find support on the Senate floor this week,” Bradley continued.

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Concord, NH – As part on an ongoing effort to improve the New Hampshire’s ability to grow and create jobs, Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) introduced SB 342-FN to the Senate Ways and Means committee today, which serves to eliminate the income tax on small businesses or start-up companies looking to grow and create jobs in New Hampshire.

The bill’s main sponsors, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) and Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett), Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, issued a statement on the legislation following the hearing.

“Building on the Senate’s successful efforts to help stimulate job creation by passage of the first corporate tax cuts in more than 20 years in New Hampshire last session, today we introduced SB 342, a bill dedicated to eliminating the unfair impediment to startups as the Business Profits Tax becomes a tax on capital formation, which has proven to be a barrier to successful business growth in our state,” said Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).

“The Senate’s top priorities, aside from ensuring the needs of New Hampshire citizens are met, are to strengthen and grow New Hampshire’s economy, encourage job creation, and ensure that startup and small businesses are thriving in a competitive climate across the state. This bill would effectively remove what is a tax or penalty on successful business growth in the Granite State, which is a barrier to creating jobs” said Bradley.

“This bill compliments the Senate’s work to reduce the Business Enterprise Tax and Business Profits Tax as part of the budget last session, and is another step towards restoring the New Hampshire advantage and a stronger economy in the state,” said Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett).

“This bill would remove a restrictive tax that penalizes growing business and startups in New Hampshire and provides measures to make sure that the state of New Hampshire is not playing a role in hindering the ability for startups and small businesses to grow and create jobs for New Hampshire workers,” added Boutin.

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Concord, NH – Today, the House of Representatives’ Health, Human Service and elderly Affairs committee voted 17-1 to approve HB 1696, reauthorizing the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan, with an amendment.

Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley issued a statement upon passage from the committee.

“I commend the House Health, Human Services and elderly Affairs committee’s support and the sponsor of the bill, Representative Joe Lachance for his hard work which brings us one step closer to reforming and reauthorizing the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan. The plan we’ve developed will continue to serve the 47,000 New Hampshire citizens receiving benefits, with protections in place restricting the use of general funds and preventing new or increased taxes to fund reauthorization,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).

“This bill also includes work requirements, and a strong agreement by both New Hampshire Hospitals and Insurers who will voluntarily fund a portion of the program that is no longer paid for by the federal government. To make sure taxpayers are protected we’ve also included provisions in the bill to end the program immediately if hospitals, insurers or the federal government backs off of their financial commitment to New Hampshire.”

“The NHHPP has benefitted the state by reducing the cost of uncompensated care by nearly $150 million, which is a hidden tax paid for by increases is private and employer-paid insurance premiums. I’m grateful for the strong support shown by numerous interest groups and business leaders for this plan which will be a break in the rise of health care costs for everyone in the state.”

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