Concord update: NH Legislature getting back to work
Happy Labor Day (almost) and the unhappy unofficial end of “summah” on the Seacoast! I hope you and yours had a chance to rest, relax and recharge despite the inconsistent weather we all had to deal with this summer.
The N.H. House of Representatives has been in recess since June 29, and we are not scheduled to meet as a full body again until Jan. 3, 2024. However, that does not mean important work will not be taking place this fall.
Retained bills
There are still 212 bills introduced this past year that have been retained by the committees of the House of Representatives to which they were originally referred. A recommendation on whether to pass or reject each of these bills must be made by those committees so that when the full House meets in January, the House can take final action on these bills. I serve on the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee and we will be meeting this fall to consider the 12 bills we have retained.
For more information about all retained bills visit the website https://rb.gy/iqd7u, click on the committee you are interested in, and then click on the “Bills currently in Committee” link.
New legislation
In addition, I and my fellow state representatives will be working to finalize bills to be considered in the next legislative session beginning in January. The three bills I am working on at present would:
Require landlords and property owners to disclose whether their property is in a flood plain or has suffered previous flood damage when they rent or sell their property.
Reduce the turnaround time on criminal background checks that are required on employees hired by our local schools and other social services agencies.
Establish guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by New Hampshire state agencies.
Ten-Year Plan 2025-2034
Work will also be taking place to finalize the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s (NHDOT) 2025 – 2034 Ten Year Plan. The purpose of the Ten-Year Plan is to develop and implement a plan allowing New Hampshire to fully participate in federally supported transportation improvement projects as well as to outline projects and programs funded with state transportation dollars. NHDOT is required by state statute to update the plan every two years. For more information about the Ten-Year Plan visit the website https://rb.gy/zbw6z.
The N.H. Executive Council is responsible for reviewing and approving the Ten-Year Plan. Janet Stevens of Rye is the Executive Councilor for District 3, which includes Hampton.
On August 23, I attended a meeting of the Executive Council held here in Hampton where officials from NHDOT provided an update on their draft plan. Total projected spending over the ten years of the plan is approximately $5 billion.
Projects impacting Hampton included in the draft plan are as follows:
Replacement of Hampton-Seabrook Bridge: $99,782,305
Reconstruction of Ocean Blvd: $10,646,939
Route 101 / Route 1 Interchange: $8,114,732
Replacement of Route 1 Bridge at Hampton/North Hampton Townline: $7,150,899
Reconstruction of Winnacunnet Road: $1,227,042
Construction of a bike path along Ashworth Avenue: $6,894,497
Reconstruction of Hampton Falls – Hampton Rail Trail: $5,796,900
These projects are important, not only to Hampton but the entire Seacoast. Executive Councilor Stevens will be hosting public hearings about the Ten-Year Plan in her district on the following dates:
Sept. 7: Salem High School, 44 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Kingston Town Hall, 163 Main Street, Kingston, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12: Seabrook Community Center, 311 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19: Greenland Central School, 70 Post Road, Greenland, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23: Hampstead Town Hall, 11 Main Street, Hampstead, 7 p.m.
Please try to attend one of these meetings and express your support for these projects and any other transportation-related projects you believe should be included in the 2025 – 2034 Ten-Year Plan. If you are unable to attend and/or want to share your thoughts directly with Councilor Stevens, please reach out to her at Janet.L.Stevens@nh.gov
NHDOT will also be soliciting public input through an online survey about N.H.’s transportation needs going forward. Once that survey is available, I will be posting a link to it on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ChrisMunsforNH.
Flooding in Hampton
In 2021, the Town of Hampton completed its Flood Mitigation Study, which looked at the problem of flooding in the Meadow Pond and Hampton Harbor areas. Funding to begin to address some of the problems in the Meadow Pond area has been approved. If you are interested in learning more about the challenges we are facing there, there will be a Neighborhood Walk in the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 13. To learn more, contact Mikaela Heming at mikela.heming@unh.edu.
Governor vetoes
When we meet again in January our first piece of business will be to review and consider whether to override vetoes by the governor of legislation passed by the House and Senate earlier this year. To date (as of Aug. 28), Governor Sununu has vetoed nine bills. One of them is a bill (HB 142) that would have supported the future operations of the Burgess 75-megawatt (MW) biomass-fired power plant in Berlin, New Hampshire. For information on the other eight bills, visit https://rb.gy/pow1d.
Office hours
Office hours are back! If you have any questions or issues you would like to discuss, or if you just want to stop by and say hello, please stop by the Lane Memorial Library on Saturday, Sept. 23, between noon and 2 p.m.
Thank you.
Chris Muns is one of Hampton's five N.H. State Representatives. He is currently serving his second term, having previously served between 2012 and 2014.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Concord update: NH Legislature getting back to work
