HB1359

NHMA should not be treated differently from all other associations that are similar

I emailed earlier with my opposition to HB 1359 & 1360. In my opinion, it appears that the NHMA is a target for excessive legislation and as noted in my email, town budget line items should all be treated the same, no 2/3 votes for one item v. a simple majority for other line items.

This is a terrible bill and should be voted ITL ASAP.

This bill seeks to interfere with the operations of a private membership driven organization - the New Hampshire Municipal Association. The membership includes all municipalities in NH because of its value to governing bodies and staff with training and the provision of legal interpretation of legislation with potential benefits or challenges for communities. I urge you to defeat this bill to prevent the Legislative involvement in a non-governmental, voluntary membership organization.

This bill will make costs much higher for municipalities, who rely heavily on the information provided by NHMA. This happens too late to be handled with current Town Meetings as Warrants, and would mean for some SB2 March meeting towns that we could not use NHMA until such a Town Meeting vote could be taken. This is unneeded oversight into a system that is not broken. Please vote NO on this bill.

Small towns greatly benefit from membership in the NHMA. This organization provides information and services that would be unaffordable if contracted for individually. This bill would have a particularly negative impact on smaller NH Towns and Municipalities, putting them at a disadvantage when confronted with harmful state mandates. Vote ITL on HB 1359.

This bill attacks NHMA, a non-governmental organization, by forcing it to jump hurdles regarding its representation of municipal entities AND attempts to force a reorganization of NHMA in order to make it more difficult for it to operate. NHMA operates in the INTEREST of NH’s local governments and its citizens. This bill is a shameful attempt to undermine a valuable check on state government and a valuable source of information for local governments.

Enough with the attacks on NHMA! This bill is, quite simply, an attempt to weaken NHMA's ability to educate and advise towns to help them know the law, do their jobs, and help their citizens. We in Warner are facing a major skills and knowledge gap now at Town Hall, as we've had many employees leave or retire in the last two years. NHMA has been a godsend for helping us through this difficult time, and I vehemently oppose any obstacles that will make it difficult for them to continue to help towns.

I am writing to urge you to vote "Inexpedient to Legislate" (ITL) on HB 1359. While this bill is presented as a measure for transparency, it creates an unworkable administrative burden for New Hampshire’s towns, cities, and school districts. It effectively silences local voices in the General Court by creating a "supermajority" hurdle for membership in vital professional organizations. HB 1359 will lead to the following operational and governance failures: 1. Erosion of Local Voice through Unfair Voting Thresholds HB 1359 requires a two-thirds majority vote to approve the lobbying portion of municipal dues. This gives a small minority of voters at a Town Meeting or School District Deliberative Session the power to block the entire community from participating in the legislative process. Municipalities rely on associations like the NH Municipal Association (NHMA) to track hundreds of bills that impact local property taxes. Without this collective advocacy, small towns will be left without a seat at the table, while well-funded private interests continue to lobby without restriction. 2. Significant Administrative and Accounting Burden The bill mandates a complex "bifurcation" of dues that will be a nightmare for local finance officers and town clerks. • Split-Billing Mandate: Associations must provide itemized statements 60 days in advance, and towns must hold two separate recorded votes (one for general membership and one for lobbying). • Timing Conflicts: If an association’s budget cycle does not align with a town’s meeting cycle, the town may be legally prohibited from paying dues, even if the majority supports it. 3. Impact on School Districts and Village Districts This bill is not limited to towns; it extends to school districts and tiny village districts. • School Boards: Our local school boards rely on the NH School Boards Association to navigate complex state funding (Adequacy aid) and special education mandates. HB 1359 forces these boards to waste time on procedural roll-call votes for small dues amounts, diverting focus from education. • Village Districts: These districts are most often run by volunteers. Forcing these small entities to manage separate "lobbying" vs. "service" accounts is a classic example of an unfunded administrative mandate. 4. Risk of Confusion and Information Gaps The bill prohibits associations from denying services to those who don’t pay for lobbying. • Information Breakdown: It is practically impossible to separate "legislative updates" (a service) from "lobbying" (advocacy). This will lead to legal confusion over what information a town is entitled to receive, potentially leaving local officials in the dark about critical changes to state law. Current law already allows voters to reject municipal dues during the annual budget process via a simple majority. HB 1359 is an unnecessary intervention that complicates local governance and creates an uneven playing field where local taxpayers lose their collective voice. For these reasons, I respectfully ask you to vote Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 1359.

I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHY REPRSENTATIVE OSBORNE IS HELL BENT ON DISMANTLING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION. IT SEEMS TO ME THE INFORMAITON AND SUPPORT THE NHMA PROVIDES TO MUNICIPALITIES IS INVALUBLE. WHY WOULD ANY ONE WANT TO PREVENT LOCAL OFFICIALS FROM HAVING GOOD, SOUND AND VERIFIEABLE INFORMATION?

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