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It’s crossover time in the NH Legislature, meaning that Senate Bills are getting sent over to the House, and vice versa, meaning my committee is having hearings again! Thread for today’s starts here. #NHPolitics
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ok we’re in the sound-testing portion of the pre-hearing set-up now
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actually starting now; we actually have some Dems in the physical committee room this time (not me though; I’m still remote as I haven’t gotten my 2nd shot yet). I think the attendance ratio for committee members is about half remote, half physical this time, which is an increase
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Mask rule is optional in the State House now; seems a bit early to be repealing it (I’d give it another month or so personally), but oh well…
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First up is SB84; this bill is one that Rep. Ellen Read wants me to introduce an amendment to; she’s testifying to it now.
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oh actually nvm she cedes to Sen. John Reagan from the Senate-side first, so we can hear the unamended bill first before discussing amendments (it’s a pretty minor bill unamended)
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ok back to Rep. Read to discuss the amendment; I can vouch for her that she’s definitely been very proactive about contacting people about this amendment. It’s to introduce a “purple paint” law, to provide for another way to post land against trespassing.
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Personally, as a socialist, I’m not too big of a fan of the institute of private property in general, but since it already exists & isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, I’d say it’s worthwhile to improve its implementation to use it for good purposes (keeping hunters off)
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some discussion over germaneness here; basically a question of who went first with which amendment
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Next up is @Safigirl17 to testify on behalf of the “purple paint” amendment; she’s describing her experience of posting her property. She’s making the “property rights” argument, which I guess is aimed at the Republicans on the committee.
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Committee chair doesn’t seem to know how to handle this whole amendment process
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Hey guess who’s back; Cordell Johnston! He’s clarifying some stuff.
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It sounds like @SenDavidWatters introduced the public bodies portion of the bill that is now the entirety of the bill? It’d be useful to have him clarify if he intended to remove the purple paint portion in the process…
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.@nhhouseclerk is here to clarify some process for us… kinda just making it more confusing, though… sounds like we need a separate hearing for the amendment we just heard? What a mess…
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Linda Dionne, who originally wanted the purple paint bill, is trying to testify about which committee this goes before; she argues that since it’s about criminal trespass it shouldn’t go before Fish & Game…
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ok done with SB84; onto SB86. Sen. Kahn is introducing it. This is the one that a bunch of emailers have been contacting us about due to it having something to do with propane…
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(that’s @kahnjay btw)
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There’s 3 parts to it: Part I (the part we’re discussing now) is about planning board decisions, while the part generating all the emailer interest (i.e. the propane part) is Part III.
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Cordell Johnston urges us not to make any changes to Part I
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Gary Abbott is here to testify in favor of Part I of SB86; it looks like he was here previously from the Associated General Contractors of NH? @cooljeanius/1367168945107726339?s=20
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(looks like Linda Dionne from the previous bill, SB84, is @lindld btw)
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Now @TeamRebeccaNH is introducing Part II of SB86 to us; it’s about housing and zoning.
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.@nhrepPorter is drawing a parallel to HB586, the housing bill from earlier this year… it’s a shame we couldn’t get that one passed earlier, so hopefully this will help fill that need…
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.@bfrostNHHFA of @NHhfa is back again to testify in favor of Part II of SB86 (due to the housing portions); he’s been here multiple times previously, so I can’t pick a single previous mention to quote
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Andrew Yarrows of @CLF is here to testify in favor of Part II of SB86, since it has conservation portions
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Next is Sara Holland of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, testifying in favor of all 3 parts of SB86
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Cordell supports Part II of SB86
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Tom DeRosa of @HousingActionNH supports Part II of SB86
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oh hey @NH_OSI gets a mention
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.@Morse4Senate is here to introduce Part III of SB86
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(this is the propane portion)
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it’s being branded as protecting consumer energy choice
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Cordell says municipalities don’t really have concerns about Part III because none of them implement regulations like that anyways
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They’re officially neutral on Part III
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Yeah I don’t really like Part III; hopefully it’s severable from the first two portions, as those are actually fine…
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William McKinney of the NH Building Officials Association is here to testify against Part III; he has some wonky procedural concerns
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Looks like the last person from the NHBOA to testify before our committee was Steve Paquin: @cooljeanius/1367173928880398337?s=20
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Next up is Leslie Anderson of the @NPGAPropane Association; she calls herself an “environmentalist” and yet is greenwashing a fossil fuel.
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Yeah Dems on my committee are not happy with this portion
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Next up is Charlie Ermer of Palmer Gas & Oil, & also another propane association, testifying in support of Part III of SB86
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Oh BS; of course NOW Rep. Tripp cares about the cost of housing, now that he can use it as a cudgel to support fossil fuels
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Don Chagnon of Townsend Energy is testifying in support of Part III of SB86; claims people will be “dying and very unhappy” with a move to electrification… kinda hard to be both simultaneously!
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Next is Jason Grower (rhymes with “power”) of the Dead River Company is testifying in favor Part III of SB86; he’s worried about companies like his going out of business. I think fossil fuel companies going out of business’d be a GOOD thing, but, well, that’s where we disagree.
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Ryan Jackson of D.F. Richard Energy is testifying in favor of Part III of SB86
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Thank you Rep. Stavis for this question about propane safety!
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Marc Brown of the Consumer Energy Alliance is testifying in favor of Part III of SB86. Worried about towns encroaching on consumer choice, but admits that none of the towns he was referring to were actually in New Hampshire.
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Bob Sculley of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association is worried about us turning into any of our border states (Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts) and so supports Part III of SB86
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Kat Bourque of @Unitil supports Part III of SB86; says it doesn’t privilege any particular form of energy, despite all the interest from the propane people thinking it’s specifically for them
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I think that’s @kat_bourque btw; but it looks like I can’t add her to my “Committee Testifiers” list, since she has her account locked currently…
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5 minute “bio-break” now… if we’re taking a break anyways, why don’t we just make it lunch?
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back from break; onto SB88, an omnibus bill on broadband
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.@kahnjay is here to introduce SB88; as with the previous bill, it’s a 3-parter. At least here all the parts seem related, though.
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Part I of SB88 cleans up a “double-approval” issue for forming communications districts
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.@SenJeb is here to introduce Part II of SB88; it’s about some “One Touch Make Ready” thing.
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Part II of SB88 also updates some regulations regarding wires on telephone poles
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Mark Dean of @NHEC_MEMBERNEWS is testifying in favor of SB88, and also in favor of amending it to take effect immediately
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Carole Monroe is here to testify in favor of all 3 parts of SB88
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She’s from @valleynetvt apparently
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Sen. Ruth Ward was supposed to introduce Part III of SB88, but she’s not here, apparently…
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Maura Weston of the New England Cable and Telecommunications Association is now testifying in support of Part III of SB88
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Jim Isaak, a member of the public who says he’s not with any association or anything, supports Part III of SB88.
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Hm, I wonder if his account is @kuhokwfjxhi? Same website in his bio as the Jim Isaak who emailed us, but his location says California…
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ok yeah he confirmed for me that he had emailed us previously, so I’m pretty sure that’s his account, since it also mentions the @IEEEorg… (he says he’s not here on their behalf, though)
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Oh wait maybe @Jims_IEEE_CS is a better account for him?
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.@leewakeroxenham testified in favor of Part III of SB88, and also proposed an amendment to clean up what would happen if @NH_OSI gets split up, as per Gov. Sununu’s plans.
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…and with that, we’re closing the hearing. We’ll be back to exec these bills next Monday.