NH State Representative Steven Smith

Today, the Transportation Committee voted down my bill to create a committee to determine what NH needs to do to allow this new, green, personal mobility solution to come to NH.  I can’t help but think that I failed in presenting the idea well enough.  I’ll take another crack at it when it goes to the House floor.  I’m not asking for money.  I’m asking only that 5 people spend some time meeting with the builders of these systems, and other folks knowledgeable about them to see if we can move NH forward and enable disadvantaged and disabled folks the freedom to get where they need to go.

This coming week, two of my bills were heard in their respective committees.

Personal Rapid Transit

I’ve been watching the growing debate over whether to invest your tax dollars in a rail project over in Nashua with great trepidation.   Trains are coming up on their 200th birthday.   The financial viability of passenger rail died about 40 years ago.  Why anyone would want to sink more of your money into a failed system is beyond me.  Smaller, lightweight solar powered systems can be built that suit our needs, and that are self sustaining.  I hope my bill is heard favorably so that we begin dragging NH into the new millenium of transportation technology.  The hearing is on Tuesday.

Employee Protections

On Wednesday, I’ll be before the Labor Committee presenting my bill to reform the unemployment appeals hearings process.  This bill will require that an employer bring some sort of proof (documentation, witnesses, etc.) to prove misconduct at an appeals hearing.  This provision only applies after an employee has been let go, and after they have been denied unemployment compensation.  I realize that despite the departments best efforts, we’re going to get these decisions wrong now and then.  This bill is an attempt to ensure that when we are wrong, the employee gets their checks.

Next Tuesday, two of my bills will be heard before the Election Law Committee.  They both deal with “Inspectors of Election”.  These are folks sent by local political party committees to help run an election.  I tried to find out exactly what the duties and responsibilities of these folks are.  The duties were spread out over several sections of state law.  It wasn’t very easy to find them all.  The Deputy Secretary of State told me that you could find a better description in the Elections Manual.  It didn’t make sense to me that you had to get another book to have the law explained to you.  HB151 consolidates these duties in one place so that regular people can more easily find it.  You can read it yourself here – http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2013/HB0151.html

The second bill seeks to restrict these folks from participating in Town Meeting Day.  Town Meetings are non-partisan affairs.  Candidates do not have their party listed after their name.  In a state where it sometimes seems that we only get a few months off between elections, I just want to protect Town Meetings from becoming the kind of hyper-partisan event that everything is.  You can read it for yourself here – http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2013/HB0150.html

Committee hearings are open to the public.  If you’d like to be heard on these issues, you always have the right to come down and speak.

Thanks for listening,

Steve