NHGOP STATEMENT ON HOUSE CASINO SUPER COMMITTEE ITL VOTE

Concord – New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn released the following statement today on the House casino super committee voting to recommend that the full House kill SB 152:

"Governor Hassan’s fiscally irresponsible house of cards is beginning to collapse. Today’s vote is a major setback for her proposal to include $80 million in speculative gambling revenues to cover the massive spending increase in her state budget. Her proposal is so reckless that even prominent Democrats including outgoing Attorney General Michael Delaney and House Finance Chairman Mary Jane Wallner have spoken out against it and call her plan a 'mistake.' It is past time for the governor to come up with a “Plan B” to offset the non-existent and illegal revenue in her proposal.

"New Hampshire deserves a governor who is willing to show leadership and propose a responsible budget that does not rely on phony, fraudulent and illegal gambling revenue to balance our books. Republicans are committed to exposing the devastating impact of the governor's budget and proposing real solutions to preserve the state's fiscal integrity and maintain the New Hampshire Advantage."

NHDP - NHGOP Credibility Eroding with Hypocritical Attacks

Concord - New Hampshire Democratic Party Communications Director Harrell Kirstein issued the following statement responding to the latest hypocritical attack from New Hampshire Republican Party on SB152. The NHGOP's press release ignores the fact that the majority of Republican State Senators voted for SB152 as did nine Republicans in the House this afternoon.

"Like the Wizard of Oz, Chairwoman Horn is desperately hoping no one looks behind the curtain to notice her partisan press releases continue to attack Republicans in both the House and Senate who voted for SB152. It is clear that Horn and the NHGOP's statements have no basis in reality or fact but are just an endless series of pathetic partisan attacks attempting to distract from the epidemic of inappropriate and shameful comments made by New Hampshire Republicans. The only thing missing from the NHGOP's act are a smoke machine and emerald goggles to blind New Hampshire voters from the blatant hypocrisy coming from the New Hampshire Republican Party."

NH GOP - FIRST ANNUAL LIBERTY DINNER FEATURING SEN. RAND PAUL SELLS OUT

Concord – New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn announced that the party’s first annual Liberty Dinner has sold out. The event, which features US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, will take place on May 20th at the Grappone Center in Concord.

“I am extremely pleased with the tremendous response we received for our first Annual Liberty Dinner. Ticket sales have exceeded our expectations because Republicans are enthusiastic and excited about taking back New Hampshire and restoring fiscal sanity to Washington in 2014.” said NHGOP Chairman Jennifer Horn. “I am very grateful to Senator Paul and Chairman Priebus for making our dinner a success and bringing their message of limited government and fiscal responsibility to the Granite State. This event will help unite Republicans and raise the resources that we need to grow our party and win in 2014.”

NHGOP BLASTS HASSAN ADMINISTRATION'S NEW HOSPITALITY INCOME TAX

Concord – New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn today blasted Governor Maggie Hassan for trying to impose a new tax on New Hampshire’s hospitality industry. The Union Leader reported today that the Hassan Administration is trying to reinterpret existing tax rules to force New Hampshire restaurants and food establishments to pay a new income tax on tips collected by food servers. Since Hassan became governor, the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration has started to harass restaurants with audit letters:

“The Hassan Administration’s new hospitality income tax is a backdoor attempt to squeeze more money out of New Hampshire’s business community to cover the reckless spending increases in the governor’s irresponsible budget. This onerous new tax places an even greater burden on our hospitality industry that will kill jobs, reduce wages for restaurant servers, and crush small businesses.

"On Governor Hassan’s watch, the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration is trying to bully and intimidate restaurants with harassing audit letters regarding the new tax. It should come as no surprise that the Hassan Administration would use such outrageous tactics given the governor’s previous attempts to force businesses to pay more taxes. As a state senator, Hassan spearheaded the effort to create and implement the job-killing LLC income tax that would have devastated New Hampshire’s small businesses.

“In 2010, Republicans stood up for New Hampshire’s job creators and successfully killed Hassan’s LLC income tax. Today, Republican senators are fighting to block Hassan’s new hospitality income tax and end her latest assault on our business community.”  

NH GOP - NH EDITORIAL PAGES PAN SHEA-PORTER'S FAILED LEADERSHIP ON FINANCIAL ISSUE

Concord – Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter is under fire this week from New Hampshire editorial pages because of her failed leadership on critical financial issues affecting her constituents. The Union Leader, Portsmouth Herald and Foster’s Daily Democrat, criticized Shea-Porter for failing to oppose crushing new EPA regulations and for her unwillingness to speak out against the Internet sales tax.

“Congresswoman Shea-Porter has refused to speak out against the crushing new regulations and tax hikes that Washington is trying to impose on New Hampshire. She has let down her constituents by refusing to provide any leadership on the critical financial issues facing the First District,” said NHGOP Executive Director Matthew Slater. “Congresswoman Shea-Porter’s approval ratings have dropped dramatically because voters realize that she would rather bow to Washington’s special interests than stand up for the Granite State’s fiscally responsible values.”

A poll released by the University of New Hampshire in April found that 31% of First District residents have a favorable opinion of Congresswoman Shea-Porter, while 32% have an unfavorable opinion of her. In UNH’s August poll 49% rated Shea-Porter favorably while only 28% rated her unfavorably. 

What They’re Saying About Shea-Porter’s Failed Financial Leadership

Foster’s Daily Democrat: “Shaheen, Ayotte and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster from the 2nd Congressional District have all vocally opposed the Internet tax. Instead, Shea-Porter had a spokesman simply parrot Shaheen’s position on the issue.” (5/8/13)

• Foster’s: “What has happened to the once demonstrative Shea-Porter who climbed to fame after protesting at a President George W. Bush speech?” (5/8/13)
• Foster’s: “Why has she suddenly gone Caspar Milquetoast when it comes to critical financial issues affecting the Seacoast and Granite State businesses?” (5/8/13)

Portsmouth Herald: “U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter hosted a community forum last Tuesday that was billed as a talk about the future of Great Bay. In reality, it was a reminder of the massive expenses communities around the bay face to meet new Environmental Protection Agency mandates to reduce nitrogen emissions from their wastewater treatment plants.” (5/6/13)

• Herald: “While lowering nitrogen emissions from the plants is an opportunity it will require a collective half-billion dollar investment from the communities being forced to rebuild their wastewater treatment plants. It’s financially somewhere between a hardship and a doomsday for many ratepayers.” (5/6/13)
• Herald: “This is wrong, and if Shea-Porter is going to host community forums, we expect more from her…her words truly missed the mark.”
 (5/6/13)

New Hampshire Union Leader: “Carol Shea-Porter has a funny way of working in Washington to protect New Hampshire. Instead of fighting bad or questionable ideas that threaten to bring lasting harm to the state, she supports the ideas and works to carve out small exceptions for New Hampshire.” (5/6/13)

• New Hampshire Union Leader: “Shea-Porter, of course, is siding with the EPA, questionable science and all. Instead of siding with the local municipalities, she said she would try to get federal money to help pay for the costs of meeting the EPA's standards. She called water bodies like the Great Bay "national treasures" that need to be protected. True, but how? That's the question, and Shea-Porter's answer is: However the EPA says.” (5/6/13)
• New Hampshire Union Leader:  “Also last week, Shea-Porter finally took some kind of position on the Internet sales tax legislation pending in Washington, which could lead to the destruction of the New Hampshire Advantage. Her position was to support Jeanne Shaheen's proposed amendment carving out an exception for states that do not have a sales tax. Of course, once the law is in place, that exception can be revoked easily.” (5/6/13)
• New Hampshire Union Leader:  "From Obamacare to Medicaid expansion to the Internet sales tax, it would be helpful if New Hampshire's 1st District were represented in Congress by someone who actually sided with New Hampshire instead of Washington power-grabbers."(5/6/13)