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 […]
Other states will use our money if we don't
As one of Andover’s elected state representatives, I attended the August 27 public hearing on Medicaid expansion in New Hampshire at the State House. The committee studying expansion is made up of six senators and six representatives from both parties, as well as three public members. Forty-nine citizens testified at the hearing; 44 were in […]
To the residents of Andover, Danbury, Salisbury, Warner, and Webster: It has been a very interesting eight months for those of us newly elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2012. We woke up the morning after Election Day to the news that the Democratic Party had a comfortable majority of 221 of […]
House reconvenes in September
An interesting fact of legislative rule is that a defeated bill cannot simply be reintroduced in the following year, without substantial changes. The Gaming Commission now meeting in Concord, with members appointed by the Governor, the Senate, and the House Speaker, is working to address some of the issues that caused the casino bill to […]
Bipartisan budget passes, Medicaid expansion fails
The 2014-2015 budget passed the New Hampshire House with 346 votes for and 12 against; it passed unanimously in the Senate. Everyone from Governor Hassan to former speaker Bill O’Brien claimed credit for the bipartisan vote, but the credit, no doubt, resides with New Hampshire voters who told us to stop bickering, avoid political grandstanding, […]
For many years, the Highland Lake Protection Association (HLPA) has sold flares for the July 4th weekend “Flare Show.” It has been an important annual fundraiser, selling approximately 100 flares. Last year, a handful of HLPA members hired ChemServe, an environmental analyst recommended by the state, to analyze the ash created from the flares. The […]