2022 NHMA Legislative Bulletin 23

LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

It’s All Over (Except for Veto Override Day)

The House and Senate concluded their business yesterday, except for a veto override day that will be scheduled for some time in late summer or early fall. Nothing too unexpected occurred yesterday, which is good news for municipalities. All three bills (SB 401, HB 1221, and HB 1547) that we were eager to see pass did! Thanks to your advocacy efforts, there will be approximately $120 million coming to cities and towns. Please thank your legislators for voting for these funds. Just as a brief reminder of what these bills do, and what your municipality can expect, please see below.

SB 401 allocates $36 million for municipally-owned bridges, $30 million for municipal roads, and $1 million for the body-worn and dashboard camera fund using state general fund surplus. SB 401 will use a similar distribution formula to the highway block grant formula and apply for both the $36 million in bridge funding and the $30 million allocated for roads. To estimate your municipality's share of the $30 million dollars allocated for roads, double your city’s or town’s state highway block grant “Apportionment A” distribution. Additionally, $1 million will be placed in the dash and body camera fund for the purchase of body-worn or dashboard cameras, software maintenance for the cameras, and maintenance and storage of data related to the cameras.

HB 1221 would provide a one-time payment by the state of 7.5 percent of the employer contribution costs for teachers, police, and firefighters in fiscal year 2023. To calculate the estimated savings for your municipality, reduce by 7.5% your NHRS employer contribution for teachers, police, and fire only.

HB 1547 would allocate an additional $25 million to the existing perfluorinated chemical (PFAS) remediation loan fund. This new infusion of state dollars would increase the total loan fund from $50 million to $75 million and provide additional relief to cities and towns as they work to address PFAS chemicals in their water systems.

This is the last weekly Bulletin until next session. We will publish the Final Legislative Bulletin when the 2022 session laws are available. You can see all bills as they become law on the 2022 Chaptered Final Version page on the legislature’s website.

Some of the subcommittees for bills sent to Interim Study will begin meeting this month. This week’s House Calendar includes a list of all bills that have been sent to Interim Study in House committees. You can follow the schedule for these bills on the legislature’s website.

On Wednesday, June 1 at noon, NHMA will host the Legislative Wrap-Up webinar where we will discuss the most significant bills of municipal interest at the legislature this year.

We wish everyone—municipal officials, legislators, and all our readers—a warm, sunny, and long summer.

Revenue Sharing and State Aid to Municipalities Fiscal Year 2023

Revenue/Aid by Category	FY 23 Estimate
Meals & Rooms Tax Distribution	$ 95,600,000
Highway Block Grants	$ 35,400,000
Additional Highway Block Grants (SB 401)	$ 30,000,000
Municipal Bridge Aid	$ 6,800,000
Additional Municipal Bridge Aid (SB 401)	$ 36,000,000
Environmental Grants (SAG) (HB 398)	$ 5,735,248
State Contribution toward Employer New Hampshire Hampshire Retirement Costs (HB 1221)	$ 26,500,000
PFAS Remediation Loan Fund	$ 50,000,000
Additional PFAS Remediation Loan Fund (HB 1547)	$ 25,000,000

Legislative Policy Process Update

The first phase of NHMA’s 2023-24 legislative policy process has been completed. The three legislative policy committees spent several weeks reviewing existing legislative policies and new proposals. They have made their recommendations, which will be sent to all member municipalities on June 8. We will ask municipal governing bodies to review the recommendations, establish positions on them, and appoint a delegate to vote at the NHMA Legislative Policy Conference on September 23 at NHMA’s offices in Concord. Members will also have an opportunity to submit floor policy proposals by August 12.

NHMA Upcoming Events

June 1	*Webinar:* 2022 Legislative Wrap Up – 12:00 – 1:00
June 2	2022 Code Enforcement Workshop (Hybrid) – 9:00 – 12:00
June 9	2022 Municipal Trustees Workshop (Virtual Only) – 9:00 – 3:00
Please visit www.nhmunicipal.org for the most up-to-date information regarding our upcoming events. Click on the Events and Training tab to view the calendar. For more information, please call NHMA’s Workshop registration line: (603) 230-3350.