This week at the State House
The House and Senate are both set to meet Thursday at 10 a.m. to take up Committee of Conference reports. The biggest among those reports is the state budget, and we’ll have a bit more on that below. You can see the reports from the committees of conference here.
You can find the complete House and Senate calendars below:
STATE BUDGET
Conference committee signs off on budget
On Thursday, the members of the committee of conference on the state budget signed off on their reports, sending them to the House and Senate for a vote on Thursday. While legislators were trying to move closer to a budget that Gov. Chris Sununu would sign, it’s not clear if they achieved their goal.
If the governor opts to veto the budget, state agencies would operate at current funding levels until lawmakers can agree on a continuing resolution. That would require a special session during the summer, which means that this lengthy legislative session might continue for quite a while.
You can read Union Leader coverage of the budget here.
CHILD PROTECTION
Join us for a celebration of passage of SB 6
When Gov. Sununu signed SB 6 into law, our members won a huge, hard-fought victory. This bill, which will add 77 new positions at DCYF, was the result of years of work and dedicated advocacy by our child protection members. We want to celebrate that.
All members are invited to join us for a celebration of the passage of SB 6 at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25 at the SEA/SEIU Local 1984 office.
The event will include a short program, light dinner and, of course, some cake. Our RSVP deadline has passed, but you’d still like to join us you can RSVP using this form.
We hope you’ll be able to join us on the 25th.
WHAT ELSE TO WATCH FOR
Updates on other bills we’re following
Brief updates on the remaining legislation we’re tracking:
Minimum wage: The Committee of Conference on the Senate’s minimum wage bill, SB 10, met last week. The resulting report calls for increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour on Jan 1, 2020, then to $12 an hour two years later. The House and Senate will vote on the bill on Thursday, and if approved the bill would go on to the governor.
Pension COLA: No update since last week – Our state pension COLA bill, HB 616, has been approved by the House and Senate and is working its way through the process. The governor has said he’ll sign the bill.
Clinicians bill: No update since last week – Our bill to establish a commission to study the business environment for mental health providers in New Hampshire, SB 115, was approved by the House, and the Senate concurred with the House-amended version. The bill is moving through the process on to the governor. He can sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
Union notification: No update since last week – The bill that provides some important union workplace protections, SB 148, was approved by the House, and the Senate concurred with the House-amended version. The bill is moving through the process on to the governor. He can sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.