[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6611036,"mediaKeyId","2900230-7a677d9cef3d01e757d1338edd5651ba","parentId",2900230,"title","Senate Finance backs HB 165 to raise maximum municipal disaster grant to $100,000","audioSeconds",682,"startMs",2134000,"endMs",2816000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2900230-7a677d9cef3d01e757d1338edd5651ba&start=2134&end=2816","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2900230-7a677d9cef3d01e757d1338edd5651ba/thumbnail_2134000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6611036/New-Hampshire/Senate-Finance-backs-HB-165-to-raise-maximum-municipal-disaster-grant-to-100000","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611036-4047910247d4d1786c5d45f5de737dde/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136569&Signature=lS~zKe-GVJKfD3JU4~L3CUM2EFW6fFFbV0hYvnyEfd6KtyCluC6oWeN01yoXinjhd9Rl-bdEWi~rC89DygiBKh8mDpo4r8-b5-6ed-Y8skpnHCARK5x4AcP1SIDBPcdqkAA2NFnMoIgR6m8L5EB21mUNixfmdXiSreqHAu38Eo3gTywKcq~7U2b6KlOvU1t0ey2csCG2fjEiMQnJ8pWkm3g3RoZUvlFkYnEWNW85ijPwwGMlUE0clWmfiTj8NjVFjsKsGCM0EmijOD66tTp4uB7c-YO97w9Hjbfh7Iri84GKPFQP2t7FTDO5yfkx3ZvBONAW7bW~iYyL8aGBbOvLFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-04-08T18:13:46.193Z","article","Representative Judy Aaron told the Senate Finance Committee she introduced House Bill 165 to restore the original $100,000 maximum award available to municipalities under a state disaster-relief statute. Aaron said language enacted in a prior session lowered the cap to $25,000 during a committee-of-conference compromise and that the smaller amount does not provide meaningful relief to many small towns after flooding or other natural disasters.

Aaron cited repeated flooding events in her district, including damage from July 2021 and July 2023, and said some towns still struggle to repair roads and infrastructure. She argued $25,000 often does not cover temporary repairs such as culverts or road work and that a $100,000 cap would give municipalities more useful flexibility after an event.

Senators asked technical and fiscal questions. One senator noted the account balance shown in the committee materials ($45,292) and asked whether a single $100,000 award could exhaust the fund. Aaron and other witnesses explained that the fiscal committee retains discretion to approve awards and that unappropriated funds could be considered if necessary. Committee members also asked about the fund's original funding source; Aaron suggested Homeland Security and Emergency Management could provide details and recommended Director Buxton as a source.

Senator Pearl and others said raising the statutory cap creates the option to award more when needed and preserves oversight by the fiscal committee. Senator Waters and other members expressed concern that $25,000 had become inadequate in the face of inflation and recent disasters. The committee moved into executive session to consider the bill.

When the committee returned it voted to advance HB 165. The committee recorded a voice vote and the chair stated the ayes had it; the transcript records the result as 6-0 in favor.

Aaron supplied further context about the small New Hampshire towns affected by flooding, noting one community with a tax base of about 850 residents and 55 miles of road, which she said lacks capacity to absorb unexpected disaster costs without rapid state support.

After discussion the committee voted \"ought to pass\" and placed the bill on consent. The committee closed the public hearing and moved on to other agenda items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Finance (04/08/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Finance Committee voted to advance House Bill 165, which would raise the maximum award available to municipalities from the state disaster-relief grant program from $25,000 to $100,000.","taxTitle","Judiciary, Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29511,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6611041,"Senate Finance hears testimony on HB 517 amendment to cut marketing for New Hampshire paid family and medical leave",2918,262000,3180000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2900230-7a677d9cef3d01e757d1338edd5651ba&start=262&end=3180","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2900230-7a677d9cef3d01e757d1338edd5651ba/thumbnail_262000.jpg","/articles/6611041/New-Hampshire/Senate-Finance-hears-testimony-on-HB-517-amendment-to-cut-marketing-for-New-Hampshire-paid-family-and-medical-leave","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611041-018724825f6a4bd64de0ca3d1b4f3eb0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136569&Signature=QkkVRPypM8GM8B646IEfiCoBG~M66fwEsVYvufYH9ddZh9KKoCXxLoOXZDs8UFjR3fsJQl9r7fOe04jPSqfOcd9~MRDv-S1tpOY5Olg3nOp6gQLlsNiYglKAEvT5W8SQUzy3fQV338H~Cyr22IscIrdNmWVPeIde-ItdPVxgXUfbnrR7GMDH7es9fDZs47Fs6hJFZ4vstw7GA0ePyd5D96ms-Psr6wLHvoDO2PMb~~dxpypNHVAR84n1pw2~K9FmtLHbNLXowNk3OjjpJLB~TeRjHa94G2ZzkPArQYY1xdNx7hZbbSuzaLv1zHGULf54MQSdsGke6uISL5NnplL4Ug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Brian Seaworth, a House cosponsor, told the Senate Finance Committee that House Bill 517 was narrowed by the House to repeal only the marketing and outreach portion of the Granite State Paid Family Leave plan.

Seaworth said the House recommended the change as a budget saving and that a financial note had been added; he estimated a larger savings but acknowledged the committee packet contained a different figure. He asked senators to pass the amendment.

Public commenters urged the committee to retain outreach funding. Taylor Weiss of Sutton described learning about the program from a town flyer and said she and her family would use the benefit when her child is born. Mackenzie Nicholson, senior director of MomsRising in New Hampshire, said more than 23,000 Granite Staters have enrolled in the plan and warned that removing dedicated public outreach would reduce participation and harm families and employers.

Officials from the New Hampshire Insurance Department and the Department of Employment Security described the current program structure and enrollment. Insurance Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt said eliminating the marketing budget would not end the program and that his department was in talks with the insurer, MetLife, about whether the company could assume some outreach responsibilities. Rich Labors, deputy commissioner at the Department of Employment Security, said about 300 employers have purchased coverage for roughly 13,000 workers and that about 1,900 individuals are enrolled in the individual-purchase portion of the program.

Labors gave demographic and usage details for the individual pool: about 75% of enrollees are female, two-thirds are under 45, and roughly 80% of paid leave taken by that group has been for bonding with a newborn. Bettencourt and Labors also described program safeguards: the individual premium is capped (the transcript cites a $5-per-pay-period cap), and revenue is placed into a premium stabilization account to preserve the cap. Officials noted insurance-premium taxes are collected on the product and described ambiguity in federal tax guidance for some benefit payments.

Senators debated the trade-offs between short-term budget savings and longer-term outreach. Some members said marketing now may be more a \"maintenance\" expense than the upfront build phase, and others urged caution because the program has been in place only two years. Committee members asked the insurance department to identify nonstate outreach steps and to report back about what MetLife would pick up if the state removed marketing funds.

The committee recorded a motion to advance the bill as \"ought to pass.\" The transcript shows senators moved and seconded a motion to pass HB 517; the motion carried and the bill was placed on consent. The transcript does not record a formal roll-call tally for that final vote in the hearing record provided.

Notes on competing financial figures and enrollment: Representative Seaworth referred to a financial note not in the printed packet and said the amendment represented about $1.5 million in savings; the committee packet contains a financial statement marked in the record that lists an annual savings of $717,000. Mackenzie Nicholson stated more than 23,000 people had enrolled statewide; Department of Employment Security figures provided in the hearing record cite roughly 13,000 workers covered through employer plans and about 1,900 individuals in the individual-purchase pool. The article reports these numbers as stated to the committee and attributes them to speakers in the hearing.

The committee closed public testimony and proceeded to executive and committee business on other items.

","Representative Brian Seaworth told the Senate Finance Committee that House Bill 517 has been narrowed to repeal the marketing portion of the Granite State Paid Family Leave plan.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate Finance backs HB 165 to raise maximum municipal disaster grant to $100,000

Senate Finance hears testimony on HB 517 amendment to cut marketing for New Hampshire paid family and medical leave