Three members of the New Hampshire congressional delegation are urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency to connect Atkinson homes with contaminated water to the municipal water system. On Monday Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy urging the agency to connect all Atkinson homes found with contaminated water to the municipal system to ensure the residents have access to clean water. Read more »
U.S. Rep. Anne Kuster, D-N.H., said a reduction in cost-of-living allowances in veteran's benefits wasn't the "best provision" of last week's House budget deal, but she said the deal avoids a government shutdown or budget sequestration. The issue came up Monday when Kuster hosted a roundtable to discuss the backlog in claims of disabled veterans. Read more »
The House overwhelmingly passed a two-year bipartisan budget deal Thursday night. In their final action of the year, the House approved the budget 332 to 94, with 169 Republicans and 163 Democrats voting in favor, and 62 Republicans and 32 Democrats voting against. Earlier Thursday, lawmakers agreed unanimously to approve the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets military pay and policy, and to extend current agricultural policy after negotiators failed to complete a new Farm Bill. Read more »
Congresswoman Annie Kuster yesterday announced that she has launched a "Holiday Cards for Heroes" drive at schools in the Second District to help honor New Hampshire's veterans during the holiday season. Elementary students at participating schools in Nashua and Concord — as well as other interested schools throughout the second district — will make holiday cards for veterans to thank them for their service . Read more »
A federal program that helps more than 1,000 low-income families in New Hampshire pay energy bills is facing a $1.6 million reduction because of the budget-cutting sequester, after five years of reductions that have already cut its funding in half. U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., and officials for the state and Southern New Hampshire Services in Nashua lamented these cuts during a public forum Monday. Kuster called on her Congressional colleagues to restore the heating assistance money, known as LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program). Read more »
Since registration began earlier this month, about 30,000 households in New Hampshire have applied for fuel assistance. "The sequestration hit us really hard last year," said Celeste Lovett, fuel assistance program manager at the New Hampshire Office of Energy Planning. Lovett said the program lost more than $1.6 million in funding, which directly affected about 1,200 families in the state. On Monday, Lovett met with Congresswoman Annie Kuster and representatives from Southern New Hampshire Services in Nashua to discuss fund ing cuts to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Read more »
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster wants to require utility companies to produce at least 25 percent of their power from renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass by 2025. Kuster is co-sponsoring legislation to create a national Renewable Electricity Standard. She says doing so would help create nearly 300,000 jobs, cut pollution and save consumers almost $100 billion on their utility bills by 2030. Read more »
Before being sworn into Congress in January, I sparked up an unlikely friendship with a fellow new representative named Jackie Walorski. At first glance, Walorski and I aren’t natural political allies. She’s a Republican from Indiana. I’m a Democrat from New Hampshire. We disagree on a whole host of issues. But during an orientation session for incoming members of Congress, she and I discovered a shared passion for addressing the epidemic of sexual assault in the military – and we decided to do something about it. Read more »
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided it won't rule on a New York state law requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes, the battle returns to Congress, where the New Hampshire delegation is united in efforts to block or at least amend legislation that would impose a similar tax mandate on all 50 states. Read more »
Business owners who want to learn more about boosting exports, getting access to capital and using government resources are invited to a forum Friday morning at Nashua Community College. The session begins at 8:30 a.m., and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster Kuster will deliver remarks at the forum, as will Patricia M. Loui, a member of the Export-Import Bank’s board of directors. Read more »
