Ever since Henry Ford decided to distribute the Model T through a chain of independent dealers instead of selling it directly to his customers, car dealers have been fighting the factory. And they’re grown increasingly effective in getting state governments to fight that battle for them.
Like every state, New Hampshire law micromanages the contracts that auto dealers sign with auto manufacturers, known as the Auto Dealers Bill of Rights. It stipulates what is and isn’t allowed in the franchise agreements that local car lots sign with Ford, GM, and Toyota. In New Hampshire, it’s covered under RSA 357-C, which has 16 subsections, violation of which is a misdemeanor.
This week, the New Hampshire Senate voted 21-2 to add even more restrictions into the law, to benefit dealers at the expense of car companies.
CONCORD) The New Hampshire Senate is about to send in reinforcements in the ongoing battle between local car dealers and auto manufacturers. Senators are likely to approve SB 126-FN, a bill that would override the existing franchise agreements between car makers and car sellers, giving local dealers the ability to ignore contractual requirements from auto makers.
Local dealers complain that auto companies impose costly and unnecessary requirements of their franchises, such as frequent showroom renovations, that don’t do anything to increase sales. They are seeking state protection from the terms of their franchise agreements.
(CONCORD) Criticizing members of the New Hampshire Legislature would trigger stiff new reporting requirements, but praising incumbents or attacking their opponents would be free from state oversight, under an amendment to be considered tomorrow by the New Hampshire Senate.
The Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee unanimously approved an amendment to HB 1704 that changes campaign finance limits for New Hampshire candidates, and adds a new section requiring groups that criticize sitting Senators and Representatives to register with the state within 24 hours.
New Hampshire nets half-million dollars
(NEW YORK, NY) The RGGI carbon credit market hit a new low this week, as 82.25% of the carbon dioxide allowances put up for bid went unsold in Wednesday’s quarterly auction. Bidders picked up just 7.5 million of the 42 million credits on the auction block, and RGGI prices remained at the floor reserve price of $1.89 per ton. Total proceeds from the sale were $14.1 million, the lowest by far of RGGI’s thirteen quarterly auctions.
For the most comprehensive report from the floor of yesterday’s veto session in the New Hampshire, check out our story from yesterday. But today’s papers contain a lot more reaction from around the State House.
(CONCORD) The New Hampshire Senate overrode four of Governor John Lynch’s vetoes this afternoon, but sustained vetoes of bills requiring photo ID to vote and pulling the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
(CONCORD) The Senate Finance Committee began its work on the state’s two-year budget by receiving a detailed briefing on the bills passed last week by their counterparts in the New Hampshire House.
Senator Chuck Morse (R-Salem) gavelled the Finance Committe into session this morning to hear from Legislative Budget Assistance Jeffry Pattison. Pattison outlined the tax and spending decisions in the $10.2 billion budget for Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013, as well as changes that the House made to the budget plan submitted by Governor John Lynch in February.
Grant Bosse of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on HB 113, which would prohibit the use of state General Funds for New Hampshire Public Television.
Last evening, the New Hampshire approved half of the state budget, HB 2. The trailer bill contains the policy changes implementing the state budget. The most controversial provision in HB 2 was a change in collective bargaining law that would prohibit Evergreen Clauses in future contracts with public labor unions. Governor John Lynch says that this would effectively end collective bargaining in New Hampshire. Supporters say it would give unions an incentive to bargain in good faith, rather than working under their existing contract indefinitely.
In the Concord Monitor, Matthew Spolar reports on the move.
(CONCORD) The New Hampshire House has voted overwhelmingly to pull the state out of the three-year old Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Today’s 251-108 vote is the second time the House has called for repeal of the ten-state compact designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants. The chamber approved HB 519, which end the Granite State’s participation in the program, by a vote of 246-104 on February 23rd, but the bill was sent to the House Finance Committee to determine its impact on state coffers.
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