×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Sununu slams door on mandatory paid leave

By Casey Junkins - City Editor | May 10, 2019

NASHUA – Insisting that New Hampshire Democrats’ mandatory paid leave plan would create an income tax in a state without one, Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday vetoed Senate Bill 1.

Democrats, meanwhile, maintain the legislation is not an income tax – and are left hoping to convince enough Republicans to join them in an effort to reach the required two-thirds majority to override Sununu’s veto.

“Senate Bill 1 is an income tax that neither I, nor the people of New Hampshire, will ever support,” Sununu said Thursday. “I have proposed a paid family medical leave plan that will work – one that is voluntary, affordable and income tax free. That is the New Hampshire way.”

Senate President Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, however, said the paid family and medical leave program is “good for families and it’s good for businesses.”

“As the session proceeds, I hope my fellow legislators will continue listening to our constituents and fellow citizens who are urging lawmakers to adopt this critical tool so Granite Staters don’t have to choose between going to work and fear of losing a job or being able to care for a family member,” Soucy said. “This legislation is critical to help New Hampshire attract and retain the workforce of tomorrow.”

Proponents of the Veto

“I applaud Gov. Sununu for standing up for New Hampshire taxpayers and vetoing legislation that would have created an income tax,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Morse, R-Salem, said. “An income tax in New Hampshire will be the end of the New Hampshire advantage and the beginning of reckless taxation policies.”

Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire President Jim Roche said the legislation would have, specifically, levied a new payroll tax on Granite State employers.

“It would be especially burdensome for small businesses. New Hampshire employers know what benefit packages are best for their employees. It’s not the role of government to mandate employers adopt an expensive one-size-fits-all program,” Roche added.

New Hampshire House of Representatives Minority Leader Richard Hinch, R-Merrimack, asserts SB1 would require the hiring of more than 40 new government employees, while costing Granite State workers and businesses $168 million per year.

“Whether you support the concept of paid family leave or not, SB1 is a poorly constructed bill that sets us up for failure,” Hinch said. “Ninety-nine% of House Republicans voted against this legislation in March, and I will be working hard to guarantee 100% of House Republicans vote to sustain the governor’s veto of this flawed plan. We will have the governor’s back.”

Bruce Berke is the New Hampshire director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).

“There were many questions about the financial sustainability of the legislation and the impact on small businesses that would have to keep the person’s job open for 12 weeks with no limitations on the number of employees who could be out on leave at the same time,” Berke said. “Allowing up to 12 weeks of leave would have made it very difficult to get the daily workload done. And in a small business with only five employees, two people going out on leave at the same time would impact 40% of its workforce.”

“I hope that my Democratic colleagues will now finally come to the table to negotiate a truly bipartisan voluntary paid family and medical leave plan without an income tax,” state Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, added.

Opponents of the Veto

In response, Democratic Governors Association spokesman David Turner referred to the New Hampshire governor as “Spineless Sununu.”

“Chris Sununu obviously does not care about living up to his promises, so why should voters trust anything he says? Gov. Sununu must explain why new mothers and caregivers have to choose between taking care of their loved ones or losing their job,” Turner added.

State Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes, D-Concord, said the veto is “why people don’t like politics.”

“Politicians – regardless of their last name or where they come from-should actually work for the people, should keep their campaign promises, and should tell the truth,” Feltes said. “(Sununu’s) left working families and small businesses to fall further and further behind.”

Amanda Sears is director of the Concord-based advocacy group known as the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy.

“Gov. Sununu is the one thing standing between the people of New Hampshire and paid family and medical leave,” Sears said. “With this veto, Gov. Sununu has placed partisan politics before the financial security of working families,” Sears said.

Lisa Beaudoin is executive director of the Concord-based nonproft, ABLE NH.

“Gov. Sununu, by vetoing SB1 and giving up on paid family and medical leave here in New Hampshire for all Granite Staters, you have hurt families impacted by disability,” Beaudoin said. “This is a clear disappointment to working families in New Hampshire.”

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *