CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) today announced that he has named Rep. Peter Silva (R-Nashua) as Majority Leader. Silva has served as Deputy Majority Leader and also serves on the Judiciary Committee in his second legislative term representing Wards 5, 8 & 9 in Nashua. Additionally, Rep. Silva has named Ways and Means Committee Chairman Stephen Stepanek (R-Amherst) as Deputy Majority Leader. Stepanek is currently serving in his fourth term representing the towns of Amherst and Milford. The appointments are effective immediately.
House Speaker William O’Brien
“Pete Silva has shown a tremendous ability to pull diverse elements of the Republican caucus together over a short period of time. He is a leader on the Judiciary Committee and understands the importance of bringing unity around Republican principles of low taxes, limited government and personal freedom. He has also developed a strong relationship with many of the House freshmen, who constitute about half of the Republican caucus, and has worked closely with them in ensuring that their voices are heard. Pete is the right person to lead the caucus as we close out the end of this legislative session and work on delivering many important priorities to the citizens of New Hampshire. As the former Deputy, he will also bring continuity to the office and ensure a seamless transition over the next two weeks.”
“Stephen Stepanek has a clear record of achievement as Ways and Means Chairman. He has delivered revenue estimates that are within 1% of our actual receipts, while at the same time he has passed a number of bills to bring tax relief to New Hampshire’s employers that have allowed the state to move up from dead last nationally for having the highest business tax rates. In addition, he has served as a business owner, so he knows what it takes to create a pro-jobs environment here. Having run a successful company, he understands what it takes to manage organizations and to work with a number of different interests and personalities. All of these skills will serve Stephen well as Deputy Majority Leader, and I expect that he will thrive in his new role.”
House Majority Leader Pete Silva
“We have a lot of work to do as a Majority to accomplish a number of key goals remaining this term. We are currently working on important issues such as giving the voters a chance to vote on constitutional amendments on education funding, on requiring a supermajority to raise taxes and fees and on banning an income tax, as well as bringing integrity to the voting both with voter ID and moving forward to stop welfare fraud. We have a little over a week to work through these issues before the House votes on them, and the Republican caucus must stand united in our efforts to give a more fiscally responsible, more accountable government to the citizens of the state. As Majority Leader, my focus will be on ensuring that House Republicans keep our promises to protect and rebuild New Hampshire’s low tax, limited government environment so that we can bring more good new jobs here and make our state the clear choice for individuals and businesses to want to be.”
“Stephen Stepanek brings a tremendous amount of financial knowledge to the Majority Office. His work to give us consistent and reliable revenue figures has led to an honest and accurate budget for the first time in years, and he has identified a number of areas to move on pro-growth tax relief. I’m looking forward working with both Stephen and our Majority Whip Shawn Jasper to finish this session strong and get our agenda finished.”