Letter
To my constituents in Allenstown, Epsom,
and Pittsfield, There’s very little happening this week, so here’s a
few more highlights from last week’s session. HB1412, allowing
employers to pay either weekly or biweekly, passed 176-112, with no
debate. The opposition to this bill was concerned that enforcement
of the weekly paycheck law was a good opportunity for the department
of labor to check on other issues, such as workers’ compensation and
unemployment payments; supporters wanted the cost savings and
efficiency for employers.
HB1480, creating and raising a state
minimum wage, was debated and killed, 185-143. We heard that
employers are paying well above minimum wage for almost every job -
even part timers at Walmart get over $9/hour. HB2016, the ten-year
transportation plan, was amended, 174-162, to remove $4million for
the initial stages of building a passenger railroad from Lowell to
Concord, with the opponents to the amendment hoping to move forward
into the 19th century of transportation!
HB1116, increasing the cap on net metering
- the amount of solar or other power that feeds back to the network
- passed on a voice vote, without any discussion. HB1116 also passed
the difficult question of how much to pay for that power (full
retail, wholesale time of day, or something in between) to the
public utilities commission, rather than making a decision.
HB1445, allowing tinted windows on cars,
passed without debate, even though it adds a new fee. This has been
a perennial issue, with the police insisting that it’s a matter of
safety - even though it isn’t in the 46 states that already allow
tinted windows!
Interested readers can email me for my
newsletter, with more details than fit here.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Buntin Rumford
Webster Chapter DAR
Buntin Rumford Webster Chapter DAR former chapter regent Ann
Hasbany (left) and current chapter regent Beverly Smith (right).
The Buntin Rumford Webster chapter DAR
held their first meeting of the season on Tuesday March 8, 2016.
Former chapter regent Ann Hasbany presented a program on the
chapter’s history which included early happenings in the three
separate chapters (Abigail Webster Chapter, Rumford Chapter & Buntin
Chapter) established in the late 1800’s that eventually merged in
2000. Fund raising for a monument, caring for the poor and needy,
assisting veterans and honoring our state and country were just part
of the busy lives of our past members.
That spirit of service lives on with our
members today. In 1927, Pembroke Park (then Wilson Park) in Suncook
was deeded to the chapter for their care and preservation. It was
deeded back to the town in 2001, but the chapter still maintains it,
planting flowers and lilac trees in recent years. The old Allenstown
Meeting House was placed in the chapter’s care in 1908 and remains
so, often with chapter members volunteering time to assist visitors.
Our commitment to veterans remains strong. At the March meeting,
members took on the responsibility of laying a wreath at the NH DAR
Patriots Memorial in the NH State Veterans Cemetery as well as a
letter writing project to keep in touch with the state regent’s
granddaughter who is a member of the Air Force stationed in
Virginia. Buntin Rumford Webster Chapter continues to make yearly
donations to the NH State Veteran’s Home and sponsors the DAR Good
Citizen Award for seven local schools.
Best Buddies Spaghetti Dinner
New Date, April 15th
Support the local Best Buddies chapter at Pembroke Academy (PA) on
Friday, April 15th from 5pm-7pm at its first spaghetti dinner in the
PA cafeteria! Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one
friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Tickets are $7 per person and can be bought at the door or by order
forms available in the Pembroke Academy Main Office. Dinner
will include pasta, salad, bread and dessert. Raffle tickets
will be sold during the event for a variety of items and the winning
tickets will be drawn at the end of the dinner. Buddy Pairs
will talk about their friendships and success stories all during the
event.
For more information, contact PA Best
Buddies President Cheyenne Boucher at 603-485-2794.
Epsom Public
Library News
The Epsom Public Library has received a grant from New Hampshire
Humanities to present,” All Aboard the Titanic.” This program
will be presented on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 PM. Our
presenter Ted Zalewski will explore the personal experiences of
selected passengers and crew, including those with New Hampshire
affiliations, emphasizing examples of individual courage and
triumph. Mr. Zalewski is a Screen Actors Guild actor, a
writer, an educator and a historian. This program is free and
open to the public.
New Hampshire Humanities nurtures the joy
of learning and inspires community engagement by bringing
life-enhancing ideas from the humanities to the people of New
Hampshire and connecting people with ideas.
For more information, call the Epsom
Library at 736-9920.
|
