Valley News from West Lebanon, New Hampshire • 2

Valley News Saturday March 19 2016 Page A2 Local Regional Local Regional Finishing Touches Tax Package Advances in Montpelier Mutual Fund Licenses Airbnb Targeted to Increase Revenue i Conservator Duncan Cummings touches up the finish on one of an antique sewing machine and a medical scale from the state several chairs from the state office complex in Waterbury Vt complex after the items were damaged in Tropical Storm Irene on Friday at Meeting House Furniture Restoration in Quechee in 201 1 The restoration business was tasked with restoring the chairs Valley News Sarah Priestap State Rep Adam Greshin however says the proposal does nothing to encourage the kind of behavior lawmakers are seeking to promote Greshin an independent from Warren says the increased assessment won't compel businesses to suddenly provide employee benefits "Instead it is a penalty on employers who hire uncovered Greshin says it acts as a disincentive for employers to hire workers who do not have health care coverage or who are covered through some publicly subsidized Greshin co-owner of Sugarbush Resort said his own business will be impacted significantly by the plan He says that companies like his that rely heavily on a part-time workforce have no means at their disposal to avoid the employer assessment "We do not have a product and there does not exist a product to offer health insurance to part-time workers to people for example who might work 1 0 hours a week stocking Greshin says The largest component of the revenue bill calls for an increase in mutual fund license fees which is expected to raise about $21 million a year It also raises $2 million through an increase in the bank franchise tax and $1 million a year by requiring people who rent property through sites like Airbnb to pay rooms taxes The plan also raises the gross receipts tax on many home-heating fuels to support weatherization projects for low-income households Rep Patti Komline R-Dorset says no reason lawmakers need to raise new taxes in 2016 "We give out over $300 million a year in grants every year in this state and 1 would say we could look at that and ask agencies to prioritize Komline says "There are places that we can make these decisions that are not painful to The House is expected to debate the revenue plan on the floor next week By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Public Radio Montpelier A key Vermont House committee has given the go-ahead to legislation that would raise taxes and fees on Vermonters by $48 million next year Democratic leaders say they need the money to bring revenues in line with spending but critics of the plan say they should have cut the budget instead Perhaps the most controversial element of the revenue plan affects businesses whose employees either insured or whose insurance plans are subsidized by the state Companies in that situation already pay about $600 a year per full-time employee under known as the employer assessment The House proposal would increase that fee to as much as $1000 annually and raise an additional $8 million a year House Ways and Means Chairwoman Janet Ancel D-Calais says that when companies provide insurance benefits the state often ends up picking up the tab through programs like Medicaid Since money from the increased assessment will be used to pay for Medicaid shortfall Ancel says affected businesses will be getting a direct benefit "They have the advantage of having employees who get health care" Ancel says Dan Barlow public policy manager at Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility says most his member businesses provide employee health plans But he says the high cost of those plans is driven in part by the fact that private policy-holders are shouldering an increasing portion of Medicaid costs "You know it's frustrating for my businesses to take this seriously to have this huge cost on their payroll and then realize part of that cost is also subsidizing competitors who aren't paying for employee health Barlow says NH Coastline in Jeopardy Report Warns Of Rising Seas Associated Press science It said the vulnerability of buildings cultural natural and historic resources should be assessed with state agencies and communities developing long-term strategies to protect them The recommendations are primarily directed to the Legislature state agencies and municipalities but successful implementation of the recommendations will require collaboration between the public and private sectors and among many stakeholder groups report emphasizes that early and consistent collaboration between state and local governments can result in solutions which in turn increase our preparedness and said state Sen David Watters D-Dover one of the 36 members of the commission The report also brings attention to the efforts of individual communities such as the town of Newmarket which updated its in becoming more resilient against flooding through local land use policies and regulations Public comments are being accepted on the report through June 30 Public meetings on the report have been scheduled for May 26 in Greenland and June 1 in Rye Heavy surf breaks over the seawall during a 2014 winter storm in Hampton NH A commission that studies risks and hazards to New coast released a report Friday on projected sea-level rises and flooding and the effect on communities ap Seasbrook nh A report says New coastal exposure to future flood risks is significant and the time to plan to minimize that risk The New Hampshire Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission spent 2Vi years looking at areas vulnerable to extreme precipitation projected storm surge and rising sea levels The report released Friday says the communities avoided the extreme impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy but they have experienced other events like a in February 2013 and the October snowstorm of 20 1 1 types of storms will have even greater impacts as sea levels continue to rise and floods will continue to worsen as extreme rain events the report said Based on available data sea levels in New Hampshire have been rising by an average of 07 inches per decade since 1900 The rate of sea-level rise 100000 jobs The report says the region is growing at nearly three times the rate of the state as a whole The commission established goals in the areas of science assessment implementation and legislation For example it recommends the Legislature authorize a state agency to convene a science and technical advisory panel to review and evaluate the current state of climate change has increased to about 1 3 inches per decade since 1993 Using 1992 levels as a baseline New Hampshire sea levels are expected to rise between 06 and 2 feet by 2050 and between 1 6 and 66 feet by 2100 the report said The data show that as of last year the 17 coastal communities were home to about 12 percent of the state population and host over Nominee Queried On Banking Ties By Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Local Regional Briefs Newport-area Sen Jerry Little Concord The nominee to lead New banking commission said Friday his former job representing banks and financial institutions affect his ability to fairly regulate them Jerry Little of Weare is a first-term Republican state senator and former president of the New Hampshire Bankers Association which includes the lobbying arm Gov Maggie Hassan a Democrat recently nominated Little whose district includes the Newport area to serve as banking commissioner and he spoke about his qualifications before the Executive Council which must confirm him During the hearing several councilors pressed Little on his ability to regulate the department given his two decades representing the industry Democratic Councilor Chris Pappas said heard concerns from constituents who are skeptical tljat Little could be fair and impartial Little said he has no more financial or professional ties to the banking industry and said lobbying represents only about 20 percent of the work done by the bankers association Little said whether serving as town moderator in Weare as president of the bankers association or as a state senator he has always put his constituents first and he assured the council he would make consumer protection his top priority if given the job 1 take the oath of office I have one responsibility and to the Little said the way I Several of colleagues in the calling for the study to include whether the state Office of Professional Regulation should regulate police officers the way it does nurses funeral directors and a wide range of other occupations Motorist Dies In Claremont Accident Claremont Police believe a male in his early 60s who died as the result of a single-vehicle accident Friday suffered from a medical condition The man who was not identified in a news release from Chief Alex Scott was not conscious or breathing when emergency personnel arrived at the scene at the intersection of Plains and Old Church roads just after noon CPR was administered and continued while the man was transported to Valley Regional Hospital but he did not survive police said Windsor Land In Capital Bill Windsor A bill to transfer about 40 acres of prison farm property that recently was the site of a planned large solar array will be included in the Vermont capital bill said state Rep Donna Sweaney D-Windsor The transfer if approved would be added to the roughly 740 acres of the prison farm land that earlier this year was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Fish and Wildlife from the Department of Buildings and General Services by an executive order signed by Gov Peter Shumlin BGS will retain authority over the land surrouno-ing the prison and the prison buildings which is about 120 acres Sweaney who filed the bill for the transfer said the capital bill is for construction and bonding most of which is through Building and General Vt Lawmakers to Study Public Safety Network Montpelier (ap) The Vermont House voted Friday to launch a top-to-bottom study of overlapping patchwork of police forces as well as to pursue a new system under which officers could be decertified for unprofessional conduct Separately the House voted to step up collection and dissemination of data designed to make sure police engaged in racial profiling in connection with roadside stops Vermont currently has a patchwork of law enforcement including the State Police county sheriffs city and town police departments small towns that contract with the State Police or sheriffs for part-time coverage and patrols and mostly rural towns that count on the State Police to show up in the rare event of a crime within their borders Added to those are specialized law-enforcement personnel working for the departments of Fish Wildlife Motor Vehicles and Liquor Control as well as the Capitol Police who patrol the Statehouse Lawmakers began with a long bill calling for creation of a new Agency of Public Safety but that was reduced in the House Government Operations Committee to a three-page bill calling for a 1 3-member panel made up mostly of the heads of various public safety agencies to study the issues there a way of doing this that makes sense for Vermonters that can provide equal or better service than what providing now at a reduced Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn said in an interview Friday need to have those The House also voted to support an amendment Services In January after Green Mountain Power said it would not pursue the solar project because the Windsor Selectboard voted 5-0 to oppose it Buildings and General Services Commissioner Michael Obuchowski said his department would not oppose the transfer Earliest On Lake Winnipesaukee Gilford NH (ap) In a New Hampshire tradition has been declared on Lake Winnipesaukee and it is the earliest one on record Ice out is declared when the MS Mount Washington tourist boat can safely travel between its ports on the largest lake without encountering ice Pilot Dave Emerson of Emerson Aviation made the call at 1 1 :30 am Friday during a flight Emerson said the earliest for the lake and the first one declared in the winter season The last record was set on March 23 2012 Ice-out generally occurs the third week of April Last ice-out was on April 24 The latest ice-out was in 1888 on May 12 State Police: New DNA Evidence In 2004 Disappearance Montgomery Vt Vermont State Police officials say DNA evidence found in a car could shed new light on her disappearance Brianna Maitland disappeared in 2004 after leaving her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery The 17-year-old car was found the next day at a neaihy abandoned farmhouse Police have said no evidence that Maitland left the area willingly and they believe she was a victim of foul play Maj Glenn Hall said DNA could connect a suspect or person who was with Maitland that night Staff and wire reports Senate including Democrats spoke in support of nomination and defended his integrity Democratic Sen Dan Feltes said he worked with Little on a bill extending the notification period for people facing foreclosures He called the legislation the significant advanced in home owner and consumer protection from in the state in two decades Feltes also pushed back on the idea that nomination represents part of a an unfair he said If the council approves nomination his Senate seat will remain vacant until the November election Little defeated Sunapee Democrat Linda Tanner in 2014 to win the Senate District 8 seat which includes the Upper Valley towns of Newport Grantham Sunapee Croydon Unity Springfield and New London Weare is the largest town in the district followed by Newport and Hillsborough.