MONTGOMERY, ALA.: A federal appeals court in Alabama has decided in favor of 13 states, including New Hampshire, by ruling that a ban by the federal government over using federal grants for tax cuts was unconstitutional. The case involves the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March 2021 and gave states more than $200 billion in grants during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aid bill included a provision that no state could use those dollars to cut taxes or delay a state tax increase. At the time, New Hampshire received ARPA grants and cut the business enterprise and business profits taxes and began a five-year phaseout of the state’s tax on interest and dividends.
CONCORD: On a 301-63 vote, the NH House has rejected an effort to allow towns and cities to impose controls on rent increases and notices. The bill’s opponents said it would harm the housing market, but supporters saw it as a ways to offer relief to tenants who might otherwise be priced out by aggressive rent hikes when buildings change hands.
CONCORD: When it comes to bankruptcies, New Hampshire started off 2023 almost as well as it did last year. Some 43 individuals and businesses filed for protection in January, just two more than the previous January, which was the lowest monthly total displayed on the federal website, which dates back to the 1980s. Business filings were also down in January, with three filings accompanied by business-related debt and two businesses filing for bankruptcy directly. They were both reorganizations, meaning they may survive as a going concern, and both share the same ownership.
CONWAY: The Conway Planning Board has voted unanimously to place a town meeting warrant article that would impose a one-year moratorium on new hotels, motels and commercial structures of 50,000 square feet or larger in town. Under the proposal, the moratorium won’t apply to projects that have already received approval and which do not require additional planning board or zoning board application or review. In addition, the board unanimously rejected a proposed one-year moratorium on issuing building permits for residential short-term rentals, which they deemed would be difficult to enforce.
MANCHESTER: Manchester chimney services contractor Ceaser Chimney Service Inc. has paid a total of $26,163 to three workers in order to resolve allegations that it violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s antiretaliation provisions. The charges were brought after investigators in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division Ceaser Chimney Service fired an employee in June 2021 after they contacted the NH Department of Labor to inquire about their rights under the labor laws. The employer also unlawfully questioned two other employees regarding their communications with the Wage and Hour Division during its investigation, the agency said.
MANCHESTER: Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is receiving over $2.8 million to help cover the costs of an energy-efficiency upgrade at its terminal. The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation — using money appropriated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — was announced Monday by members of the state’s congressional delegation. The award will be used to replace some 16,000 square feet of the terminal’s original translucent fiberglass canopy that “has reached the end of its useful life,” said Ted Kitchens, the airport’s director.
AUGUSTA, MAINE: Liberty Bell Moving and Storage, a Maine-based company with three locations in New Hampshire, has agreed to pay the state of Maine $125,000 in fines for threatening consumers who posted negative reviews of their business. The attorney general of Maine charged that the company tried to contractually block customers from writing negative reviews online and threatened to sue those who did for up to “$2,500 per day” and “lawyer fees upwards of $9,500.”
CONCORD: Nominations are currently being sought for the 27th annual New Hampshire Construction Industry Ethics Award, which is presented to “the individual, business or organization that, through words and deeds, best demonstrates a commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards in construction.” Nominations will be accepted through Tuesday, Feb. 21, with the recipient to be announced in the spring. Guidelines for nominating deserving individuals and companies can be found on the website of Plan NH, sponsor of the award, under Programs, or by contacting the award’s steward via phone at 603-452-7526, or email at info@plannh.org.
