Pro-SB11 PR Campaign Underway…

Supporters of SB 11, the bill that would allow a new layer of bureaucracy for the purpose of taxing and managing intermunicipal water districts, are waging a public relations campaign on the premise that the opponents of the bill are seeing things that are not there.  Unfortunately for them, the real problem is that there is nothing in the bill to prevent any of the things we see.

Call us cynical but we do not trust rules-makers and bureaucrats to imagine limitations on their authority that are not spelled out clearly.  In fact, as proper cynics, we do not even give them much credit for constraining themselves when the language seems clear.  The language in SB11 fails on all counts.

So I have begun my own counter-campaign on that premise, and emailed the entire New Hampshire House Republican email list with the email below.  Feel free to use this premise or one similar as you reach out to your own representatives.

And a reminder.  Water, water rights, property rights, and fair taxation are not partisan issues.   It is your well, your water, your rain and run-off , and your money that could be taxed; no matter what we’d like the words in SB11 to mean, there is no specific language in it that seeks first and foremost to protect the people of New Hampshire.  Until such language does exist this effort must be opposed.

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The Return of The Bride of The Son of SB 11 [Date of vote confirmed]

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?

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Questions Relating to SB 11

Senate Bill 11 made its way to the House consent Calendar without resistance.  It was there that it the bill was then pulled from consent and  briefly debated the following day, and put on probation for two weeks.  It will be back. But how did it get as far as it did given language so … Read more

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