NH Council Priorities

business. My name is Fred Kolker. The New Hampshire State House and the New Hampshire State Capitol are back in town in unison. Businesses are watching what laws impact or strengthen New Hampshire businesses. And now he has one particular player looking at the bill in the State Capitol. It’s the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire. Their priorities in this Congress, labor availability, housing affordability and access. energy cost. Medicaid expansion and business. regulations. climate. His two priorities first. labor and housing. Earlier this month, I was led to this quote from the CEO of the New Hampshire Real Estate Association. New Hampshire Real Estate Association Chief Executive Bob Quinn said lawyers are finally recognizing that inventory shortages are a drag on the state’s economy. Businesses can’t find workers who can’t find a place to live, he said. Explaining this business priority to the Twin and 23 Legislature is the President and CEO of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire. Buyer, Michael Scott. Welcome, Mike. Thank you very much. Thank you. I’m glad I came here. I think you agree with Bob Quinn on housing and labor. absolutely. In hundreds of conversations with members and businesses across the state, the first challenge they want to talk about is the workforce. Employee availability. And housing was quickly identified as one of the root causes of workforce challenges. And that’s one of the main reasons why we’re interested in working with Congress on housing policy and solving that problem. There are many policies that have been put in place, and I think they are starting to generate momentum going forward. There is a bipartisan consensus that we need to do more on housing, and I have been encouraged to see that the House has created its own special committee to look into housing issues. This is really a big step forward. This year we have a bill that will be a housing champion bill that will allow communities that want to move forward and do more to recognize employee housing. Looking forward to the bill. And I think this is a good step forward. have understood. energy. Just one comment from a company or individual. It’s the cost of energy that keeps people spending less. Retailers and small businesses should consider closing. what do you see Is the legislature grappling with energy issues this year? Clearly, it’s a question they really have very little control over. We are part of the local energy market, so there is only so much we can do within the state to address this issue. But there are some important steps we can take. And I think Congress is moving in this direction. The first is location reform. If you want to build a new type of energy facility, whether it’s a wind farm, a solar array, any other type of energy, or a creative technology, you need to be able to properly site and build it. I have. And there are laws that are being put in place to help do that in a more timely and transparent way. Expansion of Medicaid. One of your priorities for the bill is to give you the same care as Camp as an advocate for it, but for a different reason. This is really a workforce issue. And you know, MEDICAID, 60,000 granite staters will lose their health insurance if we don’t report the rise. And the cost of providing uncompensated care will shift to employer communities, losing her $500 billion of federal resources coming into our state. it’s there. I think it is widely recognized not only in the healthcare hospital sector, but throughout the business community. This is something that needs to be accomplished. Finally, what do you see in that area about the business regulatory environment? Well, every year dozens of bills are introduced that affect human resources. Employer-employee relationships and many of them are well-meaning. They are not always well structured. Unintended effects may occur. And our role is to try and educate legislators and try to give them information about what the impact is like. And I think we’re in a very good regulatory environment right now. The state is doing well and I think our message to Congress is to do no harm. Let’s focus our efforts on housing and energy for the workforce. Addressing these areas will allow the economy to continue to grow. It’s the first time in 29 years that Texas has done this show that isn’t on your list. Well, it’s because they’re down. they are down I think this is a reflection of why we focus on what we hear directly from our members. Now this is labor housing, childcare. Some of these issues have a significant impact on our day-to-day operations. Taxes are always important. I also think the state has done a great job over the past few years in phasing down business taxes. And we would love to see them stay there. But Michael Scott was the president of New Hampshire’s creation of business and industry. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. If you want to see this again, head over to WMUR.

NH Business: Priorities in NH Council

Join hosts Fred Kotcher and Michael Skelton to discuss New Hampshire business priorities moving forward

Updated: Jan 22, 2023 8:28 AM EST

Fred Kocher, NH Business Host

The New Hampshire Legislature is back in action at the Concord State Capitol, and many are paying attention to laws that could harm or enhance New Hampshire businesses. With that in mind, NH’s Business and Industry Association has created a list of priorities that it hopes will be addressed by the Legislature. NH’s Business and Industry Association discusses New Hampshire business priorities moving forward.

Manchester, New Hampshire —

The New Hampshire Legislature is back in action at the Concord State Capitol, and many are paying attention to laws that could harm or enhance New Hampshire businesses. With that in mind, NH’s Business and Industry Association has now developed a list of priorities that it hopes will be addressed by the State Legislature.

In NH Business’s latest article, host Fred Kocher shares New Hampshire’s business priorities moving forward with Michael Skelton, President and CEO of NH’s Business and Industry Association.