The House was in session for three days the week of March 12, 2022 – it was grueling! In the end, we got a lot of good things accomplished, and I am delighted to rattle off some of those victories.
1) We voted to repeal HB-1165 – the Granite State Family Leave Plan – by a vote of 172-164. This was the program that got stuffed into the budget trailer bill last year that would provide a tax-payer paid-for benefit to the 11,000 state employees at a cost that is still unknown.
2) We passed (179-153) HB-1337, relative to the duration of time a person can draw unemployment benefits. This bill ties the maximum duration for drawing unemployment benefits to the unemployment rate. This would encourage people to get back into the workforce quicker and thereby also help reduce businesses unemployment insurance costs.
3) We passed HB-1194 (183-146) to make it more difficult for municipalities to override tax caps. This bill would require a 2/3 majority instead of a simple majority.
4) We also passed HB-1667 (205-127) to expand the definition of a veteran to include National Guardsmen and Reservists for the purposes of obtaining veterans tax credits.
5) We voted to protect NH residents who work remotely for out-of-state companies from having to pay taxes on their income by passing HB-1221 (177-141).
6) We passed HB-1459 (167-145) to begin establishing the proper mechanism for the recycling of solar panels.
7) We defeated multiple efforts to eliminate or gut Education Freedom Accounts – HB-1669, HB-1672, HB-1683). I think the key take-away is that Democrats HATE the idea of parents being able to make choices regarding their children’s education.
8) We passed several bills that regard parents’ rights. HB-1434 (availability of curricula materials), HB-1431 (Parents Bill of Rights), HB-1280 (vaccine freedom), and many others.
9) We passed several bills related to professional licensing. HB-1171 exempts certain niche beauty services from license requirements; HB-1330 relative to the board of registration of medical technicians; HB-1560 relative to non-resident licensure by the board of barbering, cosmetology, and esthetics. These are all designed to help people get going in their chosen professions. These unnecessary licensing requirements have proven to be great hindrances to the job market for many people.
10) We passed HB-1022 (183-159) permitting pharmacists to dispense Ivermectin via a standing order.
11) We passed HB-1439 so people will not be left alone to die in hospitals.
12) We passed several other bills related to medical freedom.
13) We passed a repeal of the “buffer zone law”.
14) And one of the most important victories – despite a ferocious attempt to completely repeal of dismantle the Fetal Life Protection Act, we passed on a voice vote to pass HB-1673 with an amendment that keeps the Act in place and clarifies the language pertaining to the ultrasound provision.