Phinizy 08 - NH

Howard Dean endorses Jay Phinizy

CLAREMONT – Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, now Chair of the Democratic National Committee, made a visit to Claremont on Thursday afternoon. He said his primary goal was to support Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, but also to raise awareness and encourage votes for the other Democrats running for national office, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic candidate for the U. S. Senate, and Congressman Paul Hodes. Dean also endorsed Jay Phinizy for the state Senate.

Speaking to supporters and volunteers at the Claremont Democratic office, Dean said, “We are the change we need, and we need to elect a president from this generation instead of Republican candidate John McCain, who represents the old way of doing things.

“We certainly want to get the vote out for Barack Obama, but it’s also important to elect other Democrats on the ballot, Jeanne Shaheen, Paul Hodes, and Jay Phinizy who will stop the Republican obstructionism at the state level that has slowed progress on important issues. I’ve known Jay Phinizy for many years, and I can tell you that he is a dedicated individual who represents the interests of his constituents, not special interests. He will be an excellent choice to represent you in Concord”

Dean stressed the critical importance of voting. “This election is really important and the question is how to get more people to vote. One of the good things you have in New Hampshire that we don’t have across the border in Vermont is that you can go down and register at the polls on election day." Dean urged everyone in the audience to make sure that their friends and neighbors also vote on election day.

Congressman Paul Hodes Endorses Jay Phinizy

Concord – Congressman Paul Hodes today announced his endorsement of Jay Phinizy for the state Senate in District 8. Hodes represents the NH 2nd Congressional District which includes all of the towns in District 8.

In making the announcement, Congressman Hodes said, “Jay Phinizy has been a good friend and a true partner in working to improve the lives of working New Hampshire families. On all of the most important issues facing Granite State voters - including education, agricultural policy, jump-starting our economy and bringing jobs to the western part of the state – Jay has been a passionate and well-informed voice. He is a credit to the people of New Hampshire, and we need him in the state Senate.”

Hodes continued, “First as a member and now as Chair of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, Phinizy has been a leader in passing legislation protecting New Hampshire’s environment and safeguarding public health. He was the architect of the law to ban the burning of construction waste when the state was faced with becoming the prim destination

for imported demolition debris.”

In concluding his remarks, Hodes said, “Jay Phinizy sponsored the law allowing milk produced in state to be labeled as fresh milk, and his committee helped conserve for agriculture use over 83,000 acres of prime farm and woodlands. Phinizy also wrote the amendment that protect towns like Sunapee and New London so they don’t pay more than their fair share in of the state education property tax and made sure that towns like Claremont and Newport got more targeted funds to help improve their schools’ performance.”

Towns in state Senate District 8 include Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Claremont, Gilsum,

Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Marlow, New London, Newbury, Newport, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Sutton, Unity, Walpole, Washington and Westmoreland.

Jeanne Shaheen Endorses Jay Phinizy

Concord - Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen took some time today from her own campaign for the U. S. Senate to endorse Jay Phinizy in his election race for the state Senate.

“When I was governor, I had the pleasure of working with Jay Phinizy on several environmental issues important to both of us and the state of New Hampshire. Jay is a independent thinking legislative leader who gets results. The voters of District 8 will be well represented by Jay in the state Senate. I am pleased to endorse Jay for the state Senate.”

First as a member and now as Chair of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, Phinizy has been a leader in passing legislation, protecting New Hampshire’s environment and safeguarding the public health of our citizens. He was the architect of the law to ban the burning of construction and demolition debris when the state were faced with becoming the destination for imported construction waste to produce electricity.

Sierra Club backs Jay Phinizy

Eagle Times

October 7, 2008

Not online

With fellow legislators and supporters standing behind him, Jay Phinizy accepts the endorsement of the NH Sierra Club in his District 8 state Senate race against Bob Odell.

Sierra Club backs Phinizy

By Aaron Aldridge

Staff Writer

CONCORD – New Hampshire State Representative Jay Phinizy, Democratic candidate for State Senate District 8, has been endorsed by Sierra Club of New Hampshire and Friends of the Earth.

The Sierra Club of New Hampshire is part of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. Friends of the Earth is a grassroots environmental organization. Both groups are dedicated to protecting the right to a safe and healthy environment, clean air, clean water, open space, wild lands and healthy and diverse ecosystem.

New Hampshire Sierra Club Chapter Chair Jerry Curran praised Phinizy’s work to protect clean air and safe drinking water during his 10 years in the House.

“Jay Phinizy’s charismatic bipartisan efforts have improved the overall health of New Hampshire without jeopardizing the small community landscape” Curran said. “He has repeatedly scored the highest on environmental votes and New Hampshire needs Rep. Phinizy in the Senate because he will continue to fight for critical environmental protections.”

According to the Friends of the Earth website, Phinizy has earned the nickname “Representative Mercury” for being the legislative champion on mercury removal and is leading the way on recycling programs.

“Jay Phinizy has been an outstanding legislator, working for a healthy environment for the people of New Hampshire,” said Dr. Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth Action. “Jay has been a force in passing legislation, protecting New Hampshire’s environment and safeguarding the public health of our citizens. He has earned our endorsement and deserves to be elected to the New Hampshire State Senate.”

Phinizy is chair of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee. He was the architect of the law supported by Governor Lynch to ban the burning of construction and demolition debris when Hopkinton, where the governor lives, and the state were faced with becoming the destination for imported construction waste to produce electricity.

Towns that Phinizy will represent if elected include Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Claremont, Gilsum, Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Marlow, New London, Newbury, Newport, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Sutton, Unity, Walpole, Washington and Westmoreland.

MAIN STREET BUSINESSES ARE KEY

Eagle Times

PHINIZY: MAIN STREET BUSINESSES ARE KEY

By AARON ALDRIDGE

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 6:23 PM

Staff Writer

CLAREMONT - Jay Phinizy, D-Acworth, had his eye on small businesses Wednesday with he visited Pleasant Street in Claremont to discuss with business owners what he thinks is the best way to revitalized Main Street businesses in the Granite State.

As a candidate for the State Senate from District 8, Phinizy said there needs to be incentives to attract and retain small business owners.

"What we need to do is start stocking Pleasant Street with small businesses," Phinizy said. "It's the same sort of concept of brand loyalty. We have to look at attracting people who look at downtown and the businesses that are already there. We need to use this to attract businesses to town."

Part of Phinizy's plan is to offer small business loans that can be structured to give new business owners the capital they need to operate.

"We can start to look at intermediate or long term easements," Phinizy said. "It's like a clothes store that would have a term loan which would give them a cash foundation for them to be able to work. The longer they stay, a portion of the easement could be forgiven. We'll have to look at how these loans would be structured."

Offering incentives to small businesses to remain or to open is only one portion of Phinizy's plan to help rebuild the Main Street economy.

"Other issues are fundamental monthly carrying costs," Phinizy said. This can be summed up in electric bills. Some of the businesses' electric bills are high and they don't have economy of scale. I would like to create a dividend, or rebate, not a subsidy, to help out current small businesses."

Phinizy said he is not against big businesses like the huge box stores, but instead believes that both types of businesses can work side by side.

"I think there's room for both of them," Phinizy said. "They can complement each other."

One reason Phinizy said he would work towards creating more small business is because by having several small businesses, if one closes, only two or three people lose their jobs compared to a large corporation where there could be hundreds of layoffs.

"It's somewhat weather resistant," Phinizy said. "Only a few people lose their jobs when a small business closes. This isn't glamorous, but when you invite in big businesses, they don't have a real stake in the neighborhood. There's a huge incentive to remain for small businesses."

Phinizy said his plan to promote the revitalization of Main Street would not come at the cost of the taxpayer.

"What we can do on the state level is create incentives," Phinizy said. "But not at the expense of homeowners or other businesses in town."

Phinizy said that by working with small business owners, a solid economic foundation can be laid beginning on Main Street.

"The idea is to encourage business and give a whole lot of base hits," Phinizy said. "The idea is not to go out and hit home runs every time."

Aaron Aldridge can be reached at (800) 545-0347 ext. 139, or by e-mail at aaldridge@eagletimes.com.

Advertisement:

Rep. Jay Phinizy speaks at the Stoddard Dems Picnic

Published Sunday, August 24, 2008

By David P. Greisman

Sentinel Staff

STODDARD — They are a former governor, a current state representative, a sitting state senator, all three running for office, trying to rally their party to their cause.

Before them sat 80 prospective voters, residents of the Monadnock Region, local politicians representing their respective delegations, all of whom had assembled Saturday afternoon at Stoddard’s Lake Fall Lodge to hear what the trio of Democratic speakers had to say.....

...Should Kelly come out victorious, she could be joined by Phinizy. After five terms in the state House, Phinizy is running for a state Senate seat representing District 8.

Senate District 8 covers 21 towns in Cheshire, Merrimack and Sullivan counties, including Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Gilsum, Langdon, Marlow, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Walpole and Westmoreland.

Phinizy, like Kelly, pointed to the environment as one of his top issues.

“When our wells and ponds were being polluted by MTBE (a gasoline additive designed to reduce air pollution) I took on the major oil companies and the federal government and got MTBE banned in the state of New Hampshire,” Phinizy said.

“With the increasing degradation of our ponds due to mercury pollution, I stuck to it and got bans on mercury-added products, reduction in mercury in incineration, and a reduction of mercury in any capacity possible so that we would have cleaner, fresher lakes.”

“It’s most important to protect the environment,” he said. “New Hampshire’s environment is its stock and trade.”

To read the full article - SentinelSource

Phinizy Thanks Governor re Heating Fuel Proposals

August 12, 2008

Acworth – Representative Jay Phinizy, the Democratic state Senate candidate in District 8, today thanked Governor John Lynch and House and Senate legislative leaders for meeting last week to consider special legislation to address the home heating fuel crisis.

“The average price for heating oil is more than $4 a gallon, and New Hampshire families are concerned about what lies ahead,” Phinizy said. “Two weeks ago, I announced a six-part action plan to take steps now to deal with this crisis. I am pleased that my fellow leaders are considering the ideas in my plan as part of a comprehensive proposal.”

Phinizy proposed that the state step-in and help New Hampshire families pay for heating fuel this winter. His proposal included:

• Changing fuel assistance qualification levels so that middle-income families could qualify for state assistance with no-interest loans, even if their income does not qualify them for Federal or state fuel assistance, providing New Hampshire families with no interest and low interest loans and savings plans to cover this year's cost as well as fund next year's cost.

• Pledging an additional $25 million to the current $23 million allocation in state funds to create a reserve pool of money to help with heating fuel purchases.

• Working with heating fuel companies to create a reserve supply of heating fuel, which had originally been proposed by Sen. Lou D'Allesandro several weeks ago.

• Expand the state weatherization program so that families with incomes above the eligibility cut-off levels have access to low interest loans to winterize their homes with fuel saving measures and to review the current electric assistance program.

• Request that the Secretary of Energy release heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to reduce the current price of home heating oil. Proceeds from the sale of reserve supplies would fund LIHEAP and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

• Expand the meals on wheels and senior lunch programs to help local social service agencies meet the increasing demands by the poor, the sick, and the disabled for food, shelter, and transportation services.

“We need to act now to do all we can to provide people with the heating assistance they need before cold weather arrives,” Phinizy said. “I look forward to working with Governor Lynch and my colleagues in the state Legislature to create workable solutions to help New Hampshire families deal with this heating fuel crisis. The poor, the sick, and the elderly will not be the only ones struggling to find money to heat their homes this winter. The state must pledge to help any New Hampshire family needing assistance in paying for heating fuel.”

Reducing solid waste a challenge for state

There may be just one thing that state regulators, operators of the Bethlehem landfill, and the landfill's opponents all agree on: New Hampshire needs to do more to manage its solid waste.

The state's towns and cities recycled about 20.5 percent of their waste last year. Factoring commercial and construction waste, about 32 percent of the state's overall waste was recycled. That's just behind the national average of 34 percent, said Don Maurer, state supervisor of solid waste technical assistance. But is that enough?.......

.....Rep. Jay Phinizy, an independent from Acworth and chairman of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, said he wants to see the state pay for more recycling programs.

"We're way behind," he said.

Last session, legislators turned down a bill that would have tacked a one-cent tax on all bottles except for milk and baby formula. Phinizy said the bill would have created up to $10 million in revenue to be used partly on recycling programs. He said the money could have provided for outreach to towns, to help set up composting programs or to boost recycling programs already in place.

Phinizy said he would like to see more regional recycling centers like the $11-million sorting center being proposed by the solid waste cooperative that serves Concord and 26 surrounding communities.

In the meantime, Maurer said there is plenty of "low-hanging fruit" the state could focus on. New Hampshire recycles only 30 percent of the paper in the waste stream, compared with a national average of 50 percent. That's significant because paper makes up about one-third of all waste.

Maurer said much of problem could be solved with more education. For example, many people think they can't recycle envelopes with plastic windows or pizza boxes, he said. Not true.

"If you can tear it, you can recycle it," he said.

By CHELSEA CONABOY

Monitor staff

August 03, 2008

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Read the entire article at the Concord Monitor.

Northeast Milk is local milk

As of August 2008—while the cows are out on green pastures—New Hampshire consumers buying milk will know if the milk they purchase comes from those local farms, farms in neighboring states or far, far away.

New Hampshire Agriculture Committee Chair Rep. Jay Phinizy, the sponsor of HB1537, which creates a Fresh NH Milk label, worked diligently to assure that New Hampshire consumers could easily identify local milk in the dairy case. Gov. John Lynch recently signed the bill into law.

“This legislation will benefit New Hampshire's dairy farmers and consumers alike,” Rep. Phinizy said. “Our dairy farms produce an extremely high quality product which will compliment other high quality ‘New Hampshire Made’ consumer products.”

Vermont Senator Sara Kittell, Chair of the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee, couldn’t agree more with the concept. “Vermont consumers are very interested in supporting local agriculture, especially dairy farms.” she said, “ Over the years, we have developed landmark legislation around the concept of “buy local”. As a dairy state it is only logical that we provide an opportunity for consumers to know about and buy local milk. My colleagues and I on the Senate Agriculture Committee discussed the New Hampshire legislation and developed a Vermont Fresh Milk version, which was signed into law in April.”

The Maine Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee held a hearing in May on a Maine Fresh Milk labeling bill, sponsored by House Chairwoman Wendy Pieh. The Committee decided to use the Maine Quality Seal to indicate that the product was at least 80% Maine milk.

“We know that Ultra High Temperature (UHT) or Ultra Processed milk can have a shelf life of up to 130 days,” Chairwoman Pieh said. “That kind of milk is now available in most fast food outlets in Maine. It is only a matter of time before UHT milk sits on supermarket shelves next to our Maine fresh milk, and we want consumers to know the difference.”

Delaware Representative George Carey and Senator Gary Simpson have also introduced fresh milk legislation. The bill, HB 470, has passed in both the House and Senate and is awaiting the Governors signature. Both Senator Simpson and Rep. Carey are strong agriculture advocates who understand the importance of agriculture in Delaware’s economy.

“Buying a gallon of milk of fresh milk in the northeast should not only supply a family with a high quality food, but also support our local, northeast farmers.,” said Sen. Simpson.

Rep. Phinizy who is the also the Chair of the Northeast States Association for Ag Stewardship, (NSAAS) added that: “With the rising costs of energy and fuel, it is important to insure that milk sold locally and represented as fresh be produced locally. It becomes not only a choice for the consumer but a hallmark for a quality product.”

Phinizy is hopeful that all of the northeastern states will develop a similar process.

“We need to work together to not only support our dairy farms but also provide consumers a way to understand what they are buying,” he said, “ Families should be able to tell if the milk they are purchasing is fresh milk from our local farms or milk from away. With the legislation, now law in four states and proposed in others, they can buy either one with confidence, but they ought to know the difference.”

“In New York we have the Pride of New York label for fruits, vegetables, and dairy products produced here, but certainly more can be done,” said Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine. “Whether legislatively or through a policy change with New York State Ag and Markets, I plan to push my state toward labeling similar to what has been passed in New Hampshire, Vermont and Delaware. It’s good for our state, our farmers, and the Northeast.”

June28, 2008

Contact: Marge Kilkelly mkilkelly@csg.org or 207-737-4717

#####

Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship

An affiliate of The Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference

5 McCobb Road Dresden, ME 04342 • Phone: (207) 737-4717 • Fax: (207) 737-2280

NSAAS is an affiliate of the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC) working with legislators in the northeast US, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and eastern Canada on agriculture and rural policy issues.

Cellular-Free Enclaves Fight to Save Pay Phones

By KATIE ZEZIMA for the New York Times

Published: October 11, 2005

SOUTH ACWORTH, N.H. - The pay phone in the dirt parking lot of the Acworth General Store here is not terribly impressive, its base coated in grime and a plastic-covered phone book hanging limply from its metal frame.

Jodi Hilton for The New York Times

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The telephone, once threatened with removal, is now protected by state law.

But to residents of this village of 150 in southwest New Hampshire, it is a phone worth fighting for. The town gets no cellphone reception, and there is no other pay phone for miles. The police and volunteer fire departments even have to use the phone sometimes when their radios do not work.

So townspeople were determined to keep the phone when the telephone company, Verizon, said in 2000 that it planned to remove the device because it was not making enough money.&#160; "There's no other phone nearby," said Skip

Auten, 58, an electrician who volunteers shifts at the store, which sells anything you might need to get by in South Acworth, including homemade pickles and 5-cent dog biscuits. "It's all there is here."

The phone was the first in New Hampshire to be protected under a state law passed in July. The law sprang from the 1996 federal telecommunications act, which deregulated pay phones but allowed states to enact "public interest" laws to save endangered phones. At least eight states have similar laws, including New York, California and Maine, which also enacted its law this year.

Generally the laws call for a committee to decide whether a phone is worth saving. If so, it is subsidized by money from various sources; Kentucky, for example, uses money from the universal service fund fee collected on phone bills. New Hampshire will use unclaimed telephone company deposits.

With the proliferation of cellphones, BlackBerries and other devices that operate on digital technology rather than dimes, pay phones are a disappearing species. There were about 2 million pay phones nationwide in 1997; about 1.3 million were operating last year, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Even the Kentucky Public Service Commission, which began a public interest pay phone program last year, had the pay phone in its building removed because of lack of use, said a spokesman, Andrew Melnykovych.

"It's not particularly missed," Mr. Melnykovych said. "Where they're not profitable, they're disappearing."

But they are sometimes a necessity.

"There are some folks who just can't afford a cellphone," said Sue Berkowitz of the Appleseed Legal Justice Center in Columbia, S.C., which filed a petition with the state on behalf of a women's shelter to enact a public interest pay phone law. "Low-income people don't even have land lines. It's a problem in rural areas, where you can't get cell coverage. It's really a health and safety issue."

Wayne Jortner, senior counsel in the Maine public advocate's office, said a pay phone could be critical, for example, to a driver who got a flat tire in a remote town.

"A pay phone in the right place or a couple of miles away could be a lifesaver in a situation like that," Mr. Jortner said. "The same for a situation on one of our islands, where no one has decent cell coverage."

The general store in South Acworth is itself a lifeline for its customers, who might be employees of the local sawmill or back-to-the-landers who came in the 1960's and never left. Besides the pay phone outside and the sundries inside, the store also holds the post office, and the town historical society is on the second floor of the building.

State Representative Jay Phinizy, a volunteer firefighter here, sponsored the new law. He proposed a similar bill in 2001, but it died because it did not specify how the state would pay for the protected phones.

Earle Pierce, a spokesman for Verizon, said the decision to keep a pay phone running came down to dollars and cents. "The use of pay phones is way down," Mr. Pierce said. "If we can't even recover the cost of a dial tone, why would we leave the phone there?"

He would not say how much it costs to run a pay phone. Jeff Frost of Mid-America Pay Phones in Waukesha, Wis., who installs public interest phones in Wisconsin, said it cost an average of about $90 a month to maintain one.

Verizon supports the public interest pay phone program in New Hampshire, Mr. Pierce said, because it is a social program financed by money already going to the state. Another town, Rumney, has petitioned to keep the pay phone at its general store.

Some cities and towns are going in the opposite direction.

Officials in Toledo, Ohio, barred new pay phones from outdoor areas in the city's LaGrange neighborhood this summer because of illegal activity centered on the phones already there, said Thomas Gibbons, principal planner for the Toledo City Planning Commission.

"These pay phones are not being used for their initial purpose," Mr. Gibbons said. "Instead, we found out through police reports and neighbors watching that they're a magnet for drugs, prostitution, all the stuff that we're trying to get out of the neighborhoods."

David Bergmann of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, who also is chairman of the telecom committee at the National Association of State Utility Advocates, said pay phones were not a high priority in most states.

In Ohio, the state is concentrating on two company mergers and a bill deregulating local exchange service, Mr. Bergmann said, adding, "I doubt if any regulator has this at the top of their list, and it may not be at the top of any advocate's list."

But here in South Acworth, residents said the fight was worth it.

"The town is better for it," said Mr. Auten, who said his daughter used the phone after she flipped her car on a nearby curve. "Can you measure that? I don't know."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/national/11phones.html

Phinizy Announces Plan for Heating Fuel Crisis

July 30, 2008

Concord – State Senate candidate for District 8 and current State Representative Jay Phinizy (D- Acworth) announced a 6 point plan to address the forthcoming heating fuel crisis.

At a press conference in the Legislative Office Building, Phinizy said, “It won’t be long before NH families reach the point of deciding whether to pay for heating fuel, or medication, or food. I am running for the State Senate to address the big issues facing New Hampshire and that is why I and my colleagues are proposing this pro-active plan to help keep NH families warm during the upcoming winter months. The time to plan and take action is now, while the weather is still warm and we have time to act without being hasty.”

Phinizy was joined by Rep. Carla Skinder (D-Cornish), Rep. Lucy Weber (D-Walpole), Rep Tara Sad (D-Walpole), and Rep. Jane Beaulieu (D-Manchester) to recommend the series of actions which the state should consider implementing now.

“We believe this is an emergency situation,” said Phinizy. “NH families should not freeze this winter because they don’t have the money to pay for fuel. We are proposing six different ideas, all of which have but one goal - to help NH families stay warm this coming winter.”

The proposals are:

• The state should pledge that no one will go without heat for their home this winter. If NH families are struggling to find money to pay for heating fuel, they should receive assistance from the state even if their income does not qualify them for Federal or state fuel assistance. The fuel assistance qualification levels should be changed so that middle-income families will qualify for state assistance at a no-interest loan amortized over three or five years.

• The state should commit at a minimum an additional $25 million to the current $23 million allocation in state funds to create a reserve pool of money at the start of winter to help with heating fuel purchases. These state funds would also be available to those NH families who don’t meet current income guidelines but still need help using no-interest loan guidelines for fuel assistance.

• The state and heating fuel companies should explore immediately the idea of creating a buying pool for heating fuel supplies. This idea, which we strongly support, was first proposed several weeks ago by Senator Lou D’Allesandro.

• The state should expand its winter weatherization program in order to make energy saving measures available to NH families looking to reduce their heating costs. Families with incomes above the eligibility cut-off levels should have access to low interest or no interest loans in order to weatherize their homes with fuel saving measures.

• The state should request that the Secretary of Energy release heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve for the coming winter in order to reduce the current price of home heating oil. Proceeds from the sale of reserve supplies would fund LIHEAP and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

• The state should provide additional assistance and support to the meals on wheels and senior lunch programs to help local social service agencies meet the increasing demands by the poor, the sick, and the disabled for food, shelter, and transportation services.

“We need to do all we can to provide people the heating assistance they need before cold weather arrives,” Phinizy said. “My colleagues and I look forward to working with Governor Lynch, our congressional delegation, and our colleagues in the state Legislature to create workable solutions to help NH families deal with this heating fuel crisis. The poor, the sick, and the elderly will not be the only ones struggling to find money to heat their homes this winter. The state must pledge to help any NH family needing assistance in paying for heating fuel.”

Phinizy acknowledges that state revenue projections are not healthy, but he points to the state “Rainy Day Fund” which has approximately $89 million in reserve. “The Rainy Day Fund" was created specifically to be used during emergencies. This is an emergency situation. NH families should not freeze this winter because they don’t have the money to pay for fuel when the state has a reserve of funds able to help them through this difficult heating fuel crisis.”

Phinizy has served five terms in the House and is Chair of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee.