NH committee hears hours of testimony on proposed limits for local welfare aid

The House Municipal and County Government Committee on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, heard more than three hours of testimony on House Bill 348, a proposal that would let municipalities adopt residency requirements for recipients of local welfare aid.

Representative Rhodes, the bill's prime sponsor, told the committee the measure is intended to preserve the original purpose of local welfare: neighbors helping neighbors. "House Bill 348 ... [is] to say that the beneficiary that is receiving local welfare funds lives in the said town that they are receiving the funds from," Representative Rhodes said.

Supporters including some town administrators and elected officials urged committee members to allow towns flexibility to protect limited municipal budgets. Michael York, who described himself as chairman of the Swansea Richmond Troy Republican Committee and a local planner, said municipal taxpayers are bearing rising costs from sheltering and services. "Property taxes have gone sky high in almost every community in the area," York said as he urged the committee to allow towns to limit benefits to local residents.

Local officials described administrative burdens and rising emergency costs. Michael Brantley, town administrator for…