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Eagle Tribune: NH lawmakers report on state’s progress

June 26, 2016 by in In The News, Uncategorized

By Julie Huss [email protected] – Jun 26, 2016

LONDONDERRY — Legislators offered a look at the state’s business Friday, including what’s coming up in the next year and what issues are at the top of the Statehouse’s agenda.

The Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual legislative breakfast forum at Londonderry Country Club.

State legislators representing towns across Southern New Hampshire — along with business leaders and town officials  — joined together to hear updates from a panel of fellow lawmakers.

They included Rep. Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett; Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro; Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead; and Rep. Robert Introne, R-Londonderry.

Chamber President Will Stewart said although the organization remains nonpartisan on state legislation and issues, it’s important to hear from lawmakers in Concord to receive updates on business and bills that affect the area.

“We are nonpartisan but we do like to hold political events to give the business community a chance to interact with legislators,” Stewart said.

Stewart noted that this year was the first time the Chamber became involved in legislative policy, saying the organization may take a position on a business-related issue or bill.

Stewart introduced the panel of speakers and said the group has a lot of experience and knowledge while working on state committees dealing with energy, transportation and technology.

Bradley, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the big issues so far this year fall into into two categories — heroin and “everything else.”

That “everything else,” Bradley noted, includes work on the state’s energy concerns and finding new resources to handle New Hampshire’s  power needs.

Bradley supports prevention, treatment, recovery measures

June 24, 2016 by in Press Releases, Uncategorized

For Immediate Release:

June 24, 2016

Concord, NH – Today, two bills, SB 522 and SB 533, were signed into law as part of the comprehensive plan to curb the heroin crisis in New Hampshire.

“I am thankful that SB 522, which provides the necessary funding to make upgrades to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program [PDMP], became law today. Increasing the use of the PDMP by making it more user-friendly will help lessen the occurrences of doctor shopping or when opioid addicts seek multiple prescriptions for controlled opioids from more than one doctor. By expanding the use of the PDMP prescribers will have an updated record of the individual patients’ opioid prescriptions from all prescribers. This preventative step will help limit prescribing in instances where it is clear the patient is abusing drugs and we expect it will help reduce the number of cases of opioid and heroin addiction in the future,” said Senator Jeb Bradley (R- Wolfeboro).

“In addition, SB 533 increases the resources available for treatment and recovery by funding transitional housing, while also providing the means to add a position within the Attorney General’s office responsible for prosecuting drug related crimes in New Hampshire.”

“These bills were crafted specifically to target the areas of prevention, treatment or recovery efforts in order to hamper the deadly heroin crisis in our state. We worked to not only prevent the influx of new users but increase our capacity to help those struggling with addiction to find treatment and enter into recovery in order to have a lasting impact on ending this crisis.”

“We owe a sincere thank you to the advocates, doctors and prescribers, addicts in recovery, parents, legislators and everyone else who helped ensure these bills will provide a realistic, long-term solution to end the heroin crisis,” added Bradley.

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Stiles, Bradley praise comprehensive drug bill package

June 21, 2016 by in Press Releases, Uncategorized

For Immediate Release:

June 21, 2016

Concord, NH – Three bills were signed today as part of a comprehensive approach to address the heroin and opioid crisis in New Hampshire.

“As sponsor of both SB 369 and SB 532, I am pleased to see these important measures become law in the State of New Hampshire,” said Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton). “We know that education is an essential element that supports prevention, and by proving age-appropriate lessons for students each year beginning in Kindergarten, we reinforce the dangers of using heroin and opioids and hope to reduce the chances students will misuse these substances. In addition, by removing prior authorization requirements, we provide immediate access to substance abuse treatment at the critical moments when an addict reaches out for help.”

“These bills are essential elements of the larger, comprehensive approach our state is taking to curb this crisis and I am thankful for all of the input and support they have received,” said Stiles.

“These measures are designed to address prevention and treatment, from strengthening drug and alcohol education in schools, updating opioid prescriber rules, to reducing the time an individual must wait to begin addiction treatment,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley. “These changes, along with numerous others, will tackle some of the most critical elements of the heroin crisis, and will serve to curb the crisis taking lives of New Hampshire citizens each day.”

“While the heroin crisis still exists, we hope these changes will significantly reduce the prevalence of this epidemic in our state. I want to thank everyone from public health professionals, to my fellow legislators, parents of children suffering from addiction, addicts in recovery, to treatment providers and our first responders for their determination, forward thinking and cooperation on this legislation.”

Photo: Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton) discussed SB 369, a bill she sponsored that would require age- appropriate substance abuse prevention education in schools.

Background:

  •   SB 369, requiring public schools to include drug and alcohol education as part of their health

    education curriculum

  •   SB 532, relative to prior authorization for substance use treatment
  •   HB 1423, relative to rulemaking for prescribing controlled drugs

Senators tout business friendly bills becoming law; Encouraging strong job growth for small business in NH

June 21, 2016 by in Press Releases, Uncategorized

For Immediate Release:

June 21, 2016

Concord, NH – Today, three bills were signed as part of a package of Senate sponsored legislation to reduce the cost of doing business in New Hampshire, including SB 239, SB 342 and HB 1656.

“These three bills are part of our comprehensive goal to reduce the burdens small businesses face, reducing business taxes, energy costs, high workers’ compensation and healthcare costs in our state,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R- Wolfeboro). “It has long been one of the Senate’s top priorities to create a strong environment to run a small business and create jobs in the State of New Hampshire. I am pleased to see three bills become law which will encourage our local small businesses to grow and expand in the state, removing restrictions on increasing capital or changing the organization of a business to become more competitive.”

“With SB 239 becoming law, New Hampshire’s tax code will be aligned with the Federal Internal Revenue Code and will increase the capital expense deduction for small businesses from $25,000 to $100,000. These changes will encourage small business owners to invest in their companies by incentivizing the purchase of new equipment, helping small businesses to grow and thrive,” said Bradley.“In addition to reducing the Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax in the FY 16-17 budget, we have made great progress in restoring the New Hampshire advantage, and as a result have seen increased job growth. Since January 8,500 more of our friends and neighbors have found employment, nearly double the number who found work in all of 2015 combined. I look forward to building on this effort and making New Hampshire even more competitive for small business in years to come.”

“I applaud the signing of SB 342 into law, which allows businesses to grow or change their businesses’ structure or organization without being subjected to an unfair tax penalty,” said Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett), a co-sponsor of the bill. “Removing this ‘start-up’ tax shows prospective businesses that New Hampshire is supportive of innovative companies and their need to expand over time. This change will make New Hampshire an even more attractive place for entrepreneurs with big ideas to start their businesses.”

“Business owners, especially in their infancy, may purchase things like real estate in their personal names, and later on realize that there may be a justifiable reason to transfer that building into an LLC or other entity. Before passage of this bill, HB 1656, the State would charge a Real Estate Transfer Tax on the transaction, even though there was no actual change of ownership,” said Senator Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford). “Passage of this Bill will allow New Hampshire businesses to make reasonable organizational changes without fear of significant, inappropriate taxes being assessed, in what is clearly not a sale, but just a transfer from one entity to another entity where the ownership remains the same.”

“I am pleased to see this legislation become law because this recent interpretation of the Real Estate Transfer tax has made New Hampshire business owners refrain from expanding their business or creating jobs. I am thankful for my Senate colleagues support on this small step that will have a big impact on growing New Hampshire’s economy and making our state a better place to do business,” said Sanborn.

NH1 News: NH lawmakers pass funding for ‘Granite Hammer’ anti-drug operation

June 16, 2016 by in In The News, Uncategorized

Jun 16, 2016 2:54 PM – By: Paul Steinhauser

CONCORD – State lawmakers passed a bill that would dramatically expand a law enforcement program in the war against the heroin and opioid epidemic.

The state House of Representatives voted 235-74 to provide $1.5 million to take Operation Granite Hammer statewide. That’s the program that provides funds to the New Hampshire state police and the Manchester Police Department to arrest drug dealers.

The state Senate quickly followed suit, with a unanimous 22-0 vote. The legislation moved to the Corner Office. Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, one of the state leaders that urged lawmakers to pass the measure, signed the bill into law on Thursday early evening.

Before signing the bill into law, Hassan spoke with NH1 News.

“What this bill passed today does is expand operation Granite Hammer statewide so that all of our law enforcement who are grappling on the front lines with our opioid and heroin epidemic have an additional tool, state support, partnering with the state, partnering with our federal law enforcement officials to really address the supply side of this heroin and opioid epidemic,” she said.

To reach the final vote, the chamber earlier in the day voted 241-97 to suspend the chamber’s rules to allow considering of Granite Hammer.

The parliamentary procedure needed to pass by a two-thirds vote, and there was 90 minute debate preceding the vote that at times turned heated and emotional. The showdown was mostly an intra-party battle between conservative and libertarian minded Republicans opposed to a suspension of the rules and the GOP leadership and more mainstream lawmakers supportive of the rules suspension.

There’s been a full court press the past couple of days by Hassan, State Sen. Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, and other top political leaders to pass the Granite Hammer funding.

“The state police and the Manchester police department have done a remarkable job. We need to get Granite Hammer funding to them ASAP,” Bradley said on Tuesday.

Read full article here

Senators praise passage of Granite Hammer, urge Governor to sign bill today

June 16, 2016 by in Press Releases, Uncategorized

For Immediate Release:

June 16, 2016

Concord, NH – Today, the Senate unanimously passed HB 1000, a bill that would extend the Granite Hammer program and drug interdiction efforts in New Hampshire.

“I am pleased that today, House and Senate members came together in a bipartisan way to do what’s right for the State of New Hampshire, voting to pass a bill allowing the successful Granite Hammer program to continue taking heroin dealers off of ours streets,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro). “Granite Hammer, initiated by Manchester and State Police officers, has been extremely effective in removing deadly drugs from our communities, taking more than 25,000 doses of heroin off the streets in just a handful of operations. While we can’t be sure how many lives have been saved by the efforts of dedicated law enforcement as part of Granite Hammer and drug interdiction programs, we know that continuing and expanding this effort is the right thing to do. I appreciate how the Legislature worked together today, thinking first and foremost about people who are struggling with substance abuse.”

“We realize that none of the steps we’ve taken will alone end this crisis, however we believe that with each step we’ve taken, we are building a comprehensive approach to alleviate this crisis facing our communities,” said Bradley. “We’ve expedited this legislation to reach the Governor’s desk today and hope that she will sign this bill into law as soon as possible.”

“As the original sponsor of this legislation to continue the Granite Hammer program in our communities across the State, I am pleased to see it pass both bodies today,” said Senator Jeanie Forrester (R- Meredith). “We’ve made significant progress in finding solutions to curb the substance abuse crisis in New Hampshire, passing strong legislation aimed at prevention, treatment and recovery. This legislation specifically addresses the need to strengthen the ability for law enforcement across the state to eliminate drug dealers, effectively reducing the deadly supply of heroin and fentanyl making its way into the hands of our citizens. We’ve seen impressive results thus far and I look forward to seeing Granite Hammer’s continued success.”

“As a Senator representing Nashua, one of the larger cities in New Hampshire that has been dealing with the heroin crisis, I am especially pleased to see the legislation expanding the Granite Hammer program pass both the House and Senate today,” said Senator Kevin Avard (R-Nashua). “This program brings more law enforcement officers into our communities to target drug dealers has proven to be extremely successful in a short amount of time. By increasing our efforts to target illicit drug activity, we effectively limit the supply of deadly substances on our streets, and we will continue to work towards ending this crisis once and for all.”

Bipartisan Senate, House leaders encourage strong, united support of drug interdiction bill; Legislators to vote on granite hammer program in session tomorrow

June 15, 2016 by in Press Releases, Uncategorized

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 15, 2016

Concord, NH – Today, House and Senate leaders, from both parties, came together to urge focused, unified support of increasing drug interdiction measures in cities and towns across New Hampshire.

“In the middle of the heroin and opioid crisis affecting our communities statewide, I look forward to making the most out of the opportunity we have been given to pass legislation to continue the Granite Hammer program that has successfully taken drug traffickers off of our streets. I strongly urge all legislators to set aside politics and do what’s right for the state by voting to pass this measure tomorrow which previously passed both bodies,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro)

“The Granite Hammer program began in Manchester and after only eight operations in the state’s largest city, police seized nearly 25,000 doses of heroin and made 94 arrests. The program has truly had a positive effect of eradicating drug dealers and lessening the supply of heroin in our communities, but the funds have run out to continue these efforts unless we act. Now is the time to make the responsible choice to do what is right for the state of New Hampshire and provide the resources to continue or expand drug interdiction efforts in our cities and towns. I urge full support of a clean bill tomorrow, without any additional amendments,” added Bradley.

“We are facing an unprecedented crisis in New Hampshire that is claiming lives on a daily basis. The law enforcement community has demonstrated an urgent and compelling need for this grant program, in order to continue operations that take drugs off the streets and put dealers and traffickers behind bars. The grants will be available to any law enforcement agency who demonstrates that their budgets are being strained by the volume of drug activity requiring enhanced investigations and operations. Evidence and data presented to the legislature suggests that recent operations are highly effective, taking tens of thousands of deadly addictive doses of opiates off the streets,” said House Majority Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack)

“The action by the legislature may have been unplanned, but we are acting within our rules, following precedent set by numerous legislatures before us, and fulfilling our duty to act on this important matter affecting every community in New Hampshire. It’s time to take our streets back from drug dealers, and this legislation helps us achieve that goal,” said Hinch.

“Combating the heroin and opioid crisis requires us to work together and put aside political games,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn (D-Dalton). “All year long, we have worked together on a comprehensive, bipartisan plan to combat this crisis ravaging communities and I am thankful that we are again coming together across party lines to take action on the Granite Hammer legislation, something that was originally proposed in Governor Hassan’s legislative package last fall. It is critical that we provide additional resources for our state and local law enforcement, who are battling this crisis on the front lines. I and my Democratic colleagues look forward to supporting a clean version of the Granite Hammer legislation tomorrow and getting it to the Governor’s desk as soon as possible so that we can do what’s best for our communities and the people of New Hampshire.”

House Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff (D-Concord) said that it was time to put partisan politics aside on this issue, “There is no question that people are dying from drug overdose every day on the streets of our state. This legislation is extremely important in our fight to keep opioids off the street and out of the hands of drug dealers. This is not a precedence setting vote by any means and the sooner we suspend the rules and pass this legislation, the better for our law enforcement community in their fight against drug dealers who prey upon those from all walks of life who are fighting drug addiction.”

WMUR: State expands drug courts to every county

June 14, 2016 by in In The News, Uncategorized

CONCORD, N.H. —The state is expanding the number of drug courts, and one will be in every county.

The courts have been around in a limited form for several years, and they rely on intensive supervision and personal responsibility to break the cycle of addiction. Those who have seen the program work said it changes lives and is an important weapon in battling the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire.

Gov. Maggie Hassan signed Senate Bill 464 into law Tuesday, establishing the drug courts in every county.

“We also know that offenders who leave jail or prison after a year have a 70 percent chance of re-offending,” Superior Court Chief Justice Tina Nadeau said. “Drug court graduates have a 22 percent chance.”

New Hampshire currently has drug courts in six counties. The oldest, in Strafford County, has been operating for 11 years. The new law provides almost $3 million to expand the courts to all 10 counties, including two in Hillsborough County.

Offenders selected for drug court stay out of jail, but it’s far from a free ride. They submit to constant supervision, including twice-weekly random drug testing, counseling, community service and education.

If someone in drug court breaks the rules, they could end up in jail. Following the rules earns rewards.

“The reason that I think drug courts work is that it involves personal responsibility,” Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley said. “People have to accept the intervention in their lives that drug courts mean.”

“It also helps reduce crime, and it saves taxpayer money,” Hassan said. “Drug courts help people return to their communities as contributing members of society.”

There are 192 people working their way through the existing drug court system. It takes about a year-and-a-half to complete the program.

“For the first time ever, they can have some control over their life and their choices, and they start making better choices, and they see the results,” Nadeau said.

Supporters of the program said it’s only one way to fight the heroin epidemic. They said law enforcement and drug treatment centers also need support to help addicts and take drugs and drug dealers off the streets.

Union Leader: Keeping addicts in court — and out of NH jails

June 14, 2016 by in In The News, Uncategorized

By KIMBERLY HOUGHTON – As New Hampshire grapples with the ongoing drug epidemic, officials are attempting to treat rather than incarcerate repeat criminal offenders battling with substance abuse.

On Tuesday, Gov. Maggie Hassan signed a bipartisan bill that establishes a $2.23 million statewide drug court program, and includes a provision to allow Manchester quick access to grant money to begin a drug court as soon as possible, if the county delegation approves.

Chris Overka, one of the first graduates of the Nashua Drug Court, met recently with local and state officials to share his success story and praise the program.

“The first thing I ever did with my dad was shoot heroin,” Overka told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen during a visit to Hillsborough County Superior Court South.

He was caught shoplifting about 25 times, but acknowledged that he stole probably on 1,000 occasions.

“People that were adults and in charge of me abused me and perpetuated the need for me to find relief through drugs and alcohol,” said Overka.

Prison only exacerbated the problem, he said. The Nashua drug court system held him accountable and acknowledged his progress, he said.

Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, one of the sponsors of Senate Bill 464, explained Tuesday that Senate Bill 464 provides more than $2 million in matching state grants for counties to establish new drug courts and expand existing ones, as well as creates a statewide coordinator to work with the courts to ensure that best practices are being implemented.

“You can’t change a decade of (drug) use with four weeks of intensive outpatient programs,” said Nellie Chancey, probation parole officer with the Nashua Drug Court.

Traditional court mandates may require outpatient treatment for about four weeks. However, the Nashua Drug Court may provide nine to 21 weeks of intensive outpatient therapy, along with one or two residential treatment stays, according to Chancey.

“I think the component that the drug court brings is really the level of treatment and supervision that high-need and high-risk offenders require,” she explained. “And we follow through after graduation. They continue on probation.”

Alex Casale will be the state coordinator for the program.

He currently holds that position in the Strafford County drug court. Senate Bill 464 also calls for the transfer of $40 million into the Rainy Day Fund this fiscal year.

– See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160615/NEWS21/160619581&source=RSS#sthash.nXR2Xsof.dpuf

Union Leader: Bradley again asks for state quarterly spending reports

June 13, 2016 by in Featured, In The News, Uncategorized

Staff Report– June, 13, 2006 -Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, repeated his request for the governor’s office to release quarterly spending reports for state departments. Technical issues have resulted in delays.

“I again request the quarterly spending reports be produced by the Executive Branch as soon as possible,” Bradley said in a statement last week. “The governor owes it to New Hampshire taxpayers to comply with the law and ensure that the new spending on the drug crisis, which the legislature has approved, is consistent with the budget and the revenue targets we adopted last fall. Without this information, we simply don’t know the answer to that question and how our state stands financially.”

State law, in legislation sponsored by Bradley, requires a quarterly spending report. The first was due March 31, and is more than two months late, Bradley said.

The state’s overall spending reports have been posted on the state’s transparency website since 2010.

Gov. Maggie Hassan’s office, in a letter to Bradley, said those reports have never been able to identify the mix of funds available in balance forward from a prior year due to technical issues related to the state Department of Administrative Services’ software system.

“At the time the legislation was introduced, department representatives made clear that it was unknown how easy or difficult it would be to produce reports with this information from scratch with no additional resources,” according to the governor’s office response.

The Department of Administrative Services is working to address the technical issues.

“While everyone agrees it is a worthwhile endeavor, isolating the mix of funds available in the system from the prior year has been a time-consuming, manual process,” the governor’s office said.

DAS plans to issue a report for expenditures through the month of May by the end of June.

– See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160614/NEWS0621/160619672/0/FRONTPAGE#sthash.NkQBB7dC.dpuf

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