Governor Chris Sununu has laid out his alternative to the federal unemployment stipend while setting a date of June 19 for that benefit to end. He said that, starting immediately, the state will offer a $500 stipend to those who take part-time work and remain on the job for eight weeks, and $1,000 to those who take full-time summer employment.
At Tuesday’s news conference, he said that about 35,000 residents will lose their federally mandated unemployment stipend of $300 a week, but he intends to provide $10 million in his work incentive program, available on a first-come, first-served basis, hoping to help employers with 14,000 unfilled jobs. Sununu said some of those jobs offer starting wages of $15 an hour or more. He noted that the new work stipends will be available only to those earning $25 an hour or less.
Sununu admitted that that lack of workforce housing is preventing some people from accepting jobs, and he blamed the housing shortage on communities taking a “not-in-my-backyard” approach to land use. While saying he believes in local control, Sununu said, “You can’t say ‘I am pro-business’ but not support workforce housing.”
PPP Double-Dipping
Senate Bill 3, which passed the Senate on a 23-0 vote, ran into some opposition in the House, with Representative Walter Spilsbury of Charlestown saying companies should not be able to convert Paycheck Protection Program loans into grants and also claim an exemption for the grants from business profits tax liability. If a company meets the criteria to convert the loan into a grant by keeping employees on the payroll, making mortgage or rent payments, and covering utility costs, he said, it would unfair and amount to “double-dipping” to claim the same money as an offset to gross income under the business profits tax.
As written, the senate bill, sponsored by Wolfeboro Senator Jeb Bradley, provided that, in calculating the business profits tax, “No amount shall be included in the gross business income of the eligible recipient by reason of forgiveness of indebtedness issued or created under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was first established under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act … or issued or created under the federal PPP Second Draw Loan Program established under the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act.”
The House Ways and Means Committee discussed an amendment Spilsbury proposed that would place a cap on the deduction, but some legislators worried about “the optics” or how businesses would view a change that makes them pay more.
‘Qualified Immunity’ Stands
The House Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly voted to support many of the recommendation from the Governor’s Committee on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency, but rejected, 7-14, an amendment, offered by Representative Paul Berch of Westmoreland, that would end “qualified immunity” for police officers. Berch argued that protecting officers from lawsuits “keeps bad officers on the job,” but the New Hampshire Municipal Association, New Hampshire Department of Justice, police unions, and the state firefighters association argued that the amendment would result in more lawsuits against municipalities.
In support of his amendment, Berch mentioned the state’s secret list of police officers with credibility problems, commonly known as the “Laurie List,” that is kept from the public. Alex Ray, owner of the Common Man family of restaurants, and Plymouth businessman Steve Rand joined Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, in calling for the end of qualified immunity for police and other bad-acting public officials who face civil lawsuits for their behavior while on the job.
The committee did amend Senate Bill 96 to make implicit bias training for judges optional, rather than required.
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where we discuss the news of the day. An effort by the Liberty Independent Media Project, the work does not rely on advertising, as most media outlets do, freeing us to provide an independent focus on events and cultural issues. Instead of advertising, the project relies on monetary support from donors and subscribers. If you like what we’re doing, please support us by giving what you can. Subscriptions to this newsletter are available for as little as $5 per month. Subscribers can share their knowledge, thoughts, and questions about any topic, and we may select some of those subjects for more in-depth analysis.
If you’re unable to pay but still want to receive all of the public posts in your in-box, click the Subscribe button and choose a free subscription.
Either way, we invite you to fill your cup with your favorite drink, pull up a chair, and join us at The News Café as we build our community. www.libertymedianh.org