HB517

I am a healthcare worker in NH. Without NH Paid family medical leave I would not have coverage for maternity leave. This is a necessity to my ability to bond with my child and still maintain a living wage.

This bill is incredibly harmful. As someone who lives with an elderly family member who needs assistance, I know how important this time is. Now, I am fortunate enough that I have enough adults in my home that can help out, but I know there are countless others in this state that are less fortunate. They need that time to take care of their loved ones, and this bill would remove that absolute necessary ability.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence gives voice to three unalienable rights-- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For so many residents of New Hampshire, their desire to start a family crosses all three of those rights. Paid family leave truly embodies supporting American families and makes it a little more possible for loving parents to spend a little more time with their newborn children. Do not take that away from them.

New Hampshire is a collection of communities, and families are a large part of each and every community. A paid family leave plan program supports families in New Hampshire. I can't imagine anyone from any party seriously attacking this idea. Let's keep the paid family leave plan. Please oppose this bill.

Family leave is a critical support resource that allows parents to bond with and care for their children during some of the most formative and vulnerable times of their lives. This leave allows parents to ensure their children are receiving the care they need in those early months - whether it be round the clock feedings or the ability to recover from a colicky baby who cannot sleep through the night. It is also supremely important for those of us in growing number - adults with elderly parents who need extra support during the most vulnerable times of THEIR adult lives without having to resort to "putting them in a home" (an option that is much too expensive for many and often vehemently unwanted by the elders in question, for understandable reasons). It allows us the time to give back to our parents during their twilight years. Or the many others who have disabled (permanently or temporarily) relatives or dependents who need additional support. Our people deserve the ability to be functional parts of our economy - it hurts everyone, businesses included, if good workers are forced out of their jobs because they have the audacity to exist in a world where they want to start a family, take care of an elderly parent, or support a disabled loved one.

Everyone should have paid leave available to them when they need it.

Dear Members of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, I am writing today as a citizen of NH who hopes to use the Paid Family Leave plan this year. I have been paying into this for the last two years because I did not know when I would become pregnant, but I knew I would need to augment my pay as much as possible to be able to afford my living expenses after having a baby. We have an aging population in NH, and as a younger couple my spouse and I have purchased a home and want to raise our family here. I do not have short term disability through my work, so once my personal built up time is gone, I will have to go back to work, and this leave me no time to stay home if my infant is sick. Repealing this plan would make it harder if not impossible for me and many young families to be able to afford having children in this state, and ultimately make us have to decide whether or not we can stay long-term. The message it gives is that we want a younger population to sustain our communities into the future, but once we have a child their wellbeing is our burden alone. If we truly care about children, we would support parents having time at home with them during their most crucial stages of development, because research shows that children who are able to be breastfed and given appropriate developmental attention as infants have fewer personal, physical, mental health and behavioral issues as they grow, allowing them to reach their potential to be productive members of society. If you take away parents' ability to be with their children in these early days because they can't afford their bills without working, there will be more financial problems in the future for families as they struggle to make ends meet and because children will have more needs that cost money to meet. I urge you to vote ITL on this bill and not repeal the only state-guaranteed way for new parents to be able to be with their children and also continue to support themselves financially.

Paid family medical leave is an important program that should not be lightly discarded. It provides essential security for workers, ensuring they can take the time needed to fully recover and return to work without risking their health and safety. For employers, it improves worker job satisfaction, morale, and productivity, reducing turnover. Economically, workers using these programs will generally be spending much if not all of the received money, acting as a stimulus, and retained jobs reduce the strain on unemployment programs. Generally, insurance policies work best with larger pools of insured people, so operating at the state level provides an efficiency that could not be realized at more local levels. If anything, we should be trying to partner with neighboring states to expand the program and spread the risks and benefits more broadly. If revenue is an issue, the state legislature has the means to raise taxes without scrapping beneficial programs. If legislative oversight of the program is a problem, legislators are free to recruit replacements who are willing to do the job.

Please do not repeal the state option for paid FMLA in New Hampshire. Although we are done building our family, paid family leave is an important piece in keeping women in the work force and steadying a family’s economic situation during a vulnerable time. During my first pregnancy, I was allowed three weeks of maternity leave which contributed to me leaving my job and not returning. My husband was the sole income earner for our family during that time while I was a stay at home parent for a year.. During my second pregnancy, my office offered a short term disability plan of five weeks plus four weeks paid leave from my employer - a total of nine weeks. I returned to my job after this time and was grateful for this time off with my baby, though it was still not enough. Unfortunately there was a change in my employee benefits and I find myself with an employer who does not offer a short term or paid leave policy at all. What NH offers currently is the BARE MINIMUM that we should be offering families and just down the road in Massachusetts, leave policies are much more generous. Policies that support growing families provide stability to the workforce and keep young families in New Hampshire. On top of that, it’s the right thing to do. If anything we should be looking to expand paid leave policies (which also cover caregivers in certain situations) making New Hampshire a more desirable place to live.

Honorable Chair and Members of the Committee, Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Lu Butterfield-Ferrell and I am a resident of Rochester, NH. I stand in strong opposition to House Bill 517. The Granite State Paid Family Leave Plan ensures that employees can take time off to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from their own serious health condition without fear of losing their job or financial stability. My wife is employed by the Community College System of New Hampshire. CCSNH does not offer short term disability to their employees, thus leaving employees to seek alternate routes of coverage to ensure they are protected should they need to take time for family-related medical reasons. My wife has been paying into the Granite State Family Leave Plan for two years. We are having a baby in a month and a half. We made the decision two years ago to pay into the Granite State Family Leave Plan to ensure she had adequate wage-related coverage upon the birth of our child. Because CCSNH does not have a parental leave policy or short term disability coverage, that means we are only covered under FMLA. FMLA only guarantees job protection without pay. What this means is that my wife must exhaust her own personal and sick time for the entire time she is out on maternity related leave. Once she exhausts her personal and sick time, she will then have to go unpaid or go immediately back to work. We cannot afford the cost of living in New Hampshire without compensation from both of our jobs. Our expenses are only going to increase with having a child. By repealing the plan, the state would be abandoning thousands of New Hampshire families who rely on this safety net during times of crisis. The language in the proposed bill indicates a potential for an increase of revenue due to the elimination of the BET credit. This short-term financial gain pales in comparison to the long-term costs of repealing this program. Without paid family leave, many workers—particularly women and low-income individuals—will be forced to choose between their livelihoods and their families. The state of New Hampshire is often in conversation about how to retain younger generations in the state. In order for younger generations to be able to live in NH, there needs to be systems that support our ability to afford it. Repealing the Granite State Family Leave Plan sends a clear message to the people of New Hampshire: that their well-being and the well-being of their families are not a priority. I have been a resident of New Hampshire for the last 9 and a half years. My spouse and I have invested in making New Hampshire our home. We both work in the field of education within the state, we have bought a home here, and are committed to bettering the lives of other New Hampshire residents on the local and state level. As we grow and build our family, legislation like HB 517, make us ask the difficult question of “is New Hampshire an affordable place for us to live and does it care about our young family?”. Should HB 517 become law, we would strongly consider moving out of the state. For all of these reasons, I urge you to ITL HB 517. Sincerely, Lu Butterfield-Ferrell

I oppose wildlife killing contests. Please vote to support this bill, and end killing contests. These contests are a symptom of misguided wildlife governance. Myths demonize coyotes and to justify their killing. Coyotes are killed year around and at night during mating season. Killing contests are a violation of the public trust doctrine - a foundational principle mandating that governments hold wildlife in trust for the general public and future generations. Killing predators in these contests destroys healthy ecosystems. Coyotes and foxes help to control rodents thereby restricting disease transmission; they scavenge dead animal carcasses and limit other carnivores like skunks and raccoons that prey on birds and their eggs. Most ethical hunters deplore these killing contests. Responsible hunting involves eating or using what you kill and only kill what you need. Thank you for doing the right thing. Your constituent, Rebecca Hedlund (Portsmouth)

State paid family medical leave is an important part of the safety net and helps keep families in our state. We need to support the people who are building and supporting families here.

It would be absolutely foolish to remove this paid family leave program, for which employees primarily pay. Our economy cannot support single income families. Foolish, mean, and makes one question lawmakers' motives to take this resource from hard working NH families. So much for the party of "family values"; the NH republicans continue to alienate NH's working class.

I am appalled that a representative from my district proposed this bill. Why would anyone want to repeal this paid family leave provision? Honestly, I think NH's PFMLA doesn't go far enough in its coverage, but that's a matter for another time. Providing even this limited PFML is a tremendous help to NH workers, who often have little to no paid leave. PFML allows workers to care for a sick family member, bury a parent, eke out a little bit of maternity leave to care for a newborn, etc. without fear of being fired - or of not being able to make their rent payment. Developed societies depend on people being able to care for their families; please don't take us backward.

There are currently 18,000 NH residents on this state plan, and they depend on it. This state plan helps people when they need it most.

NH should support paid family leave!!! I oppose this bill, and don’t agree with its intent to remove paid family leave.

NH PFML is not perfect, but you cannot repeal it without a plan to replace it. This is important support for families in NH.

NH PFML isn't perfect, but we can't repeal the only option Granite Staters have for paid leave without a plan to replace it with something better.

Why are we hurting small businesses in NH? This allows companies a small tax cut if they provide paid family leave. If we want strong communities and a strong state then not supporting NH families when they need it the most won’t get us there. This also add a wonderful benefit for small companies trying to do the right thing for their employees.

The Granite State Paid Family Leave Plan is a critical step forward in supporting working families, strengthening our workforce, and fostering a more equitable and compassionate society. Paid family leave is not just a benefit, it is a necessity for ensuring that workers can care for their loved ones during life’s most challenging moments without sacrificing their financial stability or career prospects. This plan recognizes the realities faced by countless families in New Hampshire, who often must choose between their jobs and caring for a newborn, a seriously ill family member, or themselves during a medical crisis. No one should have to make that choice. Paid family leave provides a safety net that allows workers to take the time they need without fear of losing their income or their job. Paid family leave is an investment in our economy. Studies have shown that businesses benefit from increased employee retention, productivity, and morale when workers have access to paid leave. By supporting employees during critical times, employers can reduce turnover costs and build a more loyal and engaged workforce. This is especially important in a competitive labor market like New Hampshire’s, where attracting and retaining talent is essential for economic growth. Critics argue that the plan places a burden on small businesses, but with thoughtful implementation and shared responsibility, these concerns can be addressed. Many states with paid family leave programs have demonstrated that it is possible to create a system that works for both employers and employees. By pooling resources and spreading costs, the Granite State Paid Family Leave Plan can minimize the impact on individual businesses while maximizing the benefits for workers and their families. Paid family leave is not just a progressive policy, it is a practical and compassionate solution to the challenges faced by modern families. It aligns with New Hampshire’s values of independence, resilience, and community. By supporting this plan, we can ensure that our state remains a place where families can thrive, businesses can succeed, and workers are treated with dignity and respect. For these reasons, I strongly support the Granite State Paid Family Leave Plan and urge policymakers to uphold its appeal. Let’s work together to build a stronger, more inclusive future for all Granite Staters.

What is the reason for removing paid family leave? This will only hurt NH families.

I strongly oppose this bill. This will hurt growing families in NH. If anything we need a bill to introduce more family leave and support.

Don't eliminate the limited family leave plan we have. We must go forward, not backwards.

This bill benefits not only families in our state, but especially those who run small businesses. We rely on small business in this state and appreciate everything they bring to our community. Do NOT move this bill forward at the risk of hurting our families, businesses, and economy.