Legislative Update: Veto Day - November 10, 2023 Windham Independent
Legislative Update: Veto Day
On October 26, the House of Representatives voted on 4 House bills vetoed by the Governor, but none obtained the required two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, leaving all of the Governor’s vetoes in effect. I voted to support each of the 4 vetoes.
Two of the votes were rather straightforward, starting with the veto of HB35, requiring student identification cards to include the National Eating Disorders Hotline which was unanimously supported by the House, since the hotline was shut down since the bill was passed.
HB342, relative to lead testing in children was not necessary - the state already mandates testing at ages of 1 and 2, and it would be bad policy to deny a child access to a public school education because they cannot present yet another set of lead test results.
The most amount of public feedback received was in regards to HB142, relative to the operation of the Burgess Biopower plant, which burns wood to generate electricity that Eversource must buy at prices above market rates, resulting in over $200 million in subsidies since 2014 to support less than 40 full time jobs.
Forcing over half a million of Eversource customers to overpay for electricity in order to keep Burgess Biopower open was a bad idea to start with, but even harder to support after a decade of massive subsidies that did not lead to the plant being anywhere near economically sustainable. Businesses should succeed or fail based on their own merits, not based on their ability to obtain subsidies from taxpayers.
The one tough decision I faced was on HB337, directing the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) to provide notice of public meetings and an opportunity for comment from the public and creating a new attorney II position.
While I strongly support greater transparency and accountability for all government bodies, this bill passed through the House and Senate before legitimate concerns were raised over singling out the OPLC with excessively burdensome requirements that no other state agency would be subject to, which may lead to significant policy issues down the road.
There is a strong general consensus on the House floor that this bill needs to be fixed whether the Governor’s veto was overridden or not, and a Senate bill with bipartisan support has already been introduced this fall to address those concerns. I finally decided to support the veto, to increase the odds that the corrected bill will pass next spring.
The House voted to override this veto, but the Senate did not, leaving all of the Governor’s vetoes in place.
I would be happy to engage with any Windham resident on my legislative work - you can reach me with concerns or questions about any legislative matters at 603 267 4142 (call or text), or by email at dpm@leg.state.nh.us.
Daniel Popovici-Muller
Windham Representative
Clerk, Division II
House Finance Committee