The Walpolean

TOWN OF WALPOLE

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING

DECEMBER 28, 2017

Hooper Trustees Present:   Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; (Absent: Cheryl Mayberry)

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 7:40 PM.

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES:

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING – December 21, 2017:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Hooper Trustees meeting of December 21, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC HOOPER TRUSTEES SESSION – December 21, 2017:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Hooper Trustees Session of December 21, 2017, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

Hooper Mansion: Mrs. Pschirrer had planned to meet with Ms. Sharon Boccelli yesterday. However, they decided it was just too cold to move furniture to her building.  They re-scheduled for January 8th, 2018.  Ms. Boccelli will bring someone in on January 9th who will deal with the odds-and-ends that have not sold. Mr. Sheehan is sending in the list of furniture he wants to buy.  Mr. Kevin Healy will then help Mrs. Pschirrer clean the Mansion.  Ms. Boccelli is going to take the Civil War Medical books to show to someone who specializes in this.  Money continues to be added to the Trust.

NON-PUBLIC HOOPER TRUSTEES SESSION:

Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into a Non-Public Hooper Trustees Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel.  Mrs. Pschirrer seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:46 PM.

The regular Hooper Trustees meeting resumed at 8:06 PM.

Mr. Dalessio moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Hooper Trustees Session of December 28, 2017, be sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:07 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

DECEMBER 28, 2017

Selectboard Present: Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; (Absent: Cheryl Mayberry)

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised that Cheryl Mayberry is not present due to a previous commitment.  This meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were two members of the public in attendance.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT RECOMMENTATIONS:  Mr. Jeff Miller, Chair of the Planning Board, was present to talk about the Complete Streets Project Recommendations.  He had forwarded four ideas to the Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC) to be implemented under the purview of the Selectboard.  One idea that has been talked about for years is to have a safe walking path from the Middle School to the Fire Station.  He will follow-up on this with the SWRPC.  Mr. Dalessio mentioned SWRPC received an anonymous donation of $100,000. They were looking for towns to submit ideas.  That is why it went back to the Planning Board (PB) again.  Mrs. Pschirrer noted the Selectboard had looked at all the PB recommendations that were agreed to. She also asked the Highway Department to start thinking about how they will do this.  They will re-paint the area by Jakes Market that was red because it clearly delineated a walk space.  The Selectboard also agreed to put in the markers for bike paths.  They agreed to do the crosswalks in a brighter, more fluorescent paint that will last longer and catch attention as people drive down the street.  The Selectboard approved buying signs to put up on Main Street to point out there are pedestrians. It will alert drivers that they need to slow down.  They will reinforce the arrows at the fountain. Mr. Dalessio would like to have someone from the Department of Transportation (DOT) check to be sure they are correct.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised the Selectboard will put in a warrant article to buy a moveable speed sign that will “flash” the speed of a vehicle traveling by and take a picture of speeders and their license plate. This is not a part of the Complete Streets Project but it fits into safety.  A dangerous corner is the one that comes up Main Street, off Old North Main Street.  Mrs. Pschirrer said no decision was made on sidewalk because the road is quite narrow we have some right-of-ways but do not own the land.  Mr. Dalessio feels a sidewalk from the Middle School to the Fire Station is a great idea. It needs to be looked at with the idea of how do you make it happen.  It will take a good amount of work and engineering; it is an expensive project.  Mr. Miller felt it could be looked at as improvement for safety purposes.  The $100,000 could be seed money and they would move forward from there; look at the options.  Mr. Miller with talk to Mary at SWRPC; we need a direction.  He will keep the Selectboard up-dated on the projects.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Accounts Payable check register in the amount of $34,811.91 for checks dated December 29, 2017.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Payroll Register for the week ending December 23, 2017, in the amount of $26,631.93 for checks dated December 29, 2017.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $6,167.47 for the week ending December 23, 2017.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Selectboard Meeting –December 28, 2017- Page 2

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MEETING – December 21, 2017:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of December 21, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – December 21, 2017:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of December 21, 2017.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

STAFF MEETING – December 21, 2017:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Staff Meeting of December 21, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meetings:

• Trustees of Trust Funds – December 18, 2017;

• Zoning Board of Adjustment – December 19, 2017;

PROPERTY TAX REFUND:

MAP and LOT #009-012-002-2:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant this Property Tax Refund in the amount of $69.05 for Map and Lot # 009-012-002-2.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CUT WOOD OR TIMBER – Map and Lot #009-006-000:  Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber off 29 Maple Grove Road, Map and Lot # 009-006-000.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

BUILDING PERMIT:

TIMOTHY and ANNA BLANC – Map and Lot # 011-043-003:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant Building Permit No. 2017-43 to add a “2x12x4 Dormer” at 760 Valley Road for Timothy and Anna Blanc.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Thank You Letters:  Mrs. Pschirrer wrote three letters to thank people that donated time and materials for decorating the Town Hall and the gazebo over the Holiday Season:

Mr. Dalessio moved to sign the Thank You letters to the Walpole Cub Scouts, the Women of Walpole, Ray Boas and Tara Sad.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SWRPC’s Regional Economic Development Advisory Commission:  Mr. Dalessio moved to authorize the Chair, Peggy Pschirrer, to sign this letter of nomination for him to be a member of the SWRPC’s Regional Economic Development Advisory Committee.   Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

DES Wetlands Permit Application:  Mrs. Pschirrer was authorized to sign the first copy.  This second copy is for the Highway Department’s files. Mrs. Sandra Smith, Town Clerk, will also sign this copy.

Revised Pole and Conduit License:  Mr. Dalessio moved to approve and sign the Revised Pole and Conduit License for Northern New England Telephone Operations LLC D/B/A Fairpoint Communications-NNE and Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electric) as the previously approved concrete pad across from the junction of Rt. 123 and Rt. 12 needs to be larger.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Warrant Articles: The revised draft copy of the Warrant Articles was reviewed.  Some additional changes will probably be made but for now the Warrant Articles are accepted as presented.

Town Report Covers and Dedication Page:  The Selectboard looked at several options for the Town Report covers.  Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer would like to see something more modern and cheerful around Town for the front cover.  Dedication suggestions included pictures of volunteers, veterans and groups over 100 years old (Grange and Horse Thieves; possibly there are others).

NEW BUSINESS:

Thank You Card:  A Thank You note was received from Mrs. Marylou Huffling thanking the Selectboard for their continued support of the Fall Mountain Foodbank and Friendly Meals in 2017.  It has touched many lives.

Pole and Conduit License: This license is for a new replacement pole on Kingsbury Road.  The location was reviewed by Mark Houghton who said this is in line and necessary for the Selectboard to sign.

Mr. Dalessio moved to sign the Pole and Conduit License on Kingsbury Road for Northern New England Telephone Operations LLC D/B/A FairPoint Communications-NNE and Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electric).  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Health Trust Secure Portal Authorized Users Certification:  Mrs. Pschirrer advised this is an annual form to ensure correct access by Mr. Rich Kreissle and Mrs. Sarah Downing.

Mr. Dalessio moved to authorize the Chair, Peggy Pschirrer, to sign the Health Trust Secure Portal Authorized Users Certification.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Pre-Paying Property Taxes: Mrs. Pschirrer reported they had a rush of calls today regarding the pre-payment of property taxes.  It was anticipated that property owners would attend this meeting. However, no one came to the meeting.  By RSA 80:52-a, the Town is authorized to accept pre-payment of bills if the article was approved.  During discussions with the Department of Revenue Administration and the NH Municipal Association the Selectboard discovered that status of tax prepayments is up-in-the-air with the IRS and Federal Government. If the Town took in pre-paid tax money, the Town could be required to produce tax refunds.

2018 Budget:  The 2018 proposed Budget will be an Agenda item for the meeting next Thursday, January 4th, 2018, at 6:30 PM when a full Board is present.  Mr. Dalessio will contact Mr. Mark Houghton for the final Water and Sewer budget and Mrs. Eloise Clark for the Hooper Institute budget.

Fall Mountain Region School District:  The Selectboard is meeting at 8:00 AM next Thursday, January 4th, 2018, with the Superintendent and Business Manager of the Fall Mountain Region School District.

NH Municipal Association:  Mrs. Pschirrer has been reading about the proposed 2018 legislation. The Selectboard has the opportunity to speak to Senator Kahn about HB561 which is about limiting State retirees to 20/hours a week.  It is now 32/hours week so they are going to cut that back dramatically.  It will impact this Town especially in the Police Department.  All towns hire part-time police officers.  Mrs. Pschirrer will draft a letter to Senator Kahn and urge him not to support this Bill.  Mr. Dalessio would like to contact Representative Lucy Weber to see if she supports this bill or not.

Mrs. Pschirrer reported there is also discussion about HB121 which increases the assessment on licensing of vehicles.  The towns have the right to put this on the ballot. The funding can be used for bridges, roads and other infrastructure.  The $5.00 fee can now be increased to $10.  Mr. Dalessio objects to putting this on the ballot.  It has not passed in many towns.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Mr. Dalessio moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:40 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:08 PM.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

SAU 60 – Fall Mt. Regional School District

Budget Hearing: Finalize and adopt budget and warrant.

Weds., January 10, 2018 at 5:30pm

Location: Fall Mountain Regional High School Library

NOTICE”*

On Friday, January 5, 2018

The Walpole Selectboard will be holding a Public Meeting

With the Administrators of SAU 60 –

Fall Mt. School District

At 2pm

At the Walpole Town Hall in the Selectboard Office

**change in date and time to do bad weather**

Please mark your calendars for 2018 Town Budget Hearing for Thursday, February 8^th at 6pm in the 1^st floor meeting room in the Town Hall.

The Selectboard Meeting will follow in the Selectboard Office with business items only on the agenda. No public business will be discussed. All are welcome to attend to observe the meeting.

Sarah

Selectboard Office

The Fall Mountain Alliance held a Voter Information Forum in early December. They have consolidated the information shared that night to assist residents seeking information about state government  – what’s going on and how to access more insight.  Hope you find it helpful – Lil

 

Voter Information Forum

Where is New Hampshire headed and how can we have a say in it?  These questions emerged as the dominant theme of the voter information forum held in the town hall the evening of December 6th. Local representatives Lucy Weber (D-Walpole), Michael Abbott (D-Hinsdale), and Paul Berch (D-Westmoreland) spoke about legislation pending in the state across a wide range of issues and answered questions from an audience of twenty.

Although the three Democratic representatives are in the minority in the State House (which has a Republican governor and Republican majority legislature), they often collaborate with Republicans on issues which are non-partisan in nature.  Berch talked of the approach where one side finds reasons to back a bill that are in the other side’s interest and said it was a way of moving bills forward. Weber addressed the incremental nature of their work, saying she’s worked on bills with those she doesn’t agree with, finding ways to make common cause, and keeping the door open to times when, because of a change of heart or circumstance, opponents change their stance.  And Abbott, in talking of a ten-year infrastructure plan, referenced the long view.

As to how citizens can most effectively have input, the representatives recommended contacting their representatives by e-mail or phone, testifying at public committee hearings with personal experience related to an issue, writing letters to the editor, and providing representatives with relevant information.

Information on contacts and topics covered at the forum with upcoming votes or committee hearings in January are available through this link (https://sites.google.com/site/fallmountainalliance/voter-information-forum—contacts-topics).

The event was hosted by the Fall Mountain Alliance, a local group focused on informed engagement, and was organized by FMA member Sara Kagle.

 

Voter Information Forum – Contacts & Topics

Contacting Your Representative

While all are Democrats, they stress they represent all their constituents.

Contact e-mails for New Hampshire state representatives of District Cheshire 01:

• Representative Lucy M. Weber
  • (lwmcv@comcast.net)
  • (Serves on the Health, Human Services and the Elderly Affairs Committee, Rules Committee, Children and Family Law Committee.)
  • (603)756-4338
• Representative Michael D. Abbott
  • (Michael.Abbott@leg.state.nh.us)
  • (Serves on the Public Works and Highways Committee.)
  • (603)336-7090
• Representative Cathryn A. Harvey 
  • (Cathryn.Harvey@leg.state.nh.us)
  • Serves on the Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee
  • (603)363-4424
• Representative Paul S. Berch
  • (pberch@myfairpoint.net)
  • (Serves on the Judiciary Committee.)
  • (603)399-4960

Forum Topics

(alphabetical by topic)

(Bill numbers, description, and status here are provided by Rep. Lucy Weber as of 12/5/17, based on a brief review of bills available at that date on topics mentioned in the forum.  For more comprehensive and up-to-date information, she advises checking with

• the General Court website (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us), the House Calendar (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/caljourns/default.htm)
• and Senate Calendars (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/Senate/calendars_journals/default.html)
  and the NHDP Grassroots Newsletter (https://www.nhdp.org/newsletter).

To better navigate the legislative system, Weber has provided a tutorial in print format that is included on the FMA website ( https://sites.google.com/site/fallmountainalliance/nh-general-court ).
CHILD MARRIAGE

HB 1287: About age when people may marry.

HB 1586: About judicial review for underage marriage.

HB 1587: About raising the minimum age for marriage and the emancipation of minors.

Weber said efforts to raise the minimum age to 18 failed and they are now trying to raise it to 16.

HB 1661: About the protection of minors who petition the court to marry.

HB 1213: About removing the exception for married minors from the definition of sexual assault.

Committee hearings for the five bills start in January.
ECONOMIC INEQUITIES

Berch is working on a bill that would reduce the number of people jailed simply because they can’t pay bail.

 

EDUCATION

SB 193–establishing education freedom savings accounts for students.

Weber says this removes support from public schools; benefits more affluent families more than less

affluent ones; allows state funds to be used for religious schools.

Voting on House floor as early as January 3rd.
HB 1492:  About course of action when a child’s attendance at a school has resulted in a manifest educational hardship.

(Weber notes that the effects are likely to be that the poorest school districts may be liable for tuition costs at other more costly public or private schools.)

Committee hearings start in January.

 

ELECTION LAW

CACR17: About initiative and referendum powers.

CACR18: About recalls (Weber noted all are up for reelection every two years.)

HB 1224: About election dates (allowing postponements due to weather).

HB 1240: Allowing voters to vote for multiple candidates for an office.

HB 1433: Requiring disclosure of federal income tax returns y presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

HB 1540:  About ranked-choice voting.

HB 1543:  About domicile of students for voting purposes.

Would limit rights of students to vote in the communities where they spend most of the year.

HB 1666: About redistricting.

HB 1667: About permissible campaign contributions by business organizations and labor unions and relative funding source disclosure for political advertising.

Committee hearings start in January for all the above under Election Law.

 

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Weber notes that “all of these … bills (the four below) are designed to weaken existing environmental protections.”

HB 114: About minimum electric renewable portfolio standards

HB 317: Prohibits Public Utilities Commission from increasing the system benefits charge without legislative approval

HB 559: About expenditures from the energy efficiency fund

HB 592: Repealing the regional greenhouse gas initiative

(An audience member said that organizations funded by the Koch brothers are behind House Bills 114, 317, and 592. Links to related articles at:

• ThinkProgress (https://thinkprogress.org/koch-network-goes-after-new-hampshire-5d9da939c2e8/)
• and in the “Union Leader’ (http://www.unionleader.com/energy/NHs-high-utility-bills-blamed-on-subsidies-11142017).)

Voting on House floor as early as January 3^rd.
GUNS

HB-1542: Allowing people to carry a pistol or revolver on university or community college property.

Berch said the strongest lobby is the gun lobby.

Committee hearings start in January.

 

HEALTHCARE

Health Leaves

HB 628: About family and medical leave insurance.

Voting on House floor as early as January 3rd.

 

Medicaid Expansion / New Hampshire Health Protection Program

Weber noted that this program provides Medicaid coverage to over 50,000 NH citizens who earn too much money to qualify for traditional Medicaid, but who cannot afford, even with subsidies, to purchase health insurance on the exchange.  Currently it is funded 95% by the federal government and 5% by the state.  Those covered by the program have access to addiction treatment, she added, so it is a valuable tool in fighting the opioid crisis.  Weber said this program will expire at the end of the fiscal year and should be reauthorized.  If it is not reauthorized, she observed that those covered by the program will once again receive their primary medical treatment at emergency rooms, which will drive up health care costs for everyone.

 

Medicinal Cannabis

HB 1476: Permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.

Committee hearings start in January.

 

 

Opioid crisis

The New Hampshire Health Protection Program, along with private health insurance and the traditional Medicaid program, is a significant source of funds used to combat the opioid epidemic, Weber noted in a follow-up question.  If Congress repeals the program, or if NH does not reauthorize it on the state level, then, Weber pointed out, significant numbers of addicts may receive their treatment in County jails paid for by local real property tax dollars, rather than in more appropriate and cost-efficient outpatient settings using federal funding.

 

TRANSPORTATION

There’s a 10-year plan required by the state that the Department of Transportation identify state needs and coordinate with federal projects.

Abbott said Vilas bridge doesn’t have a good chance of being brought forward.

 

VOTING SECURITY

Weber said our system of counting ballots, based on paper ballots which are preserved and available for recount, is not at risk for hacking.

###

 

Navigating the General Court Web Site

Prepared by Rep. Lucy Weber, Cheshire 01—Hinsdale, Chesterfield, Westmoreland & Walpole.

***Please feel free to share with anyone who would find it useful.

***If you have questions or additions, email me at  lwmcv@comcast.net or call 756-4338.

***Email me if you want a digital copy to use or to share.

December 6, 2017.
Throughout this tutorial, I will explain how to find different things on the General Court web site.  After each step, I have also provided the direct link to the page under discussion.  Following the directions, rather than the links, will make you more comfortable finding your own way around the site on your own. The other thing that you need to know is that there are multiple ways to work your way around the web site.  Do some exploring, then use the method that works best for you.

Lucy

Getting Started:  Google “NH General Court” to get to the General Court Home page.  Direct link here: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us  On this page, you have several dashboards.  The House dashboard has links to Find Your Representatives, to House Committees and to the House Calendars and Journals, and also a link to the NH House website.  The Senate Dashboard has some similar links, but not all of them.  Or you can use the links on the left hand side of the page to navigate to the NH House website or the NH Senate website.  The State Legislation Dashboard has a link at the bottom where you can type in the bill number and call up any bill, House or Senate, and also has many ways of varying complexities for searching for bills, and a link to Voting Records, so you can see how members voted.

 

NH House Web Page–Direct link here:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/default.aspx

NH Senate Web Page—Direct link here:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/Senate/default.aspx

 

Find Your Legislators:  On the General Court web page, go to the House of Representatives dashboard—second square box down on the left—and select Find Your Legislator.  This will give you both Representative(s) and Senator.  You can also find a link from the House Web Page under Quick Links by selecting Who’s My Legislator.

Direct link here:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx

 

Find How your Legislator Voted:  Locate your legislator using the link above.  Click on Voting Record right under the contact info for a list of roll call votes taken this term.

Find a Bill–If you know the bill number:  From the General Court web page, type the bill number into the box on the State Legislation Dash Board, top right.  On the House web page, enter the number in the box under Find a Bill half way down the page.  Or click Find a Bill on the list on the left hand side of the page for many more bill search options.  This brings up the Bill Page, with links to the bill’s text, docket, roll call votes, and more.

Find A Bill—Advanced Bill Search:  From the General Court web page, go to the State Legislation Dash Board, then click on Advanced Bill Search. From the House web page, click on Find a Bill in the list on the left, then select Advanced Bill Search.  This will allow you to search by the bill sponsor, by word search in the title of bills, search past years, etc.  Direct link here:

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/

 

Bill Docket:  Once you enter a bill number, you get a page which tells you what committee the bill is in, if there is an upcoming hearing scheduled, and links on the left hand side to the bill’s docket, text, and roll call vote, if any.  The docket is useful because it gives the most complete history of what has happened to the bill and where it is now.  Note that there is a link right next to the bill number for “Docket Abbreviations” so I will not list them here.  Remember that we vote on committee recommendations, not the bill itself, so if the recommendation is Inexpedient to Legislate, a “yes” vote kills the bill; a “no” vote is in favor of the bill.  The main Committee recommendations are OTP (Ought to Pass) OTPA (Ought to Pass with Amendment) ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate—polite for “Kill This Bill”).

Find the Roll Call Vote on a Particular Bill:  Find the Bill page, above.  If roll call votes have been taken, there will be a Roll Call Votes link on the left side of the bill page.

Find What Committee a Bill is in:  Enter the bill number on the General Court web page or the House web page.  Click on Bill Docket to find out what committee the bill has been referred to, and the date of any upcoming hearings.

Email All Members of a Committee about a Bill:  If a hearing is upcoming, you may want to email all the committee members your thoughts on the bill.  You find the committee the bill is assigned to by looking up its docket, above.  Then, from the House web page, click on Standing Committees under Quick Links.  Direct link to Standing Committee list here:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/standingcommittees.aspx

Select the committee you want.  The committee page will give you a list of the committee members—clicking on any member’s name will get you to that member’s web page and contact info.  Clicking on Email Committee Members in the box on the right will send an individual email to ever committee member.  IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a very effective tool, as you will be targeting Ds and Rs who have an interest in the bill—not just those who agree with you or who disagree with you.

Bills Currently in Committee/Bills Originally in Committee:  From the committee page you found above, check out the links below Email Committee Members.  The lists of Bills Currently in Committee and Bills Originally in Committee are good ways of finding most of the bills in a given subject area.  I say most, because many bills could arguably be referred to one of several committees, and some bills are referred routinely to a second committee, most notably Finance if the spend money, and Ways and Means if they raise money.  This can be a useful search tool.

Calendars and Journals:  The Calendars, issued late on Thursdays, are the record of all upcoming events for the next week—the bills to be voted on by the House and Senate, and the upcoming hearings and executive sessions on each.  The Journals are the complete records of what happened on the House or Senate floor.

Direct link to House Calendars and Journals:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/caljourns/default.htm

Direct link to Senate Calendars and Journals: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/Senate/calendars_journals/default.html

I have an LSR Number, how do I find the Bill number?  The LSR number is the number issued by the Office of Legislative Services when the Legislative Service Request (LSR) gets put in.  In late December/early January, the LSRs are parceled out to the various Committees, and then they are sent to the print shop for printing.  Upon their return from the print shop, they are also posted on the General Court web site.  Go to the general Court Home page, look at the State Legislation Dash Board on the right-hand side, and click on Advanced Bill Search.  The direct link is here:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/  First, make sure that the Session Year at the top of the left hand column is set to the correct year for your LSR.  Then, in the right-hand column, three down from the top, there is a place to enter the LSR number.  Don’t enter the year number, just the digits after the dash, so for LSR 2017-0002h, you would type the number 0002 in the LSR box (or in this case you could also just type 2) and you would find that LSR 2017-0002h became HB 610.

 

Other Links:

NH statutes (RSAs): http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/indexes/

Select Browse, and page down for the RSA number you are looking for.

The NH Constitution: http://www.nh.gov/constitution/constitution.html
***Special note for searches at the end of the year:  Until the calendar year and our system settings change, the only way you can find 2018 bills is by using the Advanced Bill Search function.  You will have to manually change the year to 2018 every time you search.

***State House Roundup—NHDP Grassroots Newsletter  Very useful tool for activists.  Weekly newsletter has listing of the important hearings/meetings for the week plus a summary of what happened at the State House last week.  There is also a lot of Democratic rah-rah, but you can ignore that. To be added to the newsletter mailing list, email Sue Ford sueford06@gmail.com or Erin Cotton ecotton@nhdp.org.

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Agenda for Zoning Board of Adjustment

Wednesday,  December 20, 2017

Walpole Town Hall

7:30 pm

Roll Call: Appointment of alternates if needed.

Minutes: Review minutes.

New business:

Kim Mastriani – Walpole Co-op

Old Business:

Possible Warrant Article

Irving sign

Next meeting Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

JANUARY 2018 CLARION – DEADLINE APPROACHING

by Ray Boas

I am a tad earlier than usual with this reminder of the CLARION deadline for the next issue — January 2018.  But with all the holiday pressures I thought the sooner I remind you, the better.

Closing date, due to the the holidays, is a week from Wednesday — December 20.  Please get your articles and notices (and any advertisements) to us as soon as possible. If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me at any time.  Thank you, yours, RAY

Many might consider this political and take offense. However, I sincerely believe that everyone should have health insurance so I am willing to take the heat! If this letter from our Senator applies to you, please take note. – Lil

Dear friend,

So far, nearly 20,000 Granite Staters have signed up for healthcare insurance during the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act. It’s important to note that one week from today – on December 15th – the 2018 open enrollment period ends. I want to make sure that if you need healthcare coverage, you’ve had an opportunity to review your options. You can do that now by going towww.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/.

The Trump administration has been trying to keep Granite Staters in the dark about this important signup period by slashing open enrollment advertising funding by 90 percent, cutting the open enrollment period in half, and defunding support staff that assist folks with signing up. So, friends, it’s up to each of us to get the word out to family members and friends.

In the Senate, I continue to be focused on bipartisan efforts to bring down premiums, stabilize the healthcare marketplaces, and restore funding for enrollment ads and outreach. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, nearly 94,000 Granite Staters have gotten individual health coverage through the healthcare marketplace, and nearly 50,000 have gotten coverage thanks to the Medicaid expansion. The Affordable Care Act has been a critical tool in our fight against the opioid epidemic, enabling 11,000 individuals with substance use disorders to get treatment for the first time. These gains are extremely important for the people of our state and I’m determined to not go backwards.