Liberty Wins of 2016
June 6th: SB481 signed into law, abolishing Certificates of Need for hospitals.
June 1st: HB114 signed, This bill allows specialty beer retail establishments to obtain a new license that doesnt require a $3000 inventory value of grocery items. Many stores meet the current grocery requirement by keeping Spam, Vienna sausages, and other canned items that don't spoil quickly, which are never sold. For a beer & wine store, this requirement is wasteful, protectionist, and serves as a barrier to entry to small stores. This will help to increase beer tourism which is a hot market in New England. New Hampshire is lagging behind neighboring states in this growing market.
June 1st: HB605 - signed, This bill repeals mandatory minimum sentencing for specific crimes. Mandatory minimums remove discretion from the courts, often forcing judges to impose sentences far longer than are appropriate for the situation and the crime. Restoring discretion enables the Judiciary to perform its constitutional role. Reducing use of excessively long minimum sentences will help slow the growth of prison populations.
May 12th: HB197 - signed, This bill allows wine manufacturers to establish up to 2 'off site' locations for sampling and purchase of their wines. Wine manufacturers should be permitted to sell their product where their potential customers are, not restricted to selling where grapes grow best. Allowing local businesses to showcase local products benefits NH residents and helps the NH economy. Additional jobs will be created to run off-site tasting rooms.
April 21st: HB601 - signed, This bill reduces the annual cash machine notification renewal fee by $45. The current fee is excessively high, going beyond covering the administrative costs of regulation. The NHLA would more strongly support the bill as originally introduced; eliminating annual notification requirements for cash dispensing machine operators entirely.
March 17th: HB500 - signed, This bill allows use of suppressors for noise reduction while hunting.
