NH House Leaders Comment on Override of Early Offer Veto

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and House Majority Leader Pete Silva (R-Nashua) today released the following statement on the override of the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 406, which would create an expedited process for those seeking malpractice claims. The bill was strongly supported by the New Hampshire Medical Association. The House overrode SB 406 247 to 111, within the necessary 2/3^rds of members present and voting.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“This makes New Hampshire the first state in the nation to give citizens the right to take an early offer of settlement and avoid the extra time required for trials. Early offer alternatives give patients the option to streamline the judicial process if they so choose, which could help lower the costs of healthcare, save valuable time, and avoid bogging down the court system. It is a valuable contributor to securing the rights of New Hampshire residents to be compensated for harmful medical errors. It’s disappointing the Governor couldn’t agree with us on giving more choice to New Hampshire citizens.”

House Majority Leader Pete Silva

“The average time it takes to settle a malpractice claim is four years. New Hampshire citizens now have a choice to work with their doctors for quick and fair resolve. This also gives more choices to those with smaller claims who before were ineligible to litigate.”

NH House Leaders Comment on Early Offer Bill

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and House Majority Leader Pete Silva (R-Nashua) released the following statement on the passage of the committee of conference report on Senate Bill 406, which establishes an early offer alternative in medical injury claims. SB 406 passed the House 220 to 141.

House Speaker William O’Brien

“Senate Bill 406 will create an expedited process for malpractice victims by streamlining the process. It also is strongly supported by the New Hampshire Medical Association. Early offer alternatives are one good step toward lowering the costs of healthcare.” 

House Majority Leader Pete Silva

“This will make New Hampshire the first in the nation to give citizens the right to take an early offer of settlement and avoid the extra time required for trials. This will reduce medical costs and give another option to those citizens who are unable to litigate or who are forced to wait for years to do so.”

NH House Leaders Respond to Court Decision to Dismiss Democrats Frivolous Gallery Lawsuit

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) today responded to the news that the Merrimack Superior Court affirmed the Speaker’s motion to dismiss the case brought by former Democrat Senators Maggie Hassan and Bette Lasky, as well as the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  The lawsuit stemmed from the closure of the House Gallery after union workers disrupted the House session in March.  In his ruling, Judge Robert McNamara described the lawsuit as “moot” and “an exercise in futility.”

House Speaker William O’Brien

“It’s a shame that state taxpayer funds were wasted in what the Court described as ‘an exercise in futility.’  Former Senators Hassan and Lasky, and the New Hampshire Democratic Party, brought a frivolous lawsuit that clearly had so little merit that it could not survive its first day in court.  We are appreciative that the Court chose to uphold the constitutional right of the legislature to set our own rules, but disappointed that the grandstanding by Senator Hassan has led to the use of courtroom time that could have been better spent keeping our streets safe.”

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt

“After four years of frivolously wasting taxpayer money while  helping to raise more than 100 taxes and fees as the Senate Democratic Leader, Maggie Hassan continues to squander state resources by bringing forth trivial lawsuits to clog up our court system.  Clearly, she still  hasn’t figured out why she is a "former" Senator.  Given the fact that the Democrat Party spokesman this week said that plaintiffs should pay the court for bringing frivolous litigation, we certainly hope that the NHDP and Senator Hassan will immediately send a check to the state treasury to cover the expenses for their escapades.”

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Attached: Merrimack Superior Court Decision to Dismiss NHDP lawsuit

NH House Leaders Comment on Hospitals’ Lawsuit

CONCORD – House Speaker William O’Brien and House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt today offered the following statement in response to the Medicaid reimbursement lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Concord against the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services.

House Speaker William O’Brien:

“The hospitals’ lawsuit is ill founded legally and a disservice to the people of New Hampshire. It seeks a special status for them by confusing two different federally mandated funding obligations. Also, they are asking the court to rule that a letter sent by a long-departed state employee to a hospital lobbyist two decades ago forms a perpetual bar against responsible budgeting. The Governor and legislature have made a number of difficult fiscal decisions in order for state government to spend within its means. Every group received cuts in order to deliver a budget that balanced honestly, and the hospitals are one of many groups that will see less money. The alternative to this would be a huge tax increase for the working families of New Hampshire, which is unacceptable,” said O’Brien.

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt:

“Every organization across New Hampshire received funding cuts in order to deliver a budget that closed a nearly billion dollar deficit, and the hospitals are one of numerous groups that will share in the sacrifice and see reductions in spending. With increasing pressure on the federal government to balance its own budget we were faced with a different funding formula from them and cannot continue the so-called ‘Mediscam’ scheme of shifting around federal dollars. Because we refuse to levy this as a tax on New Hampshire citizens, House Republican leadership is working on a contingency plan to cut an additional $250 million from the budget in the case that it becomes necessary as a result of this lawsuit,” said Bettencourt.