Monday, June 17, 2013
NH legislators try to resolve differences in voter ID, medical marijuana, and state budget bills over the next four days.
New Hampshire House and Senate members are hustling over the next four days to resolve their differences in more than 42 bills, including the $10.7 billion state budget, proposed medical marijuana legalization, and possible changes in the voter identification law. June 20, at 4 p.m., is the deadline to sign committee of conference reports. The blueprint: House, Senate aim to wrap up all unfinished business by June 26-27. This week: Gov. Maggie Hassan and the Executive Council meet on Wednesday, 10 a.m., in council chambers at the Statehouse. Unfinished business: House Bill 1 and 2, the state budget bill and its trailer bill, are the big mountains legislators must climb. The Senate-passed budget is roughly $300 million less than the House …
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Saturday, June 15, 2013
Bedford bond sold at low rate after Aaa rating affirmed by Moody's.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Legislative week: Medicaid expansion, NH revenue estimates remain lightning rods.
'Tis the season in Concord when state House and Senate members test their wits (and try each other's patience) in a high stakes game of budgetary chess. And there are all the other bills that are pending passage (or rejection). The New Hampshire Senate meets in session Wednesday, June 12, at 11 a.m. The House is not scheduled to be in full session again until June 26. Budget. The House Finance Committee will hear a presentation Tuesday, June 11, on the Senate changes to the $10.7 billion state budget. It is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Rooms 210-211 of the Legislative Office Building. Among the differences, the Senate rejected Medicaid expansion. The Senate budget is about $300 million less than the House position. Bien Revenue? The House Ways…
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'For too long, politicians on both sides of the aisle in Washington have failed to lead on this issue.'
Everybody agrees that America's immigration system is broken, threatening our security and holding back our economy. The combination of porous borders and lax enforcement has made us a magnet for illegal immigration. With an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, the status quo isn't working – it's de facto amnesty. We need immigration reform that serves the best interests of our country – a solution that finally secures our southern border, implements an employment verification system, stops future waves of illegal immigrants, deports undocumented criminals, creates a tough but fair means for those who are here illegally to earn citizenship, and allows high-skilled and other needed legal immigrants to work here and …
Saturday, June 8, 2013
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The Washington Post and The Guardian reported this week that the U.S. government has been using a data mining program – nicknamed PRISM – that allows it to monitor emails and other information from nine major U.S. Internet companies. According to the Post, the National Security Agency and the FBI are using information gleaned from the servers of firms like Google and Facebook to extract audio, video, photos, emails and more that enable them to track people's movements and contacts. The Guardian also reported that the NSA is obtaining similar data from phone calls made with Verizon. The Obama administration quickly responded, saying it isn't monitoring the phone calls and emails of U.S. citizens. PRISM, the government said, is not directed …
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Controversial sheriff candidate emigrated to Chile following 2012 defeat.
When last we heard from Frank Szabo, he had posted that he was emigigrating to South America following his September 2012 defeat in the New Hampshire state primary election. He has apparently followed through with his promise as he recently posted a video (click the link to watch) promoting a life of liberty at the Freedom Orchard, which is located in Chile. Szabo, of course, grabbed national headlines last August when he made controversial comments regarding his staunch pro-life platform. An admitted Free Stater, Szabo, in an interview with Bedford Patch compared abortion to slavery and said he'd condone the use of deadly force in extreme circumstances pertaining to abortion. "I don't think anybody would have trouble with preventing a …
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Democrats and Republicans blast one another over budget, health care choices in NH.
While New Hampshire continues to debate whether to pursue Medicaid expansion, Senate President Peter Bragdon is asking another question: if the state were to opt in, could it opt out? Prove it, Bragdon said Monday, saying at a community forum on the issue that he wants to see facts first. To that end, Bragdon and the GOP caucus in the Senate are backing a change to reject Medicaid expansion, opting instead to study it. Democrats blasted Republicans for playing politics at the sake of thousands of Granite Staters and the loss of federal funding for care for the needy. In Concord today, Republicans and Democrats continue with dueling news conferences on the issue. And the Republican State Committee sent a right-to-know request to Gov. Maggie…
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Saturday, June 1, 2013
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Following her controversial gun control vote, Kelly Ayotte has been the New Hampshire Senator most often in the news of late. But she doesn't face re-election until 2016. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), meanwhile, is up for re-election next year. Until this week, though, there had been very little talk of any Republicans interested in challenging the popular former governor, unless you count former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown's talk of possibly running in New Hampshire. A University of New Hampshire poll conducted in April showed that Shaheen's favorability rating is at 59 percent. And an April poll by Public Policy Polling showed Shaheen leading every potential Republican challenger by double digits. Earlier this week, however, former …
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Thursday, May 30, 2013
State Sen. Andy Sanborn said a Twitter remark referring to Gov. Maggie Hassan as "Haggie" was just a typo.
State Sen. Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford) said a Twitter remark he made about Gov. Maggie Hassan this week was "a typo, plain and simple," and accused Democrats of blowing the situation out of proportion. The New Hampshire Democratic Party issued a press release Thursday afternoon criticizing Sanborn for referring to Hassan as "Haggie" in a tweet earlier this week. The tweet has since been deleted. "This sounds to me like they're trying to make a whole lot out of nothing," Sanborn said on Thursday. "It was a typo, plain and simple. Virtually the instant I saw it, I recognized the mistake and apologized not once but twice. "I don't know what more they want from me at this point," Sanborn added. "For a party that preaches tolerance, they're …
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Tuesday, May 28, 2013
U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) discusses the IRS and 'abuse of power.'
essay
12:58 pm on Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Republicuns and RWNJs are imploding. TeaBaggers vs. Moderates will be the end of the con movement. Cruz v. McCain Paul II v. Ayotte Who ya got?! more ›