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M&CG hearings today; I was running a bit late so I missed the first bill, but let's get going with the rest of them. Big one later is going to be SB132 at 3PM, this year's GOP attempt at banning sanctuary cities. #NHPolitics
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Currently up is SB111, relative to the town council-town manager form of local government.
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This affects Durham & Newmarket in RPK's district; hopefully a later testifier will know which other municipalities would be affected
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Now up: @TimothyHorrigan from Durham (one of the affected towns); he says he thinks Derry is another one of them?
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.@NatchGreyes of the NHMA has testimony in support of SB111; he has the full list of communities that would be affected
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some haggling about grammar; there'll probably be an amendment forthcoming
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some wi-fi issues in the LOB today; I'm having to post over data
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Next up: SB110: relative to residency status. @DonovanFentonNH is introducing it, but gave a different title for it? Something about emergency shelter?
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cosponsor list after Sen. Fenton: @SenDavidWatters @LouDallesandro @PrentissSuzanne Denise Ricciardi, @tlangsr @BeckyWhitleyNH @shannonchandley @DonnaSoucy @Jodiknewell21
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Now up: Rep. Steven Bogert (R-Laconia) who is unsure whether he's in support of this bill, or opposed to it (just testifying for informational purposes)
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Rep. Bogert testifies that he has a homeless encampment near his house, describes their transient nature
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Rep. Bogert: "We unfortunately had to set up cameras" to monitor the encampment... ok but did you really *have* to though? Sounds like a choice to me.
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(he also raises the question of whether this should be done at the county level or the municipal level)
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dang it, I didn't get to ask my follow-up of whether he thinks our state constitution's guarantee of a right to privacy applies to the homeless or not
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Now up: @TimothyHorrigan testifying on SB110, since residency is a topic he often has to deal with, as a representative of a college town (Durham, where UNH is)... I missed the part where he said if he was in support or opposed, though...
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Ah ok he's in support, as it protects the right to vote
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Now up: Todd Marsh of NH Local Welfare Administrators Association, he's from Rochester
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ok it sounds like his org supports the bill; says it contains language from their ethics code
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.@NatchGreyes of the NHMA has testimony in support of SB110
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Next up: SB222, a broadband-related bill. @SenJeb is prime sponsor and introducing. Hey @HeathHowardNH you may be interested in this one.
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Other cosponsors: Sen. Gray, @TeamRebeccaNH Sen. Gendreau, @tlangsr Rep. J. MacDonald, and Peter Leishman.
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Now up: Carol Monroe (unsure of spelling) of ValleyNet giving testimony on SB222
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I think ValleyNet is @valleynetvt
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Looks like the proper spelling of the prev. testifier's first name is "Carole" with an "e" at the end ("Carole Munroe")
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Now testifying: Katherine Heck of the NHMA; mentions broadband mapping that BEA has done
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Next bill: SB78, a housing bill from @daninnis
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apparently there's an amendment involved here; it's getting distributed now
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Sen. Innis acknowledges that this bill might create more work for municipalities, but argues that the tradeoff of more housing would make it worth it
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Now testifying: Rep. Will Infantine in favor of SB78; says it draws from his experience with the Homebuilders Association
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That's @NewHampshireHBA for reference
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Apparently "plat" isn't actually a typo: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plat
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Lots of talk of bonding, surety, liens, etc.
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I don't think we're going to get much of a lunch break today, if at all...
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Now up: Bob Clegg of the @NewHampshireHBA testifying in favor of SB78
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I need to study up more the HBA...
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Gary Abbott of the Associated General Contractors of NH has testimony in favor of SB78
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He was here previously in February: @cooljeanius/1623370108453150720
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...and back in 2021, too: @cooljeanius/1391755999896350726
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Last on SB78 is Natch Greyes, on some of the compromises made on bill language
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disliking Chair Turcotte's mischaracterization of the votes on the fourplex bill and ADU bill
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ok looks like we'll get a bit of a lunch break; next bill is pushed back from 2 to 2:10
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k back; now being heard is SB47, another housing study committee
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SB47 sponsor list: @TeamRebeccaNH @SenDavidWatters @CindyR4NH @shannonchandley @BeckyWhitleyNH @DonnaSoucy @CharlotteDiLor3 David Preece and @Ellen4NH
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RPK is introducing the bill and answering questions on it; I was a bit late returning from lunch, so I'll hold my questions in case they've already been asked/answered
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now testifying: @ivyvann in favor of SB47.
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what a horrible time for the blue check removal to go into effect; I'll have to catch up on that after I get back home today...
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Now testifying: @KristiStL of @AgingInNH in favor of SB78
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Next up: Bob Quinn of @nhrealtors in favor of SB47 (realizing I made a typo in my previous tweet; that was meant to be about SB47, too)
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next testifier: @ElissaMargolin of @HousingActionNH in favor of SB47
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Final testifier in favor of HB47: @bfrostNHHFA of @NHHousing
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SB47 is still ongoing; apologies to anyone who's here for the immigration bill (SB132) that was originally scheduled for 3
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ok here we go, SB47 closed; next is SB132
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.@grantbosse is introducing SB132 on behalf of prime sponsor Bill Gannon, who is out sick today
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Next up: Rep. Tony Piemonte, who was Vice Chair of this committee last term. He's a cosponsor on the bill.
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Rep. Piemonte is accusing China of providing heroin to US troops back in the Vietnam days, which, uh... that's not quite the way I'd heard that story...
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Now testifying: Rep. Jeannie Notter in favor of SB132; she's defending some of the language choices in the bill
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Rep. Notter is passing around testimony from Shari Rendall of FAIR; Ms. Rendall testified before us on last term's version of this bill (I asked her about FAIR's designation as a hate group by the SPLC last time)
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now testifying: @jonahowheeler against SB132
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From last term: @cooljeanius/1368990930875908104
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Now up: Rep. Joe Schapiro in opposition to SB132
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Rep. Schapiro reminding us that we have very low violent crime here in NH, so the crime concerns are unfounded
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Also lots of job openings, too, so there shouldn't be any concerns about jobs getting taken, either
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Next testimony: @TimothyHorrigan against SB132, bringing up concerns with the Strafford County Jail's contract with ICE
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Now up: Officer A. Aldenberg of @mht_nh_police against SB132, on grounds that it would erode trust in the police.
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Proponents of SB132 are getting a bit too cute with their "well it doesn't technically *say* explicitly to enforce federal immigration law" line of argument; they seem to have learned from last term
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I remember last term's version of this bill containing language requiring that local police departments actively cooperate; they must've ripped that part out... (saying "you can't institute sanctuary policies" still aims toward the same goal, tho; they're just playing word games)
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missed the name of the current testifier; I think he indicated that he's also with law enforcement, though
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Now testifying: a doctor from Pembroke (missed name again) against SB132
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Now testifying: Judith Reid of Keene against SB132
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Now testifying: someone in favor of SB132 who claims San Francisco destroyed itself; she also has a physical copy of the Epoch Times
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Welp, didn't get my chance to ask questions to her... next is Andrew Maneval testifying against SB132
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Ah, the previous sheriff whose name I missed (a few witnesses back) turns out to be Eli Rivera of Cheshire County
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Also the "A" in "A. Aldenberg" is for "Allen"
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Now testifying: Christine Wellington of Derry against SB132
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She's from the NH Immigrant Rights Network
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Now testifying: Bob Keating of @GsopNh; he has an eyepatch under his glasses, a bushy white beard, long grey hair surrounding his male-pattern baldness, a light brown jacket, and a dark brown tie (sorry, it's just a striking appearance)
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Now testifying: Eva Castillo of the NH Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees. I don't think I remember hearing that she was on the Manchester Police Commission previously! Powerful testimony here about her experiences with immigration and police.
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now up: @LPS_KentStreet against SB132; sharing a personal experience about when she backed into another person's car, and couldn't call the police
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Now up: Grace Kindeke of @AFSCNH in opposition to SB132
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Now: Devin Chafee (spelling?) of @ACLU_NH testifying against SB132
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yeah she's calling out how bill supporters are trying to use a double negative to confuse people about what the bill actually does
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ah it's "Devon Chaffee" with an "o" and two effs
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unsure if @devonchaffee or @devon_chaffee is the correct handle for her
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Next is Margaret Byrnes of the NHMA with testimony in opposition to SB132, for their usual local control reasons
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yeah NHMA is always good about doing their homework on the specific wording of bills; good to have their expertise available!
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clarification here between "local control" (principle) vs. "home rule" (policy)
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yeah I just need to correct the record here on Chair Turcotte's portrayal of how we handled our housing bills; we actually *passed* the fourplex bill out of our committee (it didn't get killed until it came before the full House): @cooljeanius/1623713645107548161
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Also the ADU bill wasn't as overwhelming a vote as he was portraying it, either; the vote on it was bipartisan on both sides of the vote, for and against: @cooljeanius/1625907877390037003
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1 more testifier against SB132... missed her name, though... last one was maybe Korby? Quirby? Corbie?
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last testifier: Dawn McKinney of NH Legal Assistance, to distribute some testimony from people who couldn't be here
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ok we're finishing up now
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our exec date will probably be May 10th (tentatively)
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dang it, I think I may have lost my Solidarnosc pin in the 3rd floor men's bathroom of the LOB just now; it looks like this: @cooljeanius/1524755423894593536
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(yes, I checked myself, but didn't see it; if anyone finds it, let me know)