Congressional Roundup: NH Delegation seeks legislative fix to Mass. tax issue

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Here is a roundup of updates from New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation.

800px US Capitol Building at night Jan 2006
Congressional dome. Credit/Wikimedia Commons

Following a statement earlier on Monday from U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) and Annie Kuster (D-NH-02) joined in criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a case that would address states seeking to tax residents of other states that are temporarily working remotely.

I’m very disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, which I believe punishes New Hampshire workers. This decision is particularly brutal for those who fought to keep their heads above water amid the financial fallout of the pandemic – every action should be taken to make things easier for our working families as we recover from COVID-19, not harder,” said Shaheen. “Our nation experienced an unprecedented crisis that forced businesses and employees to change how they operate in an effort to keep people safe, which is why so many worked from home. It’s disheartening that the Supreme Court is penalizing New Hampshire workers for putting the safety and health of their families and communities first. I’ll continue to pursue legislative solutions in Congress to right this wrong.”

“I am extremely disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to consider New Hampshire’s lawsuit seeking to protect Granite State workers from being unfairly taxed by Massachusetts. The Supreme Court’s refusal to consider this case could have long-term consequences for our state’s workforce and places additional financial strain on hardworking NH families who are being forced to pay income taxes for a state in which they do not live during a public health and economic crisis,” said Kuster.“I maintain that the Massachusetts rule change is an unconstitutional violation of state sovereignty, and I will continue working in Congress to pass laws and ensure no state has the authority to infringe upon the economic freedom and liberty of our New Hampshire citizens.”

“I’m incredibly disappointed the Supreme Court chose to reject New Hampshire’s challenge without explanation, leaving tens of thousands of Granite Staters unfairly paying an income tax to Massachusetts for remote work done during a global pandemic,” said Pappas. “It is clear that the most effective solution at this juncture is a legislative fix, one I’ve been pushing since the early days of the pandemic. No one working in New Hampshire should ever pay Massachusetts income tax. At a time when telework is increasingly common and when every dollar counts for New Hampshire families recovering from this economic crisis, I will continue to fight to protect Granite Staters’ hard-earned money from unfair, out-of-state taxes.”

Kuster introduces IMPROVE Addiction Care Act

Recently, Kuster recently introduced legislation with several other members of Congress to help overdose victims by closing a dangerous information gap that keeps prescribers uninformed about a patient who overdoses. The Improving Medicaid Programs’ Response to Overdose Victims and Enhancing (IMPROVE) Addiction Care Act would require state Medicaid programs to use jointly funded drug utilization review programs to increase access to treatment and boost safeguards for those on Medicaid who have experienced a non-fatal, opioid-related overdose.

“Physicians need to know when the opioids they have prescribed were involved in the overdose death of their patient, and providers need access to a patient’s full opioid use history to prevent future substance misuse and fatal overdoses,” Kuster said. “The IMPROVE Addiction Care Act would close dangerous loopholes in our health care system to ensure those on the frontlines of the addiction crisis have the information and resources they need to improve treatment for patients in New Hampshire and across the country who are struggling with addiction.”

More information on the legislation can be found here. Full text is available here.

Former State Representative charged with alleged assassination plot against Hassan

A former Seabrook State Representative was arrested after making comments in May threatening to assassinate Hassan.

According to court documents obtained by WMUR last week, Richard Morris made the statements and was arrested in May, upset that not enough was being done at the federal level to help fisherman.

About this Author

Andrew Sylvia

Assistant EditorManchester Ink Link

Born and raised in the Granite State, Andrew Sylvia has written approximately 10,000 pieces over his career for outlets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. On top of that, he's a licensed notary and licensed to sell property, casualty and life insurance, he's been a USSF trained youth soccer and futsal referee for the past six years and he can name over 60 national flags in under 60 seconds according to that flag game app he has on his phone, which makes sense because he also has a bachelor's degree in geography (like Michael Jordan). He can also type over 100 words a minute on a good day.