NHGOP CALLS ON NORELLI TO STOP PAYING DUES TO NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES

NCSL Actively Campaigning For Internet Sales Tax Legislation That Would Damage NH Advantage

Concord – New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn sent the following letter to Speaker Terie Norelli today asking her to stop paying taxpayer funded dues to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The NCSL is lobbying for the passage of the Internet sales tax bill that will hurt New Hampshire small businesses. Speaker Norelli also serves as president of the NCSL:

April 29, 2013

The Honorable Terie Norelli
State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301

Dear Speaker Norelli,

On behalf of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, I am writing to formally request that you seek to end New Hampshire’s payment of dues to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Under your leadership as President, the NCSL is actively supporting a disastrous Internet sales tax bill that will hurt New Hampshire small business owners. It is outrageous that Granite State taxpayers are being forced to fund an organization that is campaigning for legislation that will damage the New Hampshire Advantage.

According to the Legislative Accounting Office, New Hampshire taxpayers spent $126,879 in fiscal year 2013 on dues owed to the NCSL. The NCSL is using this money to fund a campaign to urge Members of Congress to support the job-killing Internet sales tax bill.

This legislation would burden New Hampshire small business owners with onerous new regulations and allow states with a sales tax to expand government by taking more money out of the pockets of working families. As Speaker of the House and NCSL President you must stand up for New Hampshire by demanding repayment of the dues paid to the NCSL and remove funding for the payments of these dues from the upcoming state budget.

While Senator Kelly Ayotte and other elected officials have spoken out against the Internet sales tax bill, you have said nothing. You have sat on your hands as President Obama, the leader of your party, and the NCSL, an organization that you oversee, have championed this devastating legislation. Your shameful silence raises serious questions about whether you would rather stand with New Hampshire, or quietly serve the interests of the states with a sales tax that you represent as NCSL President.

New Hampshire can no longer afford to fund an organization like the NCSL that is trying to damage our small business community. I look forward to your prompt response to this pressing matter.

Sincerely,

 
Jennifer Horn
Chairman, New Hampshire Republican State Committee

Speaker Norelli - Join Me at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club!

Dear Friend,

At our Jefferson Jackson Celebration last October, I was so excited by the energy and enthusiasm of everyone in the room that evening.  And then just two weeks later on Election Day, New Hampshire made history!  

Thanks to the hard work of everyone in the room that night, and so many others across New Hampshire, House Democrats made record gains and picked-up more than 100 seats.  We have restored our majority and returned commonsense leadership to the State House in Concord.  

I hope you will join me and my colleagues from the Democratic House majority at this year's McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club! 

I am so excited to be part of a historic team of women leaders with Governor Maggie Hassan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter and Annie Kuster, and Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen.  Together, we are working every day to move our state and country forward!

Joining us at this year's McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner is our outstanding DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz whose tireless work last years helped lead to so many of our amazing victories here in New Hampshire.  I look forward to joining her - and you - on April 6 at this year's 100 Club Dinner!

Very best wishes, 

Terie Norelli

Speaker of the House

P.S. - Don't miss this great event!  Click here to purchase your tickets today!

NH GOP - CHAIRMAN HORN'S LETTER TO SPEAKER NORELLI

Concord, NH- New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn delivered the following letter today to Speaker Terie Norelli's office in response to Rep. Timothy Horrigan's remarks:

Dear Speaker Norelli,

On behalf of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, I am writing to formally request that you immediately denounce the hateful and divisive comments made by a member of your caucus and reprimand him for his continued pattern of inappropriate behavior.  

The New Hampshire Union Leader (2/1/2013) reports that Representative Timothy Horrigan (D-Durham) made outrageously offensive remarks on his Twitter account that “expressed hope that former Vice President Dick Cheney would shoot conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.” Representative Horrigan’s comments mirror a similarly offensive statement that resulted in his resignation in 2010 about former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin being “even more dangerous” dead than alive.

Representative Horrigan’s disgusting comments have no place in our political discourse and his pattern of shocking behavior disgraces the House Democratic Caucus. There is simply no excuse for an elected official to repeatedly and publicly fantasize about the displeasure, and even death, of others.

As the leader of the Democratic Caucus and Speaker, it is your responsibility to publicly condemn these hateful statements and discipline Rep. Horrigan in order to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives. A failure to denounce his comments will serve as a sign that the Democratic House Leadership is willing to tolerate this type of reprehensible behavior.

I look forward to your immediate response to this pressing matter.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Horn

Chairman, New Hampshire Republican State Committee

NH GOP - NORELLI BECOMES NOMINEE FOR SPEAKER IN DEM CAUCUS

Concord, NH- Today in the Democrat caucus Rep. Terie Norelli became the nominee for Speaker, which will be voted on Organization Day in the House. An election of Norelli will mean more of the same of her last term as Speaker, which included the 2010 ethics investigation cloud where her Majority Floor Leader, Dan Eaton (D-Stoddard) interfered in a State Liquor Commission investigation.

"When Terie Norelli was Speaker in 06-10 session, she was responsible for the back room budget deals, instituted an LLC income tax in the 2009 budget, and did not seek the immediate resignation of Rep. Dan Eaton under the cloud of an ethics investigation by the Legislative Ethics Committee under chairman Martin L. Gross," said New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Wayne MacDonald. "A return of Norelli will almost ensure a return of Eaton to House leadership.  With a Norelli/Eaton leadership team New Hampshire citizens can only expect more of the same destructive policies."

In 2010, Eaton, according to The Union Leader (March 6, 2010), tried to block an investigation on a tavern in Keene owned by a Democrat Keene City Councilor, and a political ally of Eaton's. The incident raised serious questions as to whether or not he violated Legislative Ethics Guidelines when he was accused of harassing Liquor Commission inspectors and his secret meeting with Commissioner Bodi. New Hampshire legislators are prohibited from "threaten[ing] reprisals or promis[ing] inducements of any kind to influence another so as to obtain special personal benefits for the legislator, the legislator's immediate family, or for certain constituents which would not be available to others under similar conditions."

"The Democrat leadership in the House will no doubt be ethically challenged," said MacDonald. "Another term for Speaker Norelli will continue this thread of lies and deceit for the New Hampshire taxpayers."

News from the NHGOP

Ken Merrifield Re-Elected Mayor of Franklin!

On Tuesday, the 6th of October, Ken Merrifield was overwhelming re-elected Mayor of Franklin with 67% of the vote! Mayor Merrifield could not have done it without the hard work that so many of you put into his race. Thank you to all who helped drop literature and make phone calls in order to get out the vote. Your hard work truly made the difference!

As Chairman John H. Sununu put it, "Ken’s re-election ensures that fiscally conservative policies will continue to promote economic growth and development in the city."
"Ken's commitment to the sound Republican principles of lower taxes and fiscal responsibility made the difference in this race."

Paul Hodes: Down, Down, Down

A recent poll released by the University of New Hampshire (10/5/09) indicates that Congressman Hodes would have trouble winning re-election to his House seat – let alone winning a United States Senate race. Polls released by Rasmussen Reports (9/16/09) and the American Research Group (10/1/09) also show that Hodes has extremely high disapproval ratings for an incumbent, second term Congressman.

“National Democrats are satisfied with Hodes but secretly wish they had a more proven statewide vote-getter.” –NBC (10/7/09)

Why does Paul Hodes need to sneak off to NYC to raise money with Joe Biden? Because he's too embarrased to to do it in New Hampshire.

Rep. Sherm Packard: No Change in Democrats' Ways

In a recent column Terie Norelli, speaker of the New Hampshire House, did an excellent job of co-opting a philosophy that House Republicans have been espousing for three years -- one of low taxes and decreased spending. The speaker of the House claims she is concerned with "striking a delicate balance between protecting services and taxpayers," and yet she has stood by the last three years as general fund appropriations, i.e. spending, have increased by almost 25 percent under her leadership as the deficit continues to grow.

When she wrote, "we were able to increase aid to communities," was she forgetting about the $50 million in general revenue sharing or the $15 million in rooms and meals revenue sharing that were reduced by Democrats? Did she intentionally overlook the $131 million that Democrats downshifted to the cities and towns -- a move that severely impacted the local property taxpayer?

When Speaker Norelli talks of "working hard to craft a responsible budget," is she intentionally overlooking the more than 40 taxes and fees that Democrats either created or raised to pay for their so-called "responsible budget"? They increased the rooms and meals tax, including a 9 percent tax on campers; they created a new tax on gambling winnings, a new tax on small business and increased vehicle registration fees, among others. Their mantra of "let's increase spending and then create more taxes to pay for it" has to stop.

Click here to read the rest of Rep. Packard's Op-Ed.

Upcoming Events

Nashua Republican City Committee Monthly Meeting
Thursday, October 08, 2009

Oktoberfest Fund Rally in Dover, NH
Friday, October 09, 2009

Grafton County Republican Committee Columbus Day Dinner
Monday, October 12, 2009

Bedford Republican Committee October Meeting
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

1st Anniversary of BARC with Guest Speaker Sean Mahoney
Tuesday, October 13, 2009