legislative issues

What a year it has been. The turnaround from January to June has been quite remarkable, and I don’t just mean with the pandemic.

Our unusual 2021 legislative session will come to an end very soon; in fact, by the time you are reading this issue of Town & City, the session will be over, and we are hopeful the state budget will have been adopted and signed by the governor. From June 10 – 17, many bills will go to a Committee of Conference, including the state budget (HB 1) and the state budget trailer bill (HB 2). The official end date of the session this year is June 24.

It’s no surprise that the 2021 legislative session has been a strange one. The pandemic has necessitated social distancing measures, meaning that in-person meetings and lobbying haven’t occurred. Instead, NHMA’s staff has spent hours on Zoom, Teams, and YouTube speaking with legislators and allies, and watching the legislature hold committee hearings and sessions. These have stretched to five days a week, despite few House or Senate sessions being scheduled; and we’ve probably been busier than ever switching from hearing to hearing.

After a bit of a delay, the legislature is finally in full swing and things are a bit different this year. As of this writing, those of us wishing to testify are no longer required to trek up several flights of stairs. Instead, we’re merely required to trek to a room with a suitable background to Zoom-in.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a test of the United States’ public health response capability, it has also been a time where City and Town governments have had to adjust and rethink their meeting structures in ways it never has before. 

When NHMA members think about the benefits they receive for their dues, they tend to focus on the legal services, the many training opportunities for local officials, and publications like Town and City. All of those are important, of course, but another very large part of the equation is the legislative advocacy that profoundly influences state laws affecting municipalities.

Many of us can remember the schoolyard bully who knocked books out of our hands and stole our lunch money. Thanks to RSA 193-F, Pupil Safety and Violence Protection, schools today have more tools to eliminate bullying. But what about bullies at work? What does their behavior look like? What are the implications for the employer? What triggers bullying behavior in the workplace? This article will examine bullying in the workplace, look at recent proposed legislation, and provide some guidance for employers wrestling with this issue.