2020 candidates give their views on business issues
Although this election cycle has been nasty and personal at the national level, complicated by Covid-19’s infestation of the entire country including the White House, a U.S. Supreme Court nomination and protests over systemic racism, other issues crucial to business are on the line.
NH Business Review asked the major party candidates running this year for four key offices — the U.S. Senate, the two congressional seats and governor — about seven topics: labor and employment, taxes, housing, healthcare, infrastructure, energy and Covid-19. We did not edit their answers unless they exceeded the word limit. We also asked the candidates to submit biographical information.
The race for governor
Chris Sununu
An environmental engineer by trade, Chris Sununu has spent his life — whether in public service or the private sector — devoted to designing systems that improve the quality of life for Granite State families.
In the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Governor Sununu took unprecedented action to protect the well-being of Granite Staters.
Just days after declaring a state of emergency and transitioning New Hampshire schools to remote learning, Sununu acted swiftly to expand New Hampshire’s unemployment benefits and provide financial relief to a historic number of New Hampshire residents.
Following passage of the CARES Act by Congress and signature into law by the president, Sununu established the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Economic Recovery to oversee the transparent investment of over $1.25 billion in relief funds and the prompt restoration of New Hampshire’s economy.
As governor, Chris Sununu has worked to decrease government regulation, and instead, open as many doors of opportunity as possible for Granite Staters.
Dan Feltes
Dan Feltes spent almost a decade with New Hampshire Legal Assistance as a legal aid attorney, and now serves as majority leader in the New Hampshire Senate.
At age 41, he is the youngest majority leader in New Hampshire history. He represents Concord, Henniker, Hopkinton and Warner in the Senate and is the Democratic nominee for governor of New Hampshire. A champion for working families, he sponsored legislation to establish a paid family and medical leave program, expand access to healthcare, invest in job training and workforce development, and fund full-day kindergarten.
He lives in Concord with his wife, Erin, and their two daughters.
Covid-19
Q. Do you support current restrictions on businesses to prevent the spread of Covid-19? What else would you do? Do you support a mask mandate? What kind, and how it will be enforced?
Chris Sununu: As governor, we made the tough calls early and have worked to slow the spread of the virus. We invested over $500 million into small businesses, farmers and nonprofits — more than any other state in America. New Hampshire continues to lead the region in safely reopening our economy, which has allowed businesses to remain open while safeguarding against Covid-19.
I support empowering localities to make a local decision when it comes to mask mandates. Currently at the state level, we are not looking at a statewide mask mandate, but can always play that card down the line. New Hampshire continues to have one of the lowest percent-positive case rates in the nation, and so long as we remain low, we are not looking to enact a statewide mask mandate, especially when a majority of towns in New Hampshire do not have a single active case of Covid.
Dan Feltes: Like Trump, Sununu refuses to listen to the medical experts on masks. New Hampshire is the only state in New England without a common-sense mask requirement, and now we have much worse Covid numbers than either Maine or Vermont.
Most business owners, including retail and restaurant owners, would prefer a common-sense mask requirement, so that every business plays by the same set of rules and both patrons and employees remain safe. It could be implemented through existing public health and code enforcement. In addition, small businesses should be provided free PPE by the state, which was part of legislation we passed that, unfortunately, Sununu vetoed.
Q. What kind of additional stimulus package do you support, especially for small businesses? How would it differ from previous packages?
Sununu: Congress needs to get to work and do their job by passing another relief package that provides flexibility to states and local governments. When it comes to relief packages at the state level, we are always looking for additional ways to help small businesses, which is why we established the Main Street Relief Fund to provide unprecedented support for our small businesses.
Moving forward, we will continue to explore additional areas surrounding small businesses that we can provide supports for.
Feltes: Early on, I proposed real relief for small landlords and small businesses (less than $5 million in annual revenue), prioritizing those unable to access the PPP and prioritizing our restaurant and hospitality industry, as well as using existing and reliable structure of the Business Finance Authority to get the relief out the door quickly and with confidence.
Instead, Chris Sununu’s business fund included major law firms and corporations with up to $20 million in annual revenue. Sununu made up an entirely new fund and structure without any rules, and then required multiple applications that left many businesses completely ineligible.
Moving forward, business owners must have confidence in how the relief is distributed, and there must be a specific focus on industries that will be hit the hardest when the weather changes, especially the restaurant industry which will no longer be able to offer outdoor dining.
Q. Should businesses receive any special liability protection?
Sununu: Given the New Hampshire economy is so closely tied to our neighboring states, any liability protections must be done at the federal level to ensure there is consistency at the regional level.
Feltes: I don’t support blanket immunity for corporations. The vast majority of businesses and business owners treat their employees right and put public safety first, but the unfortunate reality is some do not and some cut corners on basic public safety measures.
Chris Sununu signed onto a letter urging blanket immunity for corporations be passed into federal law — that’s the wrong approach. We need to support businesses by listening to how certain restrictions are impacting them and how the state can support worker safety, because worker safety is public safety.
Labor and Employment
Q. What should the minimum wage be and why?
Sununu: I continue to believe that the minimum wage should be established at the federal level, and have twice vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to unsustainable levels. Now is the wrong time to pursue any policy that will reduce the chances of Granite Staters being able to get back to work.
Raising the minimum wage in the middle of a global pandemic would hinder our employers who are already struggling. It would mean fewer jobs and fewer available hours for our workers who are unemployed or underemployed. Our small businesses are fighting for survival, and raising the minimum wage would just become another burden placed on our employers’ backs as they try to recover.
Feltes: We should gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, similar to what Rep. Pappas and Rep. Kuster supported in the U.S. House. No one should work a full-time job and live in poverty. Unfortunately, as governor, Sununu vetoed the minimum wage increase while simultaneously taking $31,000 in pay increases for himself. I will reject and return the pay increases Sununu took until we reinstate and raise the minimum wage.
Q. Do you support paid family and medical leave? To what level and in what form?
Sununu: I support paid family medical leave and have put forward multiple innovative plans to get it done that are voluntary, affordable and income tax-free.
My plan has been vetted by insurance experts in both the public and private sector, and they concur that my approach is viable and will work. I have sought compromise with the Legislature, but it is unfortunate that the Legislature refused to compromise and insisted on an income tax.
The plan I was forced to veto stated “insurance premium payments shall amount to 0.5% of wages per employee per week for each week of the preceding quarter. Employers may withhold or divert no greater than 0.5% of wages per week per employee.” That is an income tax, and neither I nor the people of New Hampshire would ever support it.
Feltes: Paid family and medical leave is critical to the challenges facing working families across New Hampshire — from dealing with Covid, to our caretaking crisis for seniors, to combating the opioid public health epidemic, to attracting and retaining the workforce of tomorrow. No one should have to risk their family’s economic security simply to take care of a loved one, take care of oneself or be there for a new baby.
My bill, SB 1, had bipartisan co-sponsors and would have established paid family medical leave, giving businesses a variety of options for supplying it to their employees, without a mandated tax of any kind. Chris Sununu has vetoed this bipartisan legislation twice, even calling paid family and medical leave a “vacation.”
Sununu provided a so-called “voluntary plan” that received no testimony in support at the public hearing — not a single person testified in support of his plan. Sununu opposes paid family and medical leave, even auctioning off a copy of his veto of SB 1 at a partisan political fundraiser, then auctioning off the flags of New Hampshire and the United States flown over the State House the day he vetoed SB 1.
Taxes
Q. Do you think that the current state business tax rates or federal corporate rates should remain the same, go up or go down during your term?
Sununu: I support lowering taxes on our small businesses even further, and called on the Legislature to freeze the tax triggers that had the potential to raise taxes on our small businesses over 12% in the middle of the pandemic. Thankfully, due to strong management and smart decision-making, our economy got back on track in record time, which has allowed business taxes to remain flat this year. I vetoed a state budget that included automatic tax increases, and have signed two state budgets that did not include any new taxes.
Feltes: In the last state budget we enacted business and corporate tax reform that generally helped relieve the burden on New Hampshire-based businesses as well as helped ensure that large multi-state and multinational corporations that sell products or services into New Hampshire were included in New Hampshire’s corporate tax code and paid more of their fair share. The continuation of business tax reform that looks out for New Hampshire-based businesses that I led on is my strong preference.
Housing
Q. What would you do increase the availability of workforce housing?
Sununu: In the summer of 2019, I assembled a housing task force to develop recommendations to address our shortage of affordable and workforce housing. Working with the task force and a bipartisan group of young legislators, we developed a comprehensive legislative package in the form of two major bills.
The first bill, HB 1629, focused on enhancing local control and improving predictability of the development process. It included, among other things, providing free training materials to zoning and planning board members, enhancing inclusionary zoning, streamlining the decision-making process for zoning boards and planning boards, updating and expanding the definition of workforce housing, and ensuring equal treatment for workforce housing in awarding of development incentives.
The second bill, HB 1632, focused on accelerating investment in housing. The bill included, among other things, allowing TIF districts to be used for residential development, expansion of the use of the Community Revitalization Tax Relief Program, and the creation of a voluntary Housing Champion Certification Program to incentivize development of workforce housing.
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic severely shortened this past legislative session, and these bills, despite passing the House, were not enacted due to lack of time for full consideration by the Senate. However, I plan to push for passage of these bills during the 2021 legislative session.
Feltes: Affordable and workforce housing is the foundation for success for our businesses, our workers and families, and our future. The advancement of affordable and workforce housing means less homelessness, less spending on healthcare and social services through housing stabilization and housing first, and more places to live for workers who can meet businesses’ needs throughout New Hampshire.
In the Senate, I continued the effort to advance affordable and workforce housing, including advancing accessory dwelling units, the first-ever recovery housing appropriation, and the first-ever annual appropriation to the affordable and workforce housing fund.
There is more we can do including using $10 million in CARES Act funds to capitalize the affordable and workforce housing fund of New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, with priority given to hardest-hit areas of the state, and increase from $5 million to $10 million the annual capitalization of the affordable and workforce housing fund, as well as use at least $1 million, to help develop workforce housing along the commuter rail line.
Q. Would you and how would you continue to support eviction and/or foreclosure bans or continue assistance to renters and homeowners?
Sununu: One of the first actions we took to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic was to put a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to ensure no one would worry about losing their home or business due to the pandemic. In an effort to help those struggling to pay rent and their mortgage, I established a $35 million fund to help renters and homeowners with financial assistance.
Feltes: Right now, thousands of Granite Staters are facing mounting bills with no source of income. That paired with Sununu’s refusal to continue the eviction moratorium and his veto of modest housing protections for tenants and homeowners has already led to a spike in evictions. We must address housing for those struggling due to Covid-19 by providing conditional relief to landlords, direct support for homeowners facing foreclosure, expanding rental assistance, and immediately expanding the affordable housing fund. Landlords and tenants both lose when apartments are vacant.
Infrastructure
Q. Tell us your plan to improve infrastructure and what should be the top priority: roads, rail, broadband, the grid or another concern?
Sununu: The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the paramount need for online connectivity as many schools learn remotely and employees work from home, which is why I committed nearly $14 million to finish the last mile of broadband connectivity, helping thousands of properties across the state gain access to broadband. We returned over $60 million to cities and towns for road maintenance, bridge repairs and safe school infrastructure, and allowed legislation to move forward that would study the feasibility of commuter rail in New Hampshire.
Feltes: We need to get out of the economic crisis in a way that puts working families and small businesses first. Right now, the gaps in access to broadband are glaring as students learn remotely and workers telework.
We must invest in expanding high-speed internet to all corners of our state, advancing through public-private partnerships, enabled flexibility and coordination at the local level, and real state support. We need to finally move forward on commuter rail, and we must finally address the red-listed bridges in our state. We must also continue the grid modernization efforts underway at the Public Utilities Commission.
Healthcare
Q. What have you done and will you do to lower healthcare costs for businesses?
Sununu: As governor, I signed legislation into state law to ensure those with preexisting conditions are protected, reauthorized bipartisan Medicaid expansion that ensured 50,000 low-income Granite Staters could keep their healthcare, directed our Department of Justice to defend the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court, secured a 1332 waiver from the federal government that lowered the cost of premiums, and continue to support Cost Sharing Reductions (CSRs). I will continue to fight to lower health care costs on employees and employers.
Feltes: Even prior to Covid, New Hampshire had the highest healthcare costs in the country. I helped to achieve bipartisan workers’ compensation reform, reducing costs, removed costly prior authorization hurdles from health insurance companies, and led the effort on association health plans, including requiring a 1332 waiver to help reduce costs in the individual market.
More generally, we must prioritize preventative care, as the most expensive way to deliver health care is in the emergency room, driving up costs on everyone. In doing so, we must finally pass paid family and medical leave insurance so Granite Staters can take the time they need to get healthy, we must pass Medicaid adult dental benefit, and we must get serious on the opioid crisis with actual expanded treatment capacity, not simply this intake and referral program Sununu brags about.
We must also make Medicaid expansion permanent. As the lead Democratic negotiator on Medicaid expansion, I can tell you that providers on the ground need certainty — and certainty means savings.
Finally, we must continue to reduce prescription drug costs. I led the effort to import safe, low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $30 per month.
Energy
Q. What specific measures would you support or oppose to lower the economic and environmental costs of energy?
Sununu: I believe our energy policy should focus on lowering the cost of electric rates on New Hampshire families and will never support legislation that raises rates on seniors and those on fixed incomes. I supported and signed legislation that expanded access to net metering while still protecting ratepayers, banned offshore gas and oil drilling off New Hampshire’s pristine coastline, and signed an executive order to prepare New Hampshire for the development of offshore wind. I continue to believe that any net-metering legislation should place a priority on low income families and seniors on fixed incomes, not big developers looking to line their pockets.
Feltes: Chris Sununu opposes net metering — his brother recently challenged net metering nationwide (unsuccessfully), and Sununu vetoed three net metering bills. All three were bipartisan compromises that would have unlocked the small business potential in clean energy right here in New Hampshire.
And while Chris Sununu has vetoed over a dozen clean energy initiatives, mostly bipartisan, the clean energy initiatives that did make it through were my bills, including community solar and community power/aggregation. As a leader on clean energy in Concord, I understand that we do not have to choose between the interests of ratepayers, our local economy and the environment.
Instead, we advance all three by making New Hampshire a leader in solar, offshore wind, battery storage and energy efficiency, while adding thousands of new middle-class jobs and reducing energy bills for all.
The biggest driver of energy bills is regional transmission costs, which are driven by New Hampshire’s peak demand relative to surrounding states, and because we have not shaved our peak demand through common-sense measures like solar, offshore wind, battery storage and energy efficiency, surrounding states are eating our lunch on rates. In short, Sununu’s vetoes have increased your rates — period. As governor, I will act swiftly to declare New Hampshire’s clean tech economy open for business.
The race for U.S. Senate
Jeanne Shaheen
The first woman in U.S. history to be elected governor and U.S. senator, Jeanne Shaheen has a record of breaking partisan gridlock to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire.
As governor, she extended affordable health insurance coverage to tens of thousands of New Hampshire children, and in the U.S. Senate, she passed a provision giving New Hampshire veterans access to healthcare outside the VA and closer to home. She will continue making a difference for New Hampshire, with pragmatic leadership that brings people together to get real results.
Bryant “Corky” Messner
Raised in a blue-collar family in Altoona, Pa., Bryant “Corky” Messner attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played football and prepared for military service. Upon earning the Army Ranger tab and graduating in 1979, he served in West Germany, witnessing firsthand the specter of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Following his military service, he attended University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law and went on to found the law firm Messner Reeves LLP, which today includes more than 100 lawyers, 200 employees and offices in nine cities.
Messner is a strong conservative and remains passionate about giving back to the country that has offered him the opportunity to live the American Dream. A father of three, Messner’s elder son is a recent West Point graduate and is now serving in the U.S. Army. His younger son is a West Point Cadet and his daughter is preparing to attend medical school. He resides in Wolfeboro.
Covid-19
Q. Do you support current restrictions on businesses to prevent the spread of Covid-19? What else would you do? Do you support a mask mandate? What kind, and how it will be enforced?
Jeanne Shaheen: My top priority is ensuring that during this pandemic, New Hampshire has the resources to support small businesses, towns, families and healthcare providers most affected. Rebuilding our economy demands that we get this virus under control, and we need people to stop the spread by following public health safety guidelines.
There’s proven evidence that masks are very effective at limiting the spread of this virus, which is why I believe we should all be wearing a mask in public. It would save lives and help get this virus under control and our economy moving again. We know that this virus spreads through the air, and we have seen how events without proper safety precautions have led to outbreaks across the nation.
Wearing a mask isn’t just about protecting yourself — it’s about protecting your family, friends and neighbors.
Messner: The economic impact of Covid on our economy is undeniable. Given that we have learned much more about the virus through these past months, the country needs to find ways to continue to reopen businesses, following protective guidelines that help ensure health and safety of employees and customers.
I support the least restrictions possible because the businesses themselves can now handle prevention of the spread of the virus, and it is their best economic interest to do so responsibly. I do not support a mask mandate. Individuals and businesses can make those decisions based on location, situation and science-based recommendations for reducing the spread of Covid.
Q. What kind of additional stimulus package do you support, especially for small business? And how would it differ from previous packages?
Shaheen: I raised the alarm about the coronavirus weeks before the Trump administration was willing to take it seriously, and my focus has remained on making a difference for Granite Staters during this difficult time. Tens of thousands of New Hampshire businesses have received more than $2.5 billion in aid, and I continue to work across the aisle because more help is needed to help our small businesses and our cities and towns.
I have been calling for an additional relief package for months with another round of small business funding as well as significant federal support for testing and contact tracing, which is critical for us to get this virus under control and rebuild our economy. Any Covid package must include state and local funding to support our front-line workers, resources for healthcare providers and food assistance for families, as well as unemployment assistance for workers who are still unable to find work because of how the virus has crippled our economy.
It was disappointing to see Republican leadership in the Senate propose a package without any help for our state and local governments, for healthcare providers or food assistance for families, and with inadequate funding for testing. This is a crisis, and we urgently need to hammer out a real, bipartisan deal that will help New Hampshire.
Messner: The Senate currently has a new package which I support. The new package would provide weekly federal jobless benefits, provide additional funding for testing and vaccines, would allow some small businesses to apply for a second loan through the Paycheck Protection Program with more flexibility in its use, and provide new money for schools and child care. The legislation also included legal protections for businesses and health providers.
Q. Should businesses receive any special liability protection?
Shaheen: I don’t believe there should be blanket immunity, especially for large corporations that ignore public health guidelines. Most New Hampshire businesses want to keep their employees safe through following safety guidelines from public health officials, and they want their employees to feel comfortable visiting them. The challenges they are facing really underscore the need for testing, contact tracing and a sufficient supply of protective equipment so that we can safely rebuild our economy. It’s extremely frustrating that the Trump administration and Republican leadership in the Senate refuses to work with us on these areas.
Messner: I consider this an additional form of protection for businesses that allows them to reopen without being exposed to liability. This is in the same spirit as the Paycheck Protection Program; supporting businesses that otherwise would be frustrated or discouraged from fully reopening and succeeding.
Labor and Employment
Q. What should the minimum wage be? Why?
Shaheen: As governor, I was proud to sign a minimum wage increase into law. Every American worker should be able to work a full-time job and support themselves and their family. I support federal efforts to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 gradually over the next few years to ensure that workers are earning a living wage.
The cost of living varies significantly across our country. While that increased minimum wage is an important step for our workers, states and cities with a higher cost of living should raise it above the $12 to provide their workers with the dollars they need to survive and succeed.
Messner: The current minimum wage establishes a floor yet gives employers control over wages for their employees, which I support. We have seen businesses offer much more than the minimum in order to attract and keep good employees.
I believe that given such autonomy, businesses will find innovative ways of bringing in young workers to entry-level jobs as well as new employees as their businesses grow, and increase the wage paid according to experience and value.
Q. Should federally enhanced unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility for benefits continue? For how much, and how long and why?
Shaheen: We’ve got a long way to go before we’re at the other end of this crisis and unemployment hit the highest levels seen since the Great Depression — we need to make sure additional unemployment benefits are extended.
It’s completely unacceptable that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has allowed enhanced benefits to expire. I supported the bipartisan inclusion of the weekly $600 unemployment relief in the CARES Act for those unable to work because families are under enormous pressure during this crisis. This enhanced unemployment insurance has helped Granite Staters pay their rent and mortgages, buy medicine and put food on the table. However, I’ve heard how this benefit has caused workforce shortages in some industries. It’s long past time for Republicans and Democrats to hammer out another bipartisan agreement to extend benefits — Republican leadership needs to let these negotiations begin immediately and not waste any more time.
Messner: The Congress is in agreement that more unemployment assistance is needed, however they are still debating how much and how long. There is some concern that if receiving benefits pays more than being employed, it will defeat the purpose of assisting someone who is unemployed until they can get back to work. The proposal for $300 through December 2020 is a good starting place and at least gets money out the door to those whose supplemental unemployment ran out at the end of August and need continued support.
Q. Do you support paid family and medical leave? To what level and in what form?
Shaheen: Paid family and medical leave is about ensuring Granite Staters, and all Americans, have the support they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Our nation loses almost $21 billion a year without a national paid family leave program, and both women and men lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages and retirement benefits over a lifetime.
I am cosponsoring the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act to create a universal paid family and medical leave program. This program would help our businesses, which often lose their workers without paid leave and then have to incur additional costs having to hire and train new employees. This federal legislation would provide up to 66% of wage replacement for 12 weeks during an emergency or a serious personal or family challenge.
Messner: I support paid family and medical leave that is designed by employers, as I did in my own business. A government-mandated paid leave may adversely affect the employees’ salaries and the economic success of businesses. It is reasonable to expect business and industry to attempt to accommodate the needs of their employees, and to give support for a specific time until they can return to the workplace. Experienced and well-trained employees are difficult to replace. I also support creative ways to grant paid leave, which many businesses allow — working remotely, flextime, job sharing, and other innovations.
Taxes
Q. Do you think that current state business tax rates or federal corporate rates remain the same, go up or go down during your term?
Shaheen: As a senator, I voted for the largest middle class tax cut in American history and I got tax credits for businesses to help them hire veterans. I took on my own party and led the fight against the internet sales tax, because small businesses in New Hampshire without a sales tax should not be forced to manage the complicated tax systems created by other states in order to sell products online.
The Trump tax bill was a trillion-dollar tax giveaway to big corporations and the rich, providing billions in tax breaks to big oil and drug companies, Wall Street and the wealthiest 1%. Many middle class families in New Hampshire will ultimately pay more. Instead of helping the Americans that needed help the most, that tax bill exploded our deficit and put Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security at risk.
Messner: The federal government does not create jobs; it either establishes an environment that enhances job creation or it imposes burdens and obstacles which crush entrepreneurs and their job-creating capabilities. High taxes are one of the restrictions to unleashing business success. I would support lowering corporate tax rates, especially in light of the pandemic. Businesses need an assist in getting back up to full speed. In addition, I would like to see businesses come back to the United States, particularly those in China, so lower federal tax rates provide an incentive to make that move.
Housing
Q. What would you do increase the availability of workforce housing?
Shaheen: Our state was already facing challenges with affordable housing before this crisis, and too many families have been left behind. Securing federal investment in housing is among my top priorities, and on the Senate Appropriations Committee I have worked across the aisle to help secure millions in grants and federal investment in affordable housing in communities across New Hampshire.
Our work is not done, and this is an urgent challenge in many Granite State communities. I will continue to push for federal resources to make home mortgages more affordable and to build and strengthen housing availability in our cities and towns.
Messner: The Tax Reform Act of 1986 created the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, providing private-sector incentives for the development of rental housing for lower-income households. In the 1990s, the HOME Investment Partnerships program established a block grant used by state and local governments to address affordable housing needs.
Today, the LIHTC and HOME programs continue to support multifamily rental housing production. The federal government also promotes multifamily rental production by permitting issuance of tax-exempt bonds, through FHA mortgage insurance products, and, in rural areas, through direct and guaranteed loans provided through the Rural Housing Service. Working with state leaders, I would support the continuation of these programs and will work to make them more effective to meet the workforce housing needs in the Granite State.
Infrastructure
Q. Tell us your plan to improve infrastructure and what should be the top priority: roads, rail, broadband, the grid or another concern?
Shaheen: In the Senate, I have delivered substantial federal investments in New Hampshire, helping improve and expand our airports, including in Nashua, Manchester, Laconia and Portsmouth, supporting revitalization projects for Main Streets, from Concord to Claremont, and improving our highways, widening I-93 and leading the call to replenish the highway trust fund.
Every community in New Hampshire should have access to high-speed broadband, and I have secured grants to expand cell service and improve accessibility in the North Country and communities across our state. During the pandemic, while remote learning continues, broadband access is more important than ever. I helped secure $100 million to boost broadband services in the CARES Act and will continue to call for the FCC to provide increased support in any Covid package and for more funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission that supports New Hampshire’s northern and western border communities.
Strengthening our infrastructure should be a bipartisan priority, and I am leading legislation to repair all of our aging bridges. I will push for continued, bipartisan support to make sure that our state is safe, secure, and connected.
Messner: Ironically, I believe that the experiences of Covid have made it clear how important our supply chains are to businesses and healthcare. Moving goods throughout the country makes keeping up our highway system extremely important.
With the pandemic we’ve also seen a rise in the use of broadband for remote learning, working from home and telemedicine.
In certain parts of our state, and throughout the country, broadband access is poor or nonexistent. Therefore, this is another priority for me and I was pleased that it is being addressed and grants are being provided.
As we rely heavily on electricity in our businesses, industries, healthcare services, schools and homes, protecting and maintaining a modern grid is also a top priority.
Healthcare
Q. What have you done and will you do to lower healthcare costs for businesses?
Shaheen: Rising healthcare and prescription drug costs are among the most serious challenges facing Granite State families and Americans all across our country, and they affect the bottom line of our businesses as well.
I led a bipartisan bill to suspend implementation of a Health Insurance Tax which was signed into law and will help reduce premiums for New Hampshire families. I also have worked to pass additional bipartisan measures signed into law to help lower costs for medical devices and health care costs for small businesses.
There are common-sense steps we can take to lower prescription drug costs for everyone that I’m fighting for, including allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, getting cheaper generic prescription drugs into the market, and stopping big drug companies from collecting tax breaks for their TV advertising.
The Affordable Care Act protects coverage for people with preexisting conditions and those relying on the ACA for substance use disorder treatment, and if Republicans succeed in repealing it, they would throw millions of Americans off their coverage and raise health care costs by making it harder to access care.
Messner: One of the primary things I believe will bring down healthcare costs is tort reform. Changes to these laws will reduce malpractice insurance and relieve providers from practicing defensive medicine, which clearly drives up the costs of services.
I support promoting portability of health insurance, which much better meets the needs of today’s workers and our fastpaced, multi-career job market, in particular for the millennial generation. I also support permitting insurers to sell across state lines, as we do most other types of insurance, with the states setting the coverage requirements as they do now.
The options for utilizing health savings accounts and high-deductible plans, especially coupled with portability, match the needs of our society. Once transparency and cost comparisons are introduced, market forces should drive competition in the delivery system. Transparency should also prevent surprise billing for out-of-network care.
Energy
Q. What specific measures would you support or oppose to lower the economic and environmental costs of energy?
Shaheen: Combating the climate crisis should be an urgent fight for everyone across New Hampshire and the country. We can make a big difference for our environment and strengthen our economy by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and investing in clean energy technologies that will create jobs here in New Hampshire.
As governor, I made clean energy a priority, enacting landmark legislation requiring fossil fuel plants to reduce emissions of new pollutants, making New Hampshire the first state to do so. To make progress on energy policy in the Senate, I have written and passed bipartisan energy efficiency legislation with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. This critical energy-efficiency legislation protects our environment while saving billions of dollars for American families in energy costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons annually by making new homes and buildings more energy-efficient.
Messner: While I oppose the so-called “Green New Deal,” I do support federal incentives such as tax credits and lending support for alternative energy sources.
A diversified energy portfolio provides a stable and sustainable power supply while lowering the environmental costs of energy. Supporting continued deregulation of the electrical grid, expanding fracking and oil exploration and petroleum production while increasing competition among power suppliers will help to lower the economic costs of energy. I will support free market-based solutions and strategies, which achieve these ends.
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