NH GOP Senate

09/24/2018

Chuck Morse: Republicans are focused on issues important to Granite Staters
By CHUCK MORSE

SINCE ESTABLISHING legislative majorities and the corner office, Republicans have consistently delivered on their promises and have made New Hampshire a better place to live, work and raise a family. For starters, we have balanced the budget and increased funding for priorities while also cutting taxes to help grow New Hampshire's economy.

The current budget increased funding to fight the opioid epidemic by 64 percent, added resources to fight the mental health crisis, and made critical reforms at the state agency responsible for caring for our most vulnerable children. That same budget also increased funding for the developmentally disabled waiting list by $57 million, repealed the electric consumption tax to help all ratepayers, and tripled the state's Rainy Day Fund to a balance of over $100 million.

Sadly, our Democratic colleagues in the Senate failed to support these key reforms and funding priorities for New Hampshire.

In addition to protecting Granite State taxpayers while helping those most in need, we have increased access to education, as towns across the state will have the opportunity to receive funding for full-day kindergarten for the first time in state history. A new scholarship program has been established to help reduce student debt for New Hampshire students attending New Hampshire colleges. We have also sent $29 million to local school districts for infrastructure projects with $10 million of that dedicated to improve security in schools. Education reforms have been a result of Republican leadership from Gov. Chris Sununu and the Legislature.

Despite Democrats pushing for full-day kindergarten for years without a funding source, a majority of Senate Democrats voted against full-day kindergarten for children, a disappointing flip-flop on the issue.

Under Republican leadership, $36.8 million has been returned to cities and towns for road and bridge projects and $30 million was appropriated to more quickly address the state's red-listed bridges.

New Hampshire's strong economic growth and high quality of life are not just talking points. The results speak for themselves. US News and World Report and USA Today consistently rank New Hampshire as a top state for economic opportunity, second best in K-12 education, first overall for child well-being, the third-best state to raise a family and fourth overall for quality of life. And New Hampshire currently has the lowest unemployment rate on record.

Last week, the New Hampshire Senate Democrats laid out their legislative agenda for the upcoming session. Despite the rhetoric in their press conference, all of the evidence would lead Granite State voters to believe that Senate Democrats will revert to the same failed policies the last time they held legislative majorities.

When the Democrats were in charge in Concord, they implemented or increased over 100 taxes and fees. This included the disastrous LLC income tax on small businesses and raiding the state's Rainy Day Fund as a tool to close a projected $800 million budget deficit of their own making. Instead of fostering economic policies to promote growth and job creation, Senate Democrats raised the cost of living during the worst recession since the Great Depression resulting in higher taxes, over regulation and putting the state in a shaky financial position.

Democrats in Concord have sponsored legislation to increase capital gains taxes, business taxes, gasoline taxes, taxes on your paint, and even to paddle a canoe. The last budget they wrote downshifted costs to cities and towns causing a spike in property taxes.

While Senate Democrats at best ignored the problems at the Division of Children Youth and Families, Republicans have repeatedly led on this important issue. Republicans supported a budget that added case workers at DCYF, established the Office of the Child Advocate, and reformed how reports of abuse and neglect are maintained to further protect children. Instead of supporting these robust reforms at DCYF, Senate Democrats disappointingly voted as a block to oppose the budget to score political points.

Senate Democrats can outline all the free handouts they want that sound great for their campaign clips and literature, but the Republican majorities have delivered the results Granite Staters have been looking for. A Republican Senate will live within our means, continue to make New Hampshire more attractive for businesses, attract higher paying jobs, and will always protect taxpayers. The difference is clear.

Republicans have delivered on our promises and will continue to make New Hampshire the best place to live, work and raise a family.


Chuck Morse, R-Salem, is President of the New Hampshire Senate.

09/05/2018

We are glad to see our hard work & strong republican leadership is paying off as New Hampshire's economy ranks 4th best nationally according to USA Today....

4. New Hampshire

5 yr. GDP annual growth rate: +1.6% (21st largest increase)

2017 GDP: $70.5 billion (12th smallest)

June 2018 Unemployment: 2.7% (tied -- 3rd lowest)

5 yr. annual employment growth: +1.1% (24th largest increase)

New Hampshire's state economy ranks fourth best in the nation, not as much for economic growth -- its GDP growth was slightly slower than national average over the last five years -- but rather due to general prosperity and stability. The state has a nation-lowest poverty rate at 7.3%, which is just over half the national poverty rate. Unemployment is one of the major drivers of poverty, and the state's unemployment rate of 2.7% is among the lowest of any state.

24/7 Wall Street reviewed economic growth, poverty, unemployment, job growth, and college attainment rates to compare and rank state economies.

07/16/2018

New voter residency law good for all Granite Staters

By Sen. Regina Birdsell and Sen. James Gray

After the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill aligning the definition of residence, residency, inhabitant and domicile for voting purposes (HB 1264) Gov. Sununu requested an advisory opinion from the state Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the legislation. On Thursday, the New Hampshire Supreme Court offered their opinion that the new law would be constitutional if signed into law.

It is important to recognize that from the beginning opponents of the legislation were throwing baseless claims of unconstitutionality, calling the removal of four words from current statute a post-election poll tax. The Supreme Court opinion clearly knocks down these claims as arguments that “misconstrue the purpose and effect of HB 1264.” In our view, any rhetoric that suggests HB 1264 will make it more difficult for students to vote does far more to disenfranchise voters.

The legislation is clear and concise. The intent is to clarify our laws and to level the playing field for everyone voting in New Hampshire so some people do not have to abide by one set of rules while others play by their own. No single person is disenfranchised by this law and we would never support a law that disenfranchised a legal voter. Anyone who has previously voted here will continue to be able to vote and there are no added barriers for students, the elderly or members of the military, as claimed by opponents.

By ensuring every person who chooses New Hampshire as their domicile for voting purposes is subject to the same laws as every other resident of the state, we can finally align our voting laws with 49 other states, including our neighbors Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. More important than bringing our election laws in line with the rest of the country, HB 1264 will clarify and simplify voter eligibility laws reducing the confusion that exists today. Anyone who casts a ballot in a New Hampshire community should have a vested interest in that community, plain and simple.

A voter ID law was passed in 2011 and opponents of the legislation rallied around unfounded claims that it would disenfranchise voters, but the opposite has been true. Since then, New Hampshire has increased voter participation and we suggest this bill, HB 1264, will have the same effect.

New Hampshire House, Senate and county races are regularly won or lost by one, two or three votes. This is reason enough to be smart and vigilant in making sure everyone who can legally vote in the state has the opportunity to do so and those who only want to claim domicile for voting purposes live by the same rules as all others who vote here. The Supreme Court agrees with our opinion that the state has a compelling interest in “insuring that those allowed to vote in this state share a community of interest with the population generally.”

Further, the Supreme Court opinion insists “insuring a community of interest among voters and residents promotes confidence in political outcomes and guards against a distortion of the political community.”

We are hopeful the Supreme Court advisory opinion that this legislation is constitutional will lay to rest the false narrative and scare tactics being employed to fear monger and dissuade people from voting. Those claiming this law would have a “chilling” effect on voters better start warming up to the idea that this bill is constitutional and good for New Hampshire.

We are very proud of the work that has been done by the House and the Senate to get this important piece of legislation to the desk of Gov. Sununu. We continue to believe that bringing more integrity and accountability to the voting booth will create a stronger New Hampshire for all who call the Granite State home.

Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, and Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, are respectively the chair and vice chair of the Senate Election Law and Internal Affairs Committee.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180715/new-voter-residency-law-good-for-all-granite-staters

04/26/2018

In Today's New Hampshire Union Leader : Senator Chuck Morse: Too many questions remain about family leave

ON THURSDAY, the Senate will vote on a paid family medical leave insurance program, HB 628.

The initiative, while well intentioned, will end up creating more problems than it solves.

The costs are unknown, it has never been subjected to an independent actuarial analysis, it is voluntary in name only, and it could easily lead to an income tax.

Many of the most important questions related to how this program would function have no definitive answers — including, how much will the program cost to run?

Initially the startup cost was pegged at $10 million, then jumped to $20 million and now it is $50 million with more than 40 new employees needed at a cost of $6 million per year just to run the system.

When ardent supporters of paid family leave cite the Jeffrey Hayes study for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, they neglect to mention it was commissioned by an organization that supports the program. Rather than relying on a study published by supporters, an independent actuarial analysis should be conducted before such a program is established. No one would ever think of making changes to the state’s pension system based on an actuarial analysis done by either a taxpayer group or a union, but for some reason we are going to do that with this program.

Let’s not forget that the Commissioners of Employment Security and Insurance, both of whom were nominated and reappointed by Democratic governors, say the same thing:

“(W)ithout an independent actuarial analysis of an optional paid leave program, the departments cannot certify to the Legislature or the governor that the paid leave program created by HB 628 would be solvent, and thus be there for program participants who had come to rely upon it.”

Even Hayes, whose study supporters cite, was quoted last week as saying that given what is in HB 628, another analysis is a “great idea.”

What happens if, or more likely when, the fund goes insolvent?

There is no safety valve in place with a plan for when the fund runs out of money. Who would pay to bail out the fund? It would require some other form of funding to maintain the program that many would be relying on. Supporters argue this version would not lead to an income tax but I honestly cannot see how it would not.

Additionally, repeating over and over again that this is a “voluntary program” will not make it so. As proposed, employees will have one and only one cumbersome opportunity that requires a notary to opt-out of the program and then they are in for good. If they wish to leave the program at a later date they better be ready to quit their job or retire because that is the only other way out.

The only thing more ridiculous than a one-time opportunity to opt-out is the overly burdensome process to opt-out in the first place. Requiring an employee to provide a notarized document as part of the process serves as nothing more than a way to force people into the system and make it more difficult for them to not participate.

We as Granite Staters take pride in the fact that we do not have an income tax. Yet, the family leave program before us could lead to a two-fold tax on our citizens’ income.

Forcing workers to participate and pay into a system they do not wish to be a part of is certainly a tax on that person’s income.

If that isn’t egregious enough, this would be in addition to an overall tax on their income that would likely be needed to support the program’s unrecognized costs and maintain solvency.

Even if an argument can be made that 0.67 percent tax on wages is not an income tax, the program will certainly lead to one that I certainly will never support.

The paid family leave program that is being presented by its supporters has become nothing more than patchwork of “fixes” for every concern raised about its ability to operate.

Every time a patch amendment is written into the bill, another two problems appear in its place. The program’s solvency has been questioned before, yet throughout this legislative process we continue to have more and more unanswerable questions.

Passing this legislation is irresponsible and creates an unsustainable government program that may not be available when our workers are most in need.

The truth is that many private responsible businesses are already providing these services to their employees without putting taxpayers on the hook. Rather than creating an insolvent program destined to fail, we should be creating a business climate where private companies can continue to provide these services for their workers.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, let’s pull the plug on this boondoggle.

Sen. Chuck Morse, R-Salem, is president of the New Hampshire Senate.

ON THURSDAY, the Senate will vote on a paid family medical leave insurance program, HB 628.

04/20/2018

Senate President Chuck Morse gave these remarks for First Lady Barbara Bush yesterday at the close of Session:

I remember meeting Barbara Bush not long after I began working with George W. Bush – which was many years ago now.

She is all of the powerful and positive things people have said about her. And she was a woman of integrity and spirit. I will never forget her incredible energy, her compassion for people and her unending devotion to her family and our country.

She was not only the matriarch of the Bush family, but a strong, compassionate leader in her own rite.

She will surely be missed for all of the contributions she has made throughout her lifetime but especially for her work improving the literacy of our nation’s children.

In the past two days, we’ve seen individuals with differing beliefs recognize the contributions First Lady Barbara Bush brought to this country.

The statements made from all angles of the political spectrum are a testament to this great woman’s legacy.

In particular, her son’s statements give us a glimpse into the lives of this family and how Mrs. Bush inspired them:

Governor Jeb Bush said: I’m exceptionally privileged to be the son of George Bush and the exceptionally gracious, gregarious, fun, funny, loving, tough, smart, graceful woman who was the force of nature known as Barbara Bush.

And President George W. Bush recalled his mother by saying: Barbara Bush was a fabulous First Lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love, and literacy to millions. To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end. I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother.

I hope that recognizing this loss for our country and reflecting on all of the things she gave will help inspire us to recommit ourselves to the work that we have been asked to do in this chamber. And to help us embody all of the positive qualities that a leader of her magnitude has shown.

We will surely miss First Lady Barbara Bush and I want you all to know that Susan and I share our thoughts and prayers with the entire Bush family during this difficult time.

01/26/2018

CONCORD MONITOR: Ruth Ward - My Turn: School choice is common sense for New Hampshire

Friday, January 26, 2018

Senate Bill 193 has generated a lot of public reaction – much of it deliberately misleading. The bill establishes an education freedom savings account program. Its purpose is quite simple: to give parents more choices over their children’s education with the goal of providing a competitive education and college-ready students.

For parents, this is an opportunity for their children to receive an education best suited for their child’s specific needs, which often means looking outside of that family’s town or ZIP code. And for some, this could mean a public education outside of a public school.

Under this bill, the parent who signs a contract with a scholarship organization agrees to certain conditions. The money may be used for textbooks, tuition and fees at any public school, to name a few.

Opponents state that if parents can choose the school for their child, this will lead to the demise of public schools. But why? Great schools will have a waiting list to get in, while schools not supplying quality instruction will fall out of favor – but isn’t this for the benefit of our kids?

New Hampshire schools receive a minimum rate of approximately $3,600 for their base adequate education funding from the state for each student. That money should follow the child wherever he or she goes. While that may not cover full private school tuition, it will help. Some parents will choose to home school, and might use that money for educational supplies, tutoring or music lessons. Money raised through local property taxes will continue to go to the public school.

Should a percentage of students transfer out of a public school, the school staffing and attendance costs should go down. Even after considering the fixed costs, school budgets in individual towns should be lower and the savings passed on to property owners. These taxpayers would now have a little extra money to further their child’s education in whichever way they choose.

It is understandable that the public school unions are concerned about this reduction in students and do not look upon school choice favorably. Over the years, there has been a general decrease in the number of children registering for public school, but schools have yet to deal with declining enrollment. Local budgets continue to inflate without responding to competition brought in by charter schools, for example.

Another issue raised by opponents is the constitutionality of school choice. That has been settled, in New Hampshire cases including the Department of Education v. Croydon School Board, et al. (220-2015-cv-146), and Duncan v. State of New Hampshire, 102A.3d 913.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Five Sisters opinion of 1969 is also very apropos as it states: “The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations,” Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 26 U.S. 510.

A recent poll by GenForward published in USA Today in September 2017, found that among millennials, 70-plus percent favor programs like education savings accounts. This report supports Beck Research’s findings that say 75 percent of millennials support school choice, (School Reform News, Vol. 21, No. 10, December 2017, The Heartland Institute).

Our educational system has been tweaked so many times, always with the idea of improvement, yet our students are not competitive nationally and our high school students are ill prepared for the demands of college. In a report in the Washington Post on Dec. 5, Moriah Balingit writes that United States tumbled in international rankings of reading skills among fourth-graders, “raising warning flags about students’ ability to compete with international peers.”

The bottom line is that we want our children to get the best possible education, wherever that may be, in order to stay competitive and succeed in today’s world. There are many good public schools, and excellent teachers, but we should not protect the public school system in our state to the detriment of those students it intends to serve.

We should not forget that our goal is to educate our students. Often that takes more than one kind of teaching. Let us support real school choice in New Hampshire.

(Ruth Ward, a Stoddard Republican, represents District 8 in the N.H. Senate. She also serves as vice chairwoman for the Public and Municipal Affairs Committee and on the Education and Transportation committees.)

Senate Bill 193 has generated a lot of public reaction – much of it deliberately misleading. The bill establishes an education freedom savings account program. Its purpose is quite simple: to give parents more choices over their children’s education...

12/08/2017

This is what fiscally responsible leadership looks like:
Union Leader - EDITORIAL - Thanks for November: Business tax cuts are working
December 08. 2017

We are 29 months into New Hampshire’s business tax cuts experiment.

November brought another month of evidence that it is working.

According to the Department of Administrative Services’s monthly revenue report, general and education fund revenues were $5.5 million ahead of the budget plan adopted earlier this year thanks to the state’s two main business taxes generating more revenue than anticipated.

For the year to date, revenues are $11 million, or 1.6 percent, ahead of schedule.

That is just where the state wants to be: running a modest surplus without tempting Concord to go on a spending spree.

When Republicans pushed through business tax cuts in 2015, State House Democrats warned that shaving the state’s high tax rates slightly would “blow a hole in the budget.” But the cuts have been phased in over several years, allowing natural economic growth to make up for any drop in state revenues.

In fact, business tax revenues are higher than before the rates were cut.

Once fully phased in, the Legislature will have cut the Business Profits Tax by nearly 12 percent, and the Business Enterprise Tax by 33 percent, all while running a budget surplus.

New Hampshire used to have some of the nation’s highest business taxes. We’re on our way to competitive rates, without a broadbased sales or income tax. That’s good for the state budget, good for the economy, and great for New Hampshire taxpayers.

We are 29 months into New Hampshire's business tax cuts experiment.

12/04/2017

MUST READ:
UNION LEADER - A good year: State House GOP racks up wins

Gov. Chris Sununu and Republican majorities in the House and Senate have had a good year.

They passed a concealed carry law that allows law-abiding gun owners to exercise their right to self-defense and wear a coat at the same time. The old law allowed open carry, but required a local permit in order to carry a gun in a purse or in a car.

The GOP passed the Croydon Bill, giving school districts greater flexibility to contract with local private schools without getting a permission slip from state bureaucrats. The Legislature is on the verge of passing a broader school choice bill.

Republicans overcame years of Democrats' vetoes and baseless accusations of voter suppression to update the state's confusing voter residency requirements. New voters must now produce something other than scout's honor to register in a new town on Election Day, ending the drive-by voting system that allowed out-of-staters to pick up New Hampshire ballots.

Unborn children have new protections under New Hampshire law with a fetal homicide bill that allows charges to be brought against criminals who cause the death of a fetus.

At the center of the Republican agenda was a balanced, responsible budget targeting new spending on the opioid crisis, mental health, and developmental disabilities. It included a second round of business tax cuts, helping the Granite State be a better place for existing and new businesses alike.

Democrats controlled the state bureaucracy for 18 of the past 20 years. Sununu is just starting to restock state agencies with capable conservatives willing to reform how the state does business.

Gov. Chris Sununu and Republican majorities in the House and Senate have had a good year.

10/26/2017

Another View -- Jeb Bradley: A tale of two states
By JEB BRADLEY

The Caledonian Record, a St. Johnsbury, Vt., newspaper, recently published a very insightful editorial titled “Tale of Two States.”

In this editorial, it compared the tax climate and cost of living in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Here are some of the salient points of the Caledonian Record editorial:

According to recent Census Bureau data New Hampshire’s median household income ranking is the nation’s highest and 30 percent greater than the national median;

New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate in the nation, while Vermont’s poverty rate increased by 10,000 people last year;

New Hampshire has the 7th best business tax climate in the nation, while Vermont ranks 46th;

Vermonters pay 12.1 percent of their income in state taxes, compared to New Hampshire’s 8.3 percent.

The Caledonian Record draws these compelling conclusions:

“The pro-growth, low tax approach leaves New Hampshire with a more impressive, enviable overall fiscal state. The Union Leader reported ‘the New Hampshire treasury is stronger than it’s been in years, with annual revenue for the fiscal year ending on June 30 running almost $100 million over budget.’ Vermont, in contrast, exists in a perpetual state of tax increases and budget deficits.

“Vermont suffers the highest confluence of income taxes, property taxes, tax progressivity, estate taxes, minimum wage and cost of living in the nation.

“The trends, and causes, of Vermont’s woes and New Hampshire’s victories are unmistakable. Opportunities fall in proportion to rising levels of taxation and costs of living. Unfortunately for Vermont, talented, innovative job creators often harbor a crazy notion that they should actually be allowed to keep some of their hard-earned wealth and look to friendly places like New Hampshire to set up shop.”

In my view, the Caledonian Record perfectly describes what we call the “New Hampshire Advantage”.

But it wasn’t always so. In 2010, New Hampshire faced large deficits, slow job growth, higher unemployment and tax increases, most notably the LLC tax. That tax was targeted at business owners and was so odious it was soon repealed.

Voters took notice, and in 2010 sent a new Legislature to Concord: leaders willing to make difficult decisions to protect taxpayers, balance budgets and grow jobs.

Spending had to be cut. Public pensions needed reform because costs for school, town, and county taxpayers were soaring. Tax hikes many wanted were killed.

Our budget stabilized while the economy improved — helped by an improving national economy. However, despite neither a sales nor income tax, New Hampshire was not competitive with other states as our business taxes were the 48th highest in the nation.

In 2015 and 2017, the Legislature worked to lower taxes on business owners. While some have derided this tax relief as “taking care of the entitled and wealthy elite” the facts speak otherwise — clearly!

New Hampshire’s unemployment rate is 4th best in the nation.

Our job growth is among the nation’s best.

Our median household income is the nation’s best and New Hampshire residents living in poverty is the nation’s lowest.

Tax revenue, especially from business taxes, has soared despite tax cuts. Strong revenue has allowed spending increases on the he**in crisis, mental health, families with disabled children, and the agency that protects abused and neglected children.

And in 2019, the tax on electricity paid by every resident — will disappear!

High business taxes are not the only issue facing our state. Workers’ compensation costs were sky high. Key reforms the Legislature adopted in 2015 are working and those costs have decreased nearly 25 percent.

It’s not the time to rest on our laurels. We face high electricity and health care costs while employers have difficulties hiring qualified workers.

It is important that we develop new sources of energy, both traditional and renewable, that are environmentally acceptable and drive down costs.

While making strides to lower health care costs from uninsured people who use the emergency room (uncompensated care), recent price surges in the individual health care market are worrisome.

The reauthorization of Medicaid Expansion needs to be structured so that cost spikes are mitigated while assisting those not covered by Obamacare.

We need to ensure that job programs designed to train workers are effective.

While continuing to address these problems, recognizing the benefits of business tax relief and balanced budgets — highest family income, lowest poverty rates, high job growth, increasing revenue to confront issues like the drug crisis — is also critical.

For good reason, New Hampshire is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the second most livable state in the nation using metrics involving health care, education, crime, infrastructure, opportunity, economy and government.

The Caledonian Record is right. There is a “Tale of Two States”.

As policymakers debate tax policy in Washington, they would do well to examine these two neighboring states and learn the lessons of effective tax and budget policy. Facts matter — even in Washington.

Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, is majority leader of the New Hampshire Senate.

The Caledonian Record, a St. Johnsbury, Vt., newspaper, recently published a very insightful editorial titled “Tale of Two States.” In this editorial, it compared the tax climate and cost of living in Vermont and New Hampshire.