CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch issued a statement following the New Hampshire House vote to pass HB558, restricting the distribution of plastic straws. The bill would require every food service business to only provide a plastic straw when explicitly asked for by the customer. “House Democrats just passed a more stringent ban on …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch issued a statement following the House vote on HB186, establishing a state minimum wage and providing for adjustments to the minimum wage. The bill would establish a state minimum wage of $9.50 per hour in 2020, then raise it incrementally to $12.00 per hour by 2023. “So far …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) reacted to the House Ways & Means committee vote of 10-9 to recommend HB632, repealing the education tax credit, ought to pass. “Many Democrats, including the committee chair, have a vendetta against this program that helps less fortunate kids. I don’t understand how a party who claims …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) reacted to the Criminal Justice & Public Safety committee vote on HB 687, relative to extreme risk protection orders. The committee voted 20-0 to retain HB687 in committee. “Today’s vote in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee is another example of the Democrats’ rushed agenda hitting …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch issued a statement following the House vote to pass HB611, which changes absentee ballot laws so that anyone could request an absentee ballot for any reason. “The mantra from Democrats is that they want clean and fair elections, but their legislation suggests they only want to remove reasonable …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) issued a statement following the House vote on HB105, and HB 106, which repeal common sense election laws that were recently enacted. HB105 relative to domicile residency, voter registration, and investigation of voter verification letters attempts to reverse provisions in law made by SB3 (2017), and HB …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) issued a statement following the party line vote of the Labor, Industrial Services and Rehabilitation committee passing HB186, establishing a state minimum wage and providing for adjustments to the minimum wage. “At a time when New Hampshire’s economy is humming and we have one of the lowest …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch issued a statement following review of the state’s monthly employment report released last week, which continued to show a strong economy and continued declines in the number of people looking for work in New Hampshire. In addition the monthly Revenue Focus report issued today by the Department of …

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CONCORD – House Labor committee chair Rep. Brian Sullivan (D-Grantham) forwarded an email (below) containing letters from the US Department of Labor and the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security on Sunday, which both discouraged the committee from considering an amendment to SB16, which would have attempted to pay state unemployment benefits to certain furloughed …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) issued a statement following the House vote on HB686, extending the interest and dividends tax to capital gains. The bill passed by a 199-143 vote. “New Hampshire has gone it’s entire history without a tax on capital gains. Democrats decided that today was the day to move …

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CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) issued a statement following the House vote on HB623, relative to the rates of the business profits tax and business enterprise tax. The bill passed by a 200-141 vote. “House Ways & Means chair Susan Almy tells us there is a real threat of a recession, and …

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