Sylvia Larsen - NH

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that 2008 is upon us and with it another session of the New Hampshire state legislature! Yesterday was our first day in session and things are already off to a great start. One of the first pieces of legislation we worked on this year was repealing a portion of HB471, last year's Worker's Compensation bill, that unintentionally misclassified workers and captured contractors who were not apart of the problem. This year we have set out to correct this mistake because we know how vital the small business community is to our state's economy.

I look forward to working with my colleagues for another productive legislative session. Happy New Year everyone!

Sylvia

Elected Senate President in Unanimous Vote

November 14, 2006

Contact: Senator Sylvia Larsen

(603) 271- 2111

SENATE DEMOCRATS ELECT LEADERSHIP TEAM

In a unanimous vote of the new majority caucus of Democratic State Senators today, Senator Sylvia Larsen of Concord was elected to the position of Senate President.

Senator Larsen praised the talented team of re-elected and newly elected Democratic Senators and pledged to work hard to accomplish some of the most important issues facing the state, including a responsible state budget, access to health insurance for children and adults, improving quality of life issues, and defining and funding quality education for New Hampshire.

The background and expertise of the Senate Democratic leadership team includes, 5 former House Representatives, 6 lawyers , a Masters level Educator, a Masters level Art Historian, two Senators with extensive financial planning and investment background, a former assistant commissioner of the Health & Human Services Department and a parent of a child with disabilities.

At the caucus, the Senators hosted a brief meeting with Governor John Lynch and they pledged to continue their cooperative effort to accomplish bi-partisan goals in the best interests of New Hampshire citizens.

In the vote today the following Senators were named to the positions below:

SENATE PRESIDENT: Sylvia B. Larsen

VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE: Lou D’Allesandro

VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY: Iris Estabrook

SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM: Maggie Hassan

MAJORITY LEADER: Joseph Foster

DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER: Peter Burling

MAJORITY WHIP: Martha Fuller Clark

DEPUTY DEMOCRATIC WHIP: David Gottesman

The formal swearing in and election of Senators and officers for the 2007-2008 legislative session will take place on December 6, 2006 in the Senate Chamber.

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Protecting Small Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Contact: Senator Sylvia Larsen (603) 271-2111

SPEAKER AND SENATE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCE BIPARTISAN PLAN TO REPEAL PARTS OF WORKERS COMPENSATION BILL

CONCORD - One of the first acts of the Legislature on January 2 will be to revisit a law that broadened workers compensation requirements in a way that had unintended effects on some small businesses.

Senate President Sylvia Larsen (D-Concord) and House Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth), together with Senator Ted Gatsas (R-Manchester), Senator Robert Clegg (R-Hudson) and Representative Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett) announced today the Legislature will seek to repeal a provision of House Bill 471 that eliminated an exemption from workers compensation for officers and directors of a corporation.

"We recognize the importance of small businesses here in New Hampshire and their value to our economy. While it's vital that workers get the protections they deserve, we must also consider the unintended impact these changes might have on small business and contractors," said Senate President Sylvia Larsen (D-Concord).

Lawmakers last year were seeking to close a loophole that allowed employers to avoid paying into workers compensation for certain employees labeled officers or directors - denying them the right to collect benefits if injured on the job.

"We acknowledge an underlying problem with misclassifying workers that needed and still needs to be addressed. But in passing HB471, we inadvertently captured contractors who are not part of the problem," House Speaker Terie Norelli said. House and Senate leaders say they will continue efforts in 2008 to address the issue.

"I am pleased that the House and Senate leadership has listened to New Hampshire's small business concerns regarding House Bill 471 and are proposing a legislative remedy on Jan. 2. I look forward to working with all concerned to continue to make any changes necessary to help New Hampshire's business community," said Rep. Gene Chandler, House Republicans Policy Leader.

"I am glad that we are able to work together to repeal the unintended consequences and negative cost factors caused by HB 471. This is good news for the vitally important business sector of New Hampshire," Senate Republican Leader Ted Gatsas said.

House Bill 471 was the result of a bipartisan study committee of House and Senate members and was passed with strong bipartisan voice votes in both bodies.

"The bill was intended to crack down on construction contractors who have been giving themselves an unfair competitive advantage over legitimate businesses by insisting that the workers they hire call themselves "independent contractors" and by insisting that these workers claim themselves as officers of a corporation so they can be excluded from workers' compensation," said Senator Maggie Hassan (D-Exeter), chairwoman of the Public and Municipal Affairs Committee, which is dealing with the repeal measure.

House Bill 471 went into effect in September and only affected small businesses when they renewed their workers compensation coverage.

The fix going before the House and Senate on January 2 will repeal Section 1 of HB471, clarify intent by adding language that excludes certain contract workers such as snow plowers and grass cutters and allow businesses that paid their workers compensation policy under the new rules to collect the maximum refund to which they're entitled.

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Supporting Kids' Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Contact: Senator Sylvia Larsen (603) 271-2111

SENATE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNOR SHOW SUPPORT FOR KIDS' HEALTH CARE

CONCORD - Senate President Sylvia Larsen (D-Concord) and Governor John Lynch joined parents and children at the Dame School today to support the school's efforts to enroll more eligible children in the state children's health insurance program known as Healthy Kids.

"Reaching out to families is our most important job if we're going to have our children grow up healthy in this state. Outreach is critical and Healthy Kids has proven effective once kids are enrolled. We know a healthy child becomes a healthier adult," said Larsen, who served on the board for Healthy Kids for many years.

The elementary school has joined with Concord Hospital and Healthy Kids in an outreach effort known as the 100 Percent Schools initiative, which seeks to identify uninsured children and help their parents enroll in the program.

This is one of several initiatives intended to reduce the number of uninsured children in the state. The Governor and the Legislature set a goal of insuring 10,000 more children in New Hampshire. But new and restrictive limits on the program set by the Bush administration could jeopardize that effort.

Lawmakers, including Lynch, are urging President Bush and congressional leaders to undo the new restrictions so states have the freedom to provide coverage for children according to the needs of their own communities.

Senator Kathleen Sgambati (D-Tilton) led the fight this year to launch a new outreach effort that calls for trained volunteers to help parents complete the required paperwork to enroll their children in the program. That initiative is now underway.

"Healthy Kids has been an essential program for families throughout the state. It certainly is one of the best designed, most cost-effective partnerships that I have been involved in during my 25 years in government," said Sgambati, who worked for many years for the state Department of Health and Humans Services, including a stint as acting commissioner.

"Parents who have enrolled their children tell powerful stories of the benefit that the program has provided their children. Covering these children will pay long-term dividends in healthy children and in reduced health care costs to the state," she said.

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