New Hampshire Senate Bill 11 will get a formal vote in the House this week, according to a post at CNHT.org. The post states the full vote is May 22, but was sent to me with an update: the vote will be held this Wednesday, May 15th.
(Note: We received confirmation. The vote is Wednesday May 22nd)
The date hardly matters, except as relates to our need to act against it. To the best of my knowledge this is the same exact bill that was set aside last week. No effort has been made to deal with the broad language that set off red flags last week. It is still a bad bill.
There is also the question of why this bill is even needed…
CNHT asks…
“…why do Exeter and Stratham need this legislation which “permits municipalities to establish water and/or sewer utility districts and to enter into intermunicipal agreements for the establishment of such districts” considering that the Merrimack Valley Water District has been in existence since 2004 by virtue of RSA Statutes: Chapter 53-A, Chapter 33-B, Chapter 38, and Chapter 362.”
If statutory authority already exists, why introduce a bill like SB 11, with such broad language, unless you are after something more?
Given how the bill is written that something could be the authority to tax people for municipal services they do not use. It could be to set the table for additional legislation based off the language in SB 11 that suggests that the water in the state is a collective resource to be controlled directly by the state.
That would give the government regulatory oversight and control of your well water, rain water, run off, garden hose… ownership, actually, and the right to limit or tax you further for the use of same. And you don’t have to think conspiratorial theory, it’s already been done already in other places, and is a documented objective of planning commission already operating in the state now.
This may ultimately come down to two things. The people’s tolerance for additional potential taxes levied against well and septic users for water and sewer they do not use, or may not even have access too; SB 11’s language is broad enough to allow for that. And their awareness that this could even be happening to them without the knowledge to act against it.
It falls upon those of us paying a bit more attention, as it always had, to make the case for them with our New Hampshire House Reps. But if you’ve got the time, please share this news with a neighbor or two, and encourage them to contact their Rep as well, to let them know that they are uncomfortable with legislation that could tax them or their neighbors for services they may not even be able to make use of. Ever.
As the title of the CNHT post points out. Too many questions remain in SB11.
If we need this at all we need a better bill first and this one needs to be sent packing.
Additional reading
Everyone Votes Yea so far but should we vote Nay?
Jane Aitken: SB 11 Must be stopped
