Politics is the process where groups of people make collective decisions relative to running government. So I am here to report that it has been an active week politically in New Hampshire.
HOUSE HAPPENINGS:
The legislature is attempting to get through the thousands of proposed pieces of legislation causing many to ask “who knew we needed so many new laws.” It’s slowly dawning on members that the thousands of bills submitted in January need to be assigned a committee, have a hearing, and then voted on by the full House and that this takes time. Furthermore, all this has to happen prior to March 29 – Crossover Day, which is one of those interesting built-in checks on the system requiring that bills from the House and Senate need to be acted upon and sent to the other body. Needless to say, reality is setting-in relative to schedules and there not being enough time in the day. At last Wednesday’s Session, Speaker O’Brien fearing an exodus of representatives late in the day and the subsequent loss of a quorum had the exit doors locked and stationed security, including state police, at the exits of Representatives Hall to ensure that no reps went AWOL. Among the more interesting side bars of the day was debate over HB-1666, referred to by a democratic representative as the “Devil’s Bill” which would require the legislature to approve all collective bargaining agreements entered into by the state. It was pointed out that this amended bill has never had a public hearing which caused the House Finance Chairman to immediately jump up and state that a hearing would just bring in “people who want to make a fuss!” Many readers may recall that the Finance Chair is Representative Weyler who came to Claremont earlier this year to explain the downshifting of state costs onto the city. He is the same guy who called firefighters “thugs” during the budget hearings. Sadly, the mindset of not holding hearings about something people might not like, so let’s not tell them prevailed and HB-1666, aka the DEVIL’S BILL passed 232 to 119! However, the latest legislative outrage is a bill by a libertarian-republican legislator which if passed would no longer require businesses to offer a lunch break for workers.
COUNTY BIOMASS:
On a less confrontational front – the Sullivan County Delegation held a meeting last Thursday that included a presentation and public hearing on a proposal by the County Commissioners to build a Biomass Energy Project at the county complex in Unity. The project will require the County to bond 3.2 million dollars for construction of the facility; however the project is estimated to save the County two hundred and ninety thousand dollars yearly in fuel costs. This energy saving project will utilize and burn wood chips provided by regional businesses. Estimated time to construct and become operational is about 18 months. In addition to savings in fuel costs, the project was touted as providing a variety of social and environmental benefits such as reducing our reliance on foreign fossil fuels, as well as a net reduction of carbon emissions by 1,200 tonnes per year. Additional benefits were how projected energy dollars of $80,000 per year would remain local as well as provide an opportunity to better manage county owned forests. The proposal was unanimously endorsed by delegation members.
COMMUNITY COLLEGES CREATE JOBS:
The week rounded out with my attending an excellent presentation by President Budd and staff of River Valley Community College. The new Chancellor of the Community College System – Dr. Ross Gittell – also participated in the morning meeting. It was very evident that River Valley Community College is no longer the Voc-Tech of years gone by. Due to a variety of partnerships and collaborations, they are quickly exceeding all expectations. Not only are they continuing to work with area businesses such as Hypertherm regarding turning out qualified machinists, but they have developed articulation agreements with Keene State College where graduates of the machinist program will be credited for two years towards a bachelor’s degree. Apparently due to rising tuition costs many area students are attending the community college to complete their first two years of schooling before transferring to the university system. River Valley is also working with the Dartmouth School of Medicine in producing workers for the health fields of tomorrow and successfully providing the occupation careers of the future. Another partnership with Dartmouth’s Center for Strategic Studies has resulted in River Valley being awarded a three year federal grant resulting in students receiving an associate’s degree in information-security, which will provide high paying jobs for workers in the field of cyber-security. Concern was expressed about decreasing support from the legislature and the subsequent impact which caused me to think just imagine what they could do if the NH legislature actually funded them at a functional level? New Hampshire’s Community Colleges are indeed the best kept secret in the state, as they are flexible and capable of responding to student and business needs. Kudos to River Valley for providing a place of second chances for area residents!
