Subject: [big campaign] Fwd: RELEASE - NH HOUSE HIDES FROM PUBLIC, VOTES TO RENEGE ON PENSIONS, BUST UNIONS AND DESTROY STATE SERVICES
From: "Aniello Alioto, ProgressNow" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], americanvalues <[email-masked]>
Cc: Zandra Rice <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:22:47 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

NH should not slip under the radar today - please amplify!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zandra Rice-Hawkins <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 10:13 PM
Subject: RELEASE - NH HOUSE HIDES FROM PUBLIC, VOTES TO RENEGE ON PENSIONS,
BUST UNIONS AND DESTROY STATE SERVICES
To: Diana Lacey <[email-masked]>

**

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

CONTACT: Jay Ward, cell (603) 369-0987

*NH HOUSE HIDES FROM PUBLIC, VOTES TO RENEGE ON PENSIONS, BUST UNIONS AND
DESTROY STATE SERVICES FOR MIDDLE CLASS AND MOST VULNERABLE*

* *

*Speaker O’Brien and cohorts - once again - choose extreme positions over
government transparency and the middle class*

CONCORD, NH – Speaker Bill O’Brien and his extreme colleagues in the New
Hampshire House of Representatives undermined House rules in an attempt to
circumvent the New Hampshire public from attending key votes on the state
budget and a Wisconsin-styled union-busting amendment.

The NH House was scheduled to meet today, Wednesday, March 30th and
Thursday, March 31st. According to House Rules on timelines between the
legislative briefing on the budget and the vote on it, the discussion on the
state budget – an area of great concern for people all over the state and
from all walks of life – was supposed to be on Thursday.

However, the Speaker moved up the votes on House Bill 2, the budget trailer
bill, including the amendment to repeal collective bargaining arrangements
for more than 70,000 middle class workers and taxpayers. The House Majority
then refused to allow the entire debate to be entered into the permanent
House Journal.

“Speaker O’Brien purposely moved up votes on the budget, and the
union-busting amendment in particular, because he was afraid to face the
wrath of thousands of New Hampshire voters who will be on the State House
steps tomorrow in vast disapproval of the extreme agenda of the House
leadership,” said *Diana Lacey, President of the State Employees
Association, SEA/SEIU Local 1984*. “This is another slap in the face to New
Hampshire citizens who are trying to have their voice heard in state
government and time and again face the turned backs of Speaker O’Brien and
his cohorts. First it was a union-busting amendment introduced and passed
under the cover of night with no public process or input. Now they are
hiding from the public on one of the most important votes of the year.”

“These extreme Republicans say that they are doing what the voters wanted,”
*Lacey* said. “That is a bold-faced lie. New Hampshire did not vote to
target workers and jeopardize New Hampshire’s safety net. Speaker O’Brien
and his cohorts have a hidden agenda, and that’s why they sneak around
during the night, changing rules and doing everything in their power to keep
the public at bay. They know that the voters of New Hampshire do not want to
renege on their promises to state retirees or strip more than 70,000 middle
class workers and taxpayers of collective bargaining rights. They know that
New Hampshire’s middle class wants strong public services and that our
community supports essential services to protect our most vulnerable
citizens. They know how New Hampshire feels about these things and so they
slink around fulfilling their personal agenda, voting against the middle
class and hiding their votes and discussion as well as they can.”

“Everyone and everything is under attack by this House leadership; the
disabled, people who experience mental health issues, children and the
homeless, public safety, an adequate education – you name it, Speaker
O’Brien is coming after it. But we’ve got a message for Speaker O’Brien: you
can vote but you can’t hide. New Hampshire can and will do better, and we
call for more reasonable minded representatives to shed the shackles of
these extreme ideas and start talking with their constituents.”

In addition to the budget bill and collective bargaining amendment, the
House also passed HB 580, an “Omnibus” pension bill sponsored by Rep. Neal
Kurk to reduce public employees’ bargaining rights. It specifically states
that as a contract term expires, employees’ health and pension benefits can
be unilaterally changed (or eliminated) by employers.

The State Employees Association and others will continue to participate in a
“Rally for New Hampshire” planned for the State House steps tomorrow,
Thursday, March 31st at 12 noon. The rally is sponsored by NH CARES and
addresses the budget as a whole.

###

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
o: 202.756.4109
c: 502.664.2420

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