2020 NHMA Legislative Bulletin 04

Primary tabs

LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

An Apology

For anyone who received the print version of last week’s Bulletin, we acknowledge that it was a mess. The new software that we thought was going to make production faster and appearance better had exactly the opposite effects. We apologize for the messy product you received. We are reasonably confident that we have fixed all the problems, so it should not happen again. Thank you for your patience!

A Boatload of Hearings

Yes, a boatload. That’s how many committee hearings are scheduled for next week, and it seems like every one of them involves a bill that will affect municipalities. It also appears that many of them would increase costs for municipalities and impose additional burdens on local officials.

It is impossible to write extensively on each bill, so the following articles will summarize them. There is some very important stuff, so please read the bills for more details, and contact NHMA’s government affairs staff if you have questions. Attendance and testimony at all hearings are strongly encouraged!

PFAS Standards and Funding

Legislation is moving forward in both the House and the Senate on standards for four perfluorochemicals, commonly referred to as PFAS.

In the Senate: This week the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on amendment 2020-0040s to SB 287, which places in statute the PFAS standards that the Department of Environmental Services (DES) enacted by administrative rules effective September 30, 2019. As we mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, those rules are currently being litigated due in part to the inadequate cost/benefit analysis conducted in the rulemaking process. This amendment would supersede the requirement in RSA 485:3 that drinking water standards be determined through rule-making, and therefore may end the lawsuit.

NHMA did not testify in opposition to the amendment. We urged the committee to consider a more comprehensive amendment by adding some level of state funding for PFAS remediation and mitigation. During the executive session a motion was made to do just that – to add SB 496, a PFAS funding bill and NHMA policy, to the amendment dealing with the standards. The senator making the motion noted that it’s “far easier to pass legislative policy than it is to pass funding for legislative policy” and that the standards and the state funding should be married into one bill. After further debate and concerns about SB 496 not yet having had a proper hearing, the amendment to place the standards in statute passed by a unanimous vote of the committee without any funding provision.

However, SB 496 itself is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, January 21, at 9:00 a.m. in State House Room 103. This bill provides that the state will pay 40 percent of any capital costs and 40 percent of any disposal costs required to comply with the new state PFAS standards. An additional 10 percent contribution will.be provided if the cost of compliance would result in user fees that are 20 percent above the statewide average for residential customers.

Municipal officials who are currently addressing PFAS remediation and experiencing associated cost increases at their water and wastewater facilities are urged to attend this hearing to explain the financial impacts on utility ratepayers and property taxpayers. Please let us know if you are planning to attend the hearing, and provide us with copies of any written testimony you intend to submit. If you are unable to attend the hearing, we are happy to submit written testimony on your behalf. Please email us at governmentaffairs@nhmunicipal.org.

In the House: Also this week, the Resources, Recreation and Development Committee held a hearing on a House PFAS funding bill – HB 1603. This bill establishes a revolving loan program dedicated to PFAS remediation and mitigation and funds that program from money received by the state from lawsuits or settlements with PFAS manufacturers. The program would be administered similarly to the state aid grant (SAG) program for wastewater projects, with low-interest loans issued by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for projects addressing PFAS contamination. A subcommittee work session on HB 1603 is scheduled on Tuesday, January 21, at 1:00 p.m. in LOB Room 305 to explore making the bill more comprehensive. We will continue emphasizing the importance of state funding, and, as with SB 496, please let us know if you are planning to attend the work session.

Retirement Bills

Several bills dealing with benefits provided by the New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS), and other retirement issues, are scheduled for hearings next week before the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee:

HB 1205, which would change the time of the 10% NHRS pension reduction from age 65 to the member’s full retirement age under Social Security (up to age 67 depending on year of birth), has a hearing on Wednesday, January 22, at 2:30 p.m. in LOB 306. The fiscal note for this bill estimates the cost to be approximately $37 million, which will increase both the current $5 billion unfunded liability of the system and the employer contribution rates on group I members (teachers and employees) over the next 20 years as that cost is paid off. (This bill does not affect group II police and firefighters since they do not pay into Social Security or receive benefits.) The bill as written applies only to those group I members who retire on or after July 1, 2020.

HB 1341 proposes to reverse several of the group II retirement reforms enacted in 2011 by making those reforms apply only to new hires or to those who vest after July 1, 2021, rather than July 1, 2012. The fiscal note for this bill states that the proposed changes will increase the unfunded liability by approximately $142 million, which, similar to HB 1205, will be paid by employers over the next 20 years through increased contribution rates for group II members (police and firefighters). We understand that an amendment may be offered to curtail some of the proposed changes in the original bill, resulting in a less costly proposal. However, with the NHRS only 63% funded (meaning the assets currently cover only 63% of the liabilities), we are seriously concerned with any legislation that increases rather than decreases the system’s unfunded liabilities. The hearing on HB 1341 is scheduled for Thursday, January 23, at 2:00 p.m. in LOB Room 306.

HB 1235 establishes a 5-member legislative committee to study the history of NHRS benefits and the effect of pension amounts on workforce recruitment and retention for public employers. The bill also appropriates $100,000 for the committee’s use. A report of the committee’s findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation are due on or before November 1, 2020. The hearing on HB 1235 is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, at 11:00 a.m. in LOB Room 306.

HB 1447 revises the penalty for an NHRS retiree who exceeds the maximum allowable hours (1,352) during a calendar year in part-time work for a retirement system employer. Currently, the penalty is a 12-month forfeiture of the retiree’s pension. The bill proposes a penalty equal to a 23% reduction from compensation paid to the retiree for part-time work during the remainder of a calendar year, with that amount remitted to NHRS. The hearing on HB 1447 is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, at 10:00 a.m. in LOB 306.

Municipal officials are urged to contact members of the Executive Departments and Administration Committee, and their own representatives, to explain the how retirement system costs currently affect municipal budgets and to encourage restraint in increasing the NHRS unfunded liability by opposing bills such as HB 1341 and HB 1205 that increase pension benefits.

Affordable Housing Bills

On Tuesday, the House Municipal and County Government Committee will hold hearings on two bills that are intended to address New Hampshire’s affordable housing crisis. Both were produced by a task force created by Governor Sununu last year.

HB 1629 proposes numerous changes to the planning and zoning statutes. These include:

requiring all new planning and zoning board members to receive training and pass a test developed by the Office of Strategic Initiatives within a year after assuming office;
requiring that all fees charged by a municipality for land use applications be published in an accessible location;
requiring a municipality to allow a density bonus for all types of housing if it allows such a bonus for elderly housing;
allowing a municipality to make inclusionary zoning mandatory;
requiring boards to provide specific written findings of fact to support any disapproval of an application;
requiring the ZBA to approve or disapprove an application within 90 days of receipt;
eliminating the planning board’s ability to extend the existing 65-day deadline for approving or disapproving a completed application;
giving appeals from planning and zoning board decisions priority on the superior court’s calendar and requiring the court to issue a final decision within 120 days;
allowing the court to require an appealing party to file a bond to indemnify the appellee from damages that may be sustained in case the decision is affirmed; and
allowing the court to award attorney fees and costs to the prevailing party.

HB 1632 would provide financial incentives for affordable housing and allow municipalities to expand some existing programs to provide further incentives. These include:

allowing the use of tax increment finance (TIF) districts for the construction of affordable housing;
allowing a longer period of tax relief for affordable housing development under RSA 79-E, the community revitalization tax relief incentive;
creating a business profits tax deduction for income derived from construction of affordable housing;
reducing the real estate transfer tax for first-time home buyers; and
creating a “New Hampshire housing champion” program under which business profits tax revenue derived from affordable housing in a municipality would be distributed to that municipality if it has adopted certain land use provisions that promote the development of affordable housing.

NHMA wants to cooperate to address the problem of affordable housing, and there is much to like in these bills, but we also have concerns, primarily with HB 1629. Most significantly, our members have made it very clear that they oppose mandatory training and testing requirements. We will ask that that requirement be deleted, and will offer suggestions on many of the other provisions. If you have suggestions, please let us know. We expect HB 1629 to be referred to a subcommittee for careful review, and we will plan to participate at the subcommittee level.

The hearing on HB 1629 is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, at 9:30 a.m., in LOB Room 301, before the Municipal & County Government Committee. The hearing on HB 1632 is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the same day in the same room.

Significant Changes to Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining

The House Labor Committee has several hearings on Thursday, January 23, on bills that would make significant changes to the public employee labor relations law. All of these are troubling, and NHMA will oppose them all. All hearings are in LOB Room 307.

10:00 a.m. – HB 1181 would authorize the Public Employee Labor Relations Board (PELRB) to award damages for pain and suffering in any proceeding based on a claimed unfair labor practice. This would significantly increase the cost of litigating unfair labor practice claims and involve the board in an area that is well outside its expertise. The PELRB is an administrative body whose limited role is to award remedies for labor violations in the form of reinstatement with back pay; it is not a court for litigation of personal injury claims.

10:30 a.m. – HB 1290 would allow public employees to vote by mail in any election to certify a union as the representative of a bargaining unit. This would remove the protections of the existing election process, which is controlled carefully to ensure fairness and avoid intimidation.

11:30 a.m. – HB 1399 would allow for a “card check” process, under which the PELRB would certify a union as the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit upon receipt of “a written majority authorization for the purpose of collective bargaining of all the employees in the bargaining unit.” This goes even further than HB 1290, essentially creating a secret election with no opportunity for any views to be presented other than those of the individuals circulating the petition. A similar law was enacted in 2007 and repealed in 2011.

Please consider attending these hearings and/or contacting members of the Labor Committee to express your concerns about these bills.

Net Metering Day

For the last two years, NHMA has supported legislation that would raise to five megawatts (from one megawatt) the capacity limit for a customer-generator to participate in net energy metering. Those bills have passed the legislature but have been vetoed by the governor. Just last week the House passed yet another bill, SB 159, that is essentially identical to the bill the governor vetoed last year, HB 365.

We expect another veto, but supporters of net metering are not giving up. The House Science, Technology & Energy Committee has hearings all day next Wednesday, January 22, in LOB Room 304, on bills that would, to varying degrees, allow for greater net metering.

NHMA will support HB 1218, which is similar to SB 159 and HB 365, and is scheduled for the first hearing, at 9:00 a.m. We also will support HB 1225, scheduled for the last hearing of the day, at 2:45 p.m. That bill also would allow net metering for up to five megawatts of capacity, but only for a “municipal hydroelectric facility.” To our knowledge, the only planned or existing facility in the state that would qualify is in Nashua, so this is of limited use—but it would be a big deal for Nashua.

This is complicated stuff, and we do not claim expertise in this area. We are not taking a position on the four other bills at this point; we will wait to learn more.

If your municipality has plans for net metering, or if you just want to have the possibility of reducing your energy costs in the future, please contact your representatives and members of the Science, Technology & Energy Committee and urge them to support HB 1218 and HB 1225.

Hotel Occupancy Fee

On Wednesday, January 22, at 10:00 a.m., in LOB 301, the House Municipal and County Government Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1160, an NHMA policy bill that authorizes municipalities to assess up to a $2 fee per night on room rentals. The revenue raised from this fee would be placed in a capital reserve fund, tourism support fund, revolving fund, or special revenue fund as determined by the legislative body at the time the local option fee is enacted, and used to augment funding for municipal services associated with increased tourism and transient traffic. Municipalities interested in HB 1160 should attend the hearing or submit written testimony in support of the bill to members of the Municipal and County Government Committee.

Seven Right-to-Know Bills Scheduled for Tuesday

The House Judiciary Committee is taking up seven Right-to-Know Law bills on Tuesday, January 21, beginning at 10:00 a.m. These bills are a mixed bag: some are good, some bad, and some in between. We encourage municipal officials with an interest in the Right-to-Know Law to attend the hearings.

HB 1169 – eliminates the roll call vote requirement when one or more members of a public body are participating in a meeting electronically.
HB 1170 – adds a definition for the phrase “reasonably described” as used in RSA 91-A. The existing statute requires that a request for records must reasonably describe the records requested.
HB 1202 – modifies the requirements for public bodies entering non-public session under the “reputation” exception. It requires that the person to be discussed be notified in writing at least 48 hours in advance and be afforded the opportunity to be present with or without an attorney or other representative; it also gives that person the right to speak and to record the non-public session.
HB 1307 – gives public agencies the ability to charge personnel costs – up the actual salary and benefits of the personnel required – to retrieve and produce records when a single requestor asks for records that require more than 5 person-hours to produce in a calendar month.
HB 1325 – requires that public bodies maintain a list of dates and times of all nonpublic sessions for which minutes are sealed, the specific exception that was the basis for entering nonpublic session, the date of the decision to withhold the minutes from public disclosure, and the date of any subsequent decision to make the minutes available.
HB 1559 – limits the sealing of minutes of nonpublic sessions to one year, unless an annual revote to seal takes place.
HB 1689 – requires minutes of nonpublic sessions to be verbatim.

We encourage you to contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and your own representatives, especially if they are members of the committee, to express your opinion on these bills.

The Ombudsman Cometh—Again

For the third year in a row, there is a bill to create an ombudsman to resolve Right-to-Know Law complaints in a less formal manner than a superior court trial. For the past two years, the Senate has passed such a bill, but it has died in the House.

SB 696 is a bit different from previous bills. It does not include the establishment of a “citizens’ right-to-know commission,” as all the others did. We always thought that commission would be unnecessary at best. The ombudsman idea, on the other hand, is not a bad one. Under the bill, anyone who believes there has been a Right-to-Know Law violation could file a complaint with the ombudsman, rather than with the superior court, and the public body or agency would have 20 days to file a response. The ombudsman would then hold a hearing and issue a ruling within 30 days.

The ombudsman’s decision could be appealed to the superior court, and the court’s review would be de novo. It is hoped, however, that there would be few appeals, with the result that both sides spend less time and less money on litigation. The ombudsman must be a member of the New Hampshire bar with a minimum of five years of full-time experience and be knowledgeable about the Right-to-Know Law and similar laws in other states.

SB 696 is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee next Thursday, January 23, at 1:15 p.m. in LOB Room 101.

The End of Perambulation?

Another idea makes a return appearance in the form of HB 1441, which would repeal the requirement in RSA 51:2 that town selectmen perambulate the town boundaries every seven years. Under the bill, the lines would be perambulated “as often as the selectmen determine is necessary.” NHMA supports HB 1441.

Perambulation is, admittedly, one of those odd-but-charming traditions that make New Hampshire special. We have nothing against odd-but-charming traditions, as long as they don’t come in the form of state mandates with penalties attached. Legislation to repeal the requirement was introduced in 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2017 the Senate passed the bill, but the House killed it because—well, because we’ve always done it that way.

We did some research in 2017 and found that no other state requires routine perambulation. Only Massachusetts comes close, requiring that “the boundary markers of every town shall be located, the marks thereon renewed, and the year located marked upon the face thereof which bears the letter of the town locating its boundary, once every five years.” Two other New England states—Maine and Connecticut—repealed their perambulation requirements years ago, Connecticut in the 1970s and Maine in 2003. When we asked our colleagues in Vermont and Rhode Island about it, they replied, “What’s perambulation?” No state outside New England has ever required perambulation. And yet, town boundary skirmishes are remarkably rare in this country.

And what about perambulation of the state’s boundaries? RSA 1:1—yes, the first law in the state code—says that the state’s borders with Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont “shall be perambulated and the bounds renewed whenever necessary.” Imagine that!

If the “whenever necessary standard” works for the state, why can’t it work for municipalities? HB 1441 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Municipal & County Government Committee on Wednesday, January 22, at 11:00 a.m. in LOB Room 301. Please urge members of the committee to bring us into the 21^st century, or at least the 20^th, by recommending the bill as Ought to Pass.

House Calendar

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020

ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
1:30 p.m.	HB 1457-FN-L, requiring election officers and supervisors of the checklist to visit skilled nursing facilities and elderly and disabled residences within their jurisdiction for the purpose of assisting with voter registration and casting absentee ballots.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1534, establishing a commission to study the creation of online voter registration for the 2022 state elections.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1122-FN, relative to death benefits of first responders who die from suicide.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1494-FN, relative to death benefits for public works heavy equipment operators killed in the line of duty, and relative to workers’ compensation offsets for certain retirement system benefits.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1550-FN, extending accidental death benefits for group II members of the retirement system suffering from heart attacks.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1204-FN, relative to the emergency exception for limitations on part-time employment within the New Hampshire retirement system.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1634-FN, relative to certain additional part-time employment of retirees in the retirement system.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1580-FN, regulating the use of drones.

JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1169, relative to requiring a roll call vote when one member of a public body participates electronically.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1170, adding a definition of “reasonably described” to the right-to-know law.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1202-L, relative to matters discussed in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1307-FN, relative to the cost of production of records under the right-to-know law.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1325-FN-L, relative to minutes and decisions in nonpublic sessions under the right-to-know law.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1559, relative to sealing records in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1689-FN, relative to the minutes in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.

MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Rooms 301-303, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1629-FN, relative to training and procedures for zoning and planning boards.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1632-FN-A-L, relative to financial investments and incentives for affordable housing development.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1248-L, relative to community revitalization tax relief incentives.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1631-FN-L, relative to taxation of certain hydro-electric generation facilities.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1158, relative to the adoption of bylaws and ordinances by municipalities.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1276, relative to ex-officio members of budget committees and planning boards.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1277-FN-L, requiring notice to owners of dogs that have failed to license their dog or renew their dog license.

PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS, Room 201, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1650-FN-A-L, establishing a road usage registration fee and making an appropriation therefor.
1:15 p.m.	HB 1649-FN-A, establishing a road usage fee and making an appropriation therefor. NHMA Policy.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020

ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1395, establishing a committee to study ballot access and ways to improve civic engagement in New Hampshire.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1672-FN, allowing voters to vote by absentee ballot.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1279, relative to the terms resident, inhabitant, residence, and residency.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1653-FN, relative to domicile, residency, voter registration, and investigation of voter verification letters.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1447-FN, relative to penalties for retired members of the retirement system exceeding part-time hourly limit.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1235-A, establishing a committee to study ensuring workforce maintenance through enhancement of the retirement system, and making an appropriation therefor.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1205-FN, relative to the reduction in the calculation of state retirement system annuities at age 65. NHMA Policy to Oppose.
3:00 p.m.	HB 1714, relative to ratification of amendments to the state building code and state fire code.

MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1392, relative to the procedure for filing federal tax liens.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1160-L, allowing municipalities to collect an occupancy fee from operators of local room rentals. NHMA Policy.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1441, relative to the perambulation of town lines.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1443, relative to the city of Claremont police commission.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 304, LOB
9:00 a.m.	HB 1218-FN, relative to net energy metering and limits for customer generators. NHMA Policy.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1481, relative to the net metering cap for customer-generators.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1262, relative to the purchase of output of limited electrical energy producers.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1515, relative to group host net energy metering.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1402, establishing procedures for municipal host customer-generators of electrical energy.
2:45 p.m.	HB 1225, allowing increased net energy metering limits for municipal hydroelectric facilities.

TRANSPORTATION, Room 203, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1612-FN, relative to utility terrain vehicle operation on roads.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1182, establishing a commission to study road usage by non-traditional motor vehicles.

WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1579-FN, relative to collection of tax for short-term rentals under the meals and rooms tax.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
11:00 a.m.	HB 1174, requiring screening for all law enforcement officers for psychological stability and substance use disorders prior to assuming their duties as certified officers.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
2:00 p.m.	HB 1341-FN-A, relative to vested status of group II members in the state retirement system. NHMA Policy to Oppose.

JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
10:20 a.m.	HB 1133-FN, relative to violations of constitutional rights
11:15 a.m.	HB 1673-FN, relative to the definition of “public body” under the right-to-know law.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1607-FN, relative to liability for wrongful acts in an employer/employee relationship.

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1181-FN, allowing the New Hampshire public employer labor relations board to award pain and suffering damages.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1290-FN, relative to public employee labor relations and collective bargaining.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1543, relative to employee drug testing.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1399, relative to the establishment of public employee bargaining units.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
10:30 a.m.	HB 1665-FN-A, establishing an independent redistricting commission.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1390, relative to access to ballots and verification counts of machine-counted ballots.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 304, LOB
1:30 p.m.	HB 1661-FN-L, relative to the exemption from property taxes for water and air pollution control facilities.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

RESOURCES, RECREATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Room 201, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1316, relative to OHRV trails known as “Ride the Wilds.”
11:45 a.m.	HB 1426, requiring an off highway recreational vehicle club to have certain tests performed on a rail trail prior to use as an OHRV trail.
2:15 p.m.	HB 1165, prohibiting ATVs on a rail trail in Gorham.

TRANSPORTATION, Room 203, LOB
9:00 a.m.	HB 1156, establishing a committee to study minimizing the use of public roads in the OHRV trail system known as Ride the Wilds in Coos county.
10:15 a.m.	HB 1438, permitting OHRVs on certain public ways.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1427, removing the authorization for OHRV use on certain sections of state highway.

Senate Calendar

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Room 103, SH
9:00 a.m.	SB 496-FN, relative to municipal water pollution control.
9:30 a.m.	SB 491, relative to shoreland water quality.
9:50 a.m.	SB 428, relative to notifications to the rivers coordinator of state agency actions affecting rivers.

TRANSPORTATION, Room 103, LOB
1:00 p.m.	SB 414, changing the formula for the distribution of highway funds in the Woodsville fire district.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020

COMMERCE, Room 100, SH
1:15 p.m.	SB 618-FN, requiring employers to provide access to a sufficient space for nursing mothers and reasonable break time.

ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 102, LOB
9:15 a.m.	SB 485, relative to the disqualification of certain persons from performing duties as an election official.
9:45 a.m.	SB 422, relative to changes of registration of voters at primary elections.
10:45 a.m.	SB 423, relative to the election of charter commission members.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 101, LOB
9:20 a.m.	SB 637-FN, relative to fraud and errors in records of the retirement system.
9:35 a.m.	SB 635-FN-A, establishing the lakes region development authority.
10:00 a.m.	SB 638-FN, establishing the New Hampshire housing and conservation planning program.
10:45 a.m.	SB 632, relative to enforcement of the state building code by municipalities and the state fire marshal.

WAYS AND MEANS, Room 100, SH
10:00 a.m.	SB 617-FN, relative to a voluntary additional charge in the registry of deeds used to support the land and community heritage investment program (LCHIP), and establishing a committee to study the economic impact of land conservation and to review the LCHIP surcharge to the land and community heritage investment program.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 101, LOB
1:15 p.m.	SB 696-FN-A, establishing the office of the right-to-know ombudsman and making an appropriation therefor.

JUDICIARY, Room 100, SH
10:00 a.m.	SB 469, relative to shooting ranges.

New Senate Bills

SB 410-FN sets the minimum hourly rate paid to employees. Sen. Soucy of Manchester; COM-S.

SB 618-FN requires employers to provide access to a sufficient space and a reasonable break period for nursing mothers to express milk during working hours. Sen. Fuller Clark of Portsmouth; COM-S.

SB 624-FN-LOCAL permits a school to establish an armed school marshal program and requires the police standards and training council to develop a curriculum for training school marshals. Sen. Morgan of Brentwood; EDUC-S.

SB 628-FN allows the department of environmental services to take emergency actions to correct hazardous dams. Sen. Giuda of Warren; ENR.

SB 629-FN establishes a solid waste reduction management fund and establishes a solid waste disposal surcharge. Sen. Watters of Dover; ENR.

SB 630-FN clarifies the circumstances under which the supervisors of the checklist may remove a person from the checklist without sending notice by mail. Sen. Chandley of Amherst; EL&MA.

SB 631-FN authorizes online voter registration. Sen. Levesque of Brookline; EL&MA.

SB 632 permits a municipality that has a local enforcement mechanism for the state building code to request that the state fire marshal issue the building permit for a project that requires the specialized knowledge of the fire marshal or due to staffing limitations of the municipality. Sen. Ward of Stoddard; ED&A-S.

SB 635-FN-A establishes the lakes region development authority to implement the redevelopment master plan prepared by the lakeshore redevelopment planning commission. Sen. Morse of Salem; ED&A-S.

SB 637-FN clarifies the New Hampshire retirement system’s protection against fraud and error in its records. Sen. Hennessey of Hanover; ED&A-S.

SB 638-FN establishes a housing and conservation planning program in the office of strategic initiatives. Sen. Fuller Clark of Portsmouth; ED&A-S.

SB 641-FN establishes the per and polyfluoroalkyl substances fund and enables the department of environmental services to make grants, loans, contracts, and reimbursements from the fund for projects related to PFAS remediation. Sen. Morse of Salem; FIN-S.

SB 651-FN prohibits collective bargaining agreements that require employees to join or contribute to a labor union. Sen. French of Franklin; JUD-S.

SB 659-FN requires owners of vehicles seeking agricultural or farm registrations to provide, upon request, certain tax filings to town and city clerks in order to obtain such registrations. Sen. Carson of Londonderry; TRANS-S.

SB 667-LOCAL increases the maximum optional fee for transportation improvements that may be charged by municipalities when collecting motor vehicle registration fees. Sen. Fuller Clark of Portsmouth; EL&MA. NHMA Policy.

SB 694-FN-A requires the department of information technology to adopt minimum cybersecurity standards for political subdivisions and requires political subdivisions to report their level of adherence to the standards. Sen. Dietsch of Peterborough; EL&MA.

SB 695-FN repeals the authorization of the secretary of state to share voter information through the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program and requires the secretary of state to enter into an agreement with the Electronic Registration Information Center to share voter information. Sen. Levesque of Brookline; EL&MA.

SB 696-FN-A establishes the office of the right-to-know ombudsman and establishes an alternative process to resolve right-to-know complaints. Sen. Giuda of Warren; ED&A-S.

SB 713-FN allows municipalities to have municipal winter maintenance programs to be certified by the department of environmental services. Sen. Morse of Salem; ENR.

SB 717-FN-LOCAL suspends the state’s obligation to reimburse municipalities when they provide public assistance as a result of the state’s delay in processing state assistance within federally mandated time periods. Sen. Gray of Rochester; HHS.

SB 721-FN-A eliminates the housing appeals board and modifies the deadline for superior court action on appeals from the zoning board of adjustment. Sen. Dietsch of Peterborough; JUD-S.

SB 723-FN-LOCAL exempts intrastate drivers from maximum driving time requirements while engaged in emergency winter highway maintenance for the state or a political subdivision. Sen. Birdsell of Hampstead; TRANS-S.

SB 728-FN establishes a coastal program to be administered by the department of environmental services. Sen. Watters of Dover; ENR.

SB 735-FN repeals the housing appeals board. Sen. Birdsell of Hampstead; JUD-S.

2020 NHMA Upcoming Member Events

Jan. 20	Martin Luther King Day (NHMA Offices Closed)
Jan. 29	*Webinar:* Is Recycling Still Worthwhile in New Hampshire?
Feb. 12	*Webinar:* The Role of Municipalities in Asbestos Regulation Today!
Feb. 15	2020 Moderator’s Workshop for Traditional Meeting (NHMA Offices, Concord)
Feb. 17	President’s Day (NHMA Offices, Closed)
To register for an upcoming event, go to our website and click on the Events & Training tab at the top to access the Full Calendar. For more information, please call NHMA’s Workshop registration line: (603) 230-3350.