CONCORD, NH- House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney (R-Salem) and State Representative Joe Barton (R-Littleton) released the following statement after the House passed HR 45. HR 45 asserts New Hampshire’s rightful ownership over the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor.
“It is time to take our island back. The border between New Hampshire and Maine was clearly established in 1761, with the islands in Portsmouth Harbor belonging to New Hampshire. I thank Representative Barton for his work, and my colleagues in the House for voting to take our island back,” Deputy Majority Leader Sweeney said.
Representative Barton added, “the hard working men and women of New Hampshire’s Portsmouth Naval Shipyard should not be forced to pay a Maine income tax. I look forward to one day welcoming those hardworking men and women to the live free or die state. To anyone who still questions if those islands belong to New Hampshire, just remember: Badger’s Island has been on our State Flag for longer than Maine has been a state.”
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