Here is a roundup of recent news from New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation.
.Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester will receive $400,000
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (D-NH-02) and Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) announced that the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (MHCGM) will receive $400,000 to help address adverse youth experiences associated with exposure to trauma.
Specifically, the funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which Senator Shaheen supports through the annual appropriations process. The funding will support MHCGM’s Trauma Recovery though Evidence-based Access and Treatment (TREAT) project, which aims to boost access and treatment to Manchester youth by creating a trauma informed supportive community through training community members, child-serving system workers and police officers, allowing MHCGM to hire additional mental and behavioral health providers and implementing effective, evidence-based treatments.
Hassan wins award
On Tuesday, Hassan was presented with the Small Business Council of America (SBCA) Congressional Award in recognition of her bi-partisan efforts to extend and expand the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) and to help relieve small businesses of the burdens imposed on them by the Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. “Small businesses are the engines of our economy, helping drive economic growth and create good-paying jobs,” said Hassan. “The past year was particularly tough on small businesses, but even in the face of unprecedented circumstances, business owners did all that they could to stay afloat, keep workers employed, and serve their customers. Small businesses across the country spoke out about what they needed during the pandemic, and that feedback was immensely valuable as we worked on a bipartisan basis to support programs that have provided businesses with relief. It is an honor to receive this award from the SBCA, and I look forward to continuing to work on policies to help our small businesses thrive.”
SBCA CEO & Vice President/Legislation Matthew F. Kadish, who presented the award said “the SBCA salutes Senator Hassan’s efforts at bipartisanship, including as a key negotiator in the recently announced Bipartisan Infrastructure deal. She is able to see things from both sides of the aisle, and has a demonstrated commitment to small businesses and entrepreneurship. In particular, with this award we recognize the Senator as a top leader and ally in providing small businesses the critical lifelines to help them survive in the pandemic economy.”
Pappas and Kuster re-introduce bill to fix Mass. tax issue
Today, Kuster, Pappas, Jim Himes (D-CT-04), and Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05), re-introduced the Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act.
The number of Americans telecommuting and working from home at least part-time has increased in recent years with technological advancements. The coronavirus pandemic served to supercharge this trend as millions of Americans switched to telework last year. Unfortunately, a patchwork of conflicting state tax rules burdens workers and discourages telecommuting. The Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act introduction comes the same week that the Supreme Court of the United States rejected a lawsuit by New Hampshire opposing Massachusetts collection of income tax from nearly 80,000 New Hampshire residents who are employed by Massachusetts companies, but have been working remotely in New Hampshire.
“Hardworking families in New Hampshire deserve peace of mind knowing they are not being unfairly taxed just because their employer’s headquarters is located in a different state,” said Kuster. “I’m proud to help introduce the Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act to protect Granite State workers and ensure no state has the authority to infringe upon the economic freedom and liberty of our New Hampshire citizens.”
“Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, it’s clear the most effective path forward to protect workers from unfair, out-of-state taxes is to pass the Multi-State Workers Tax Fairness Act,” said Pappas. “The ability of Massachusetts or any other state to tax you should stop at the state line, and that’s what this legislation will ensure. For the nearly one in five Granite Staters employed by companies out of state, every dollar they can keep in their pockets makes a difference, especially as we recover from the pandemic. I will continue to fight for this legislation so that we can get tax relief to our workers as quickly as possible.”
Pappas and Kuster were co-sponsors on a similar bill last year. Hassan and Shaheen introduced a Senate version of the bill yesterday.
