Panel Hears Technical Questions on HB 659 College Graduate Retention Incentive Program

A House committee took testimony on HB 659, a bill to establish the New Hampshire College Graduate Retention Incentive Program aimed at encouraging recent graduates to stay and work in the state.

The measure, introduced on behalf of sponsor Representative Sanjeev Manohar, would create incentives for employers to hire recent graduates and provide graduates with student loan forgiveness payments if they commit to working in New Hampshire for multiple years. Andrew Horn of Amherst, who testified on behalf of the sponsor in Manohar’s absence, told the committee the intent is to slow the state’s outflow of graduates and “incentivize people to stay here after they graduate.”

The most detailed technical testimony came from Lauren…