New Hampshire
by Nicole Spaur, Esq.
nspaur@preti.com
During the second year of the 157th session of the New Hampshire General Court, the Legislature will be taking up a number of employment issues.  Some bills of interest:
„h HB 1198, An Act Relative to the Minimum Hourly Rate For Certain Employees which proposes to raise the minimum hourly rate for tipped employees in New Hampshire from $2.38 an hour to $2.87 an hour.

„h SB 384, An Act Establishing a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Requirement, based on the federal worker adjustment and retraining notification law, would require certain employers to provide their employees and state and local governments with 60 days notice before plant closings or large-scale lay-offs.
„h HB 1130, An Act Increasing the Rate of Workers' Compensation, would increase the rate of worker¡¦s compensation from 60% to 66.67%.

„h SB 326, An Act Establishing a Committee to Study the Workers' Compensation Appeals Process at the Department of Labor, would create a study committee to study the Department of Labor¡¦s Workers¡¦ Compensation appeals process.

„h HB 1161, An Act Relative to Youth Employment, would reinstate the requirement that all youths under the age of 18 who have not graduated from high school or obtained a general equivalency diploma must have a certificate to work except in certain limited circumstances.  Currently the age is 16.

„h HB 744-FN, Establishing a Committee to Study the Feasibility of a State Pilot Program for Family and Disability Leave, would establish a committee to study three recommendations for a paid family and disability leave pilot program.  This bill is now in the Senate.  The House amended a previous version of this bill that would have extended the family and medical leave act to companies with less than 50 employees and would have created a trust fund paid from payroll deductions.