July 30 Update – Apply for Services | NH State Representative Steven Smith

NH EASY – You may qualify

If you have never applied for services from the state, you may want to consider trying it. With the torrent of money coming from the federal government, many thresholds for eligibility have been reduced. Many people qualify for health coverage, and there is a federal benefit that pays for SNAP benefits if you have a school age child. It only takes a few minutes to apply at nheasy.nh.gov. I mentioned this to someone who replied that they did not want any handouts. This is not a handout. It is your money, we taxed you and we took it from you. Why not get some back? You can fill out one application and it applies to all services, just check all the boxes. The worst thing that happens is nothing. ~ Steve

USDA Launches New Farmers.gov Features to Help Farmers Hire Workers

(Washington, D.C., July 27, 2020) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced new features on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers.gov website designed to help facilitate the employment of H-2A workers.

“My mission from the beginning of my time as Secretary was to make USDA the most effective, most efficient, most customer-focused department in the entire federal government – these changes to Farmers.gov are doing just that. USDA’s goal is to help farmers navigate the complex H-2A program that is administered by Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department so hiring a farm worker is an easier process,” said Secretary Perdue. “President Trump knows how essential these workers are to our farmers and America’s food supply chain. We will continue working to streamline these and other processes to better serve our customers across the country.”

State epidemiologist Dr. Chan responds to viewer questions

https://www.wmur.com/article/state-epidemiologist-dr-chan-questions-coronavirus/33461331

State Epidemiologist Urges N.H. Voters, Pollworkers To Wear Masks At Fall Elections

https://www.nhpr.org/post/state-epidemiologist-urges-nh-voters-pollworkers-wear-masks-fall-elections#stream/0

Merrimack debates mask policy for local schools

https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/merrimack-debates-mask-policy-for-local-schools/article_0ce6625e-c934-5c67-a3fe-a488f9953552.html

Derry board OKs plan to reopen school facilities

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/derry-board-oks-plan-to-reopen-school-facilities/article_ec690562-4945-5fb3-8139-2678f7d7f690.html?block_id=897573

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – July 29th, 2020

On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, DHHS announced 17 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 6,513 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are two individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 59% being female and 41% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (5), Belknap (1), and Strafford (1), and in the cities of Manchester (9) and Nashua (1).