Flood control payments face stiff opposition
Reconsideration: Having voted against a bill for two casinos – I made a promise to support only one casino – I asked for reconsideration of the vote on SB 366. Naturally, I am always torn between the supporters of no casinos and the supporters of one or more casinos. The no-casino vote brought in a […]
House passes Senate bill to hike gas tax immediately
This past week was an eventful one at the capitol in Concord. Looking back a year and a half, we predicted that the so-called balanced budget left us by the preceding legislature was based on faulty calculations. Unfortunately, this came to pass when a New Hampshire court decision invalidated the Medicaid Enhancement Tax levies from […]
A rush of action as "crossover" looms
The Senate Medicaid Expansion bill passed the House on a vote of 202 to 132. The House sends its bills to the Senate in what is called Crossover with a deadline of March 27. Accordingly, a mad rush is on to finish voting on all our bills by that date. This means two- and/or three-day sessions […]
Same charge for every member
If you get your electricity from New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, you’ve no doubt noticed the Member Service Charge portion of your bill. It’s a fixed monthly charge that is paid by all Co-op members, regardless of whether you use one kilowatt-hour (kWh) per month or 1,000. No single charge on your monthly electric bill attracts […]
Wouldn't solve problems it addressed
For House Bill 1589-FN, requiring a criminal background check for certain firearms sales or transfers, it was difficult for me and many other New Hampshire State Representatives to decide how to vote. I voted against the bill because I didn’t believe it would solve the problems it was supposedly addressing. I don’t vote for poorly researched […]
Bills passing, bills failing
The pace has picked up tremendously in Concord, with the State of the State by our Governor, Maggie Hassan, and the announcement of a possible agreement on Medicaid Expansion with a New Hampshire label. The bill is being drafted, and we will vote on it before recess. There have been a slew of defeated bills: […]
Medicaid expansion is once again a topic
The 2014 session of the New Hampshire state legislature was off to a rousing start. First, the rumors of the death of Medicaid Expansion turned out to be greatly exaggerated. In a transparent attempt to establish a bargaining position with the Senate, the House voted in a partisan vote to reopen the conversation on Medicaid […]
Ratzki expresses "disappointment and dismay"
Medicaid expansion is dead. While the House voted for Medicaid expansion, the Senate could not agree on its own bill and killed the House bill by a vote of 13 to 11 on a partisan basis. One can probably blame the ACA rollout for the failure of this bill. That the rollout was poorly managed […]
Medicaid expansion up for vote in November
The Medicaid Expansion Commission has just released its findings and recommendations. It is saying Yes to expansion and would establish a New Hampshire hybrid system of federal, state, and private health insurances. Some people would be covered under Medicaid, others with the state Health Insurance Premium Payment program, and others with federally-subsidized health care coverage […]
Andover hosts NH DOT 10-year plan meeting
It has been a quiet few weeks in Concord. The commission to study Medicaid expansion has had several meetings, some public, and is nearing a decision. Plenty of rumors abound; one would have the State accept the expansion for a three-year trial, during which the Feds would pay for 100% of the program. The gaming […]