New Hampshire

Hassan: Joyce Craig leads the New Hampshire way

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2024

Hassan: Joyce Craig leads the New Hampshire way

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan
| Guest Columnist

Serving as New Hampshire’s governor was one of the greatest privileges of my life. Particularly in an independent state like New Hampshire, I knew that as governor, my job wasn’t to just represent the people that voted for me – the governor’s job is to serve everyone and do what’s right for our state. It also means putting our Live Free or Die values ahead of partisan politics and championing freedom for all – including a woman’s freedom to make her own health care decisions. In New Hampshire’s governor’s race this year, there is only one candidate who knows how to bring people together, who will stand up for our Live Free or Die values and fight for all Granite Staters: Joyce Craig.

Joyce exemplifies the kind of smart, common-sense, and bipartisan leadership that has marked New Hampshire’s best governors, whether Republican or Democratic. As mayor, she worked hand-in-hand with business leaders to help make Manchester a leader in entrepreneurship and high-tech manufacturing, bringing in millions in investments and thousands of new jobs. She worked with law enforcement, reducing crime and increasing the number of police officers to create the largest force in Manchester’s history. While she would be the first to say that there is more work to be done, on her watch violent crime dropped by nearly 40%. Joyce knows that the issues facing our state aren’t easy, but she also knows that the best way to overcome them is by working together. That’s always been the New Hampshire way.

Joyce Craig’s executive experience and record make it clear that as governor she will be able to tackle the most important challenges facing our state. As mayor, she delivered results. We all know, for instance, that the housing crisis is holding our families and economy back. We can’t attract new businesses or skilled workers if people can’t even afford to live here. As mayor, Joyce made real progress on this front; under her leadership, more than 2,000 new housing units were created in Manchester. She knows it will take statewide leadership to support the construction of affordable new homes and apartments for hard-working Granite Staters all across our state – and Joyce’s record tells us that she’s the leader who can help us achieve that goal.

In any given year, Joyce’s executive experience, proven record, and collaborative leadership would make her a great candidate for governor. But I’m writing today because the stakes this year, in this election, make Joyce’s election particularly important. Like the majority of Granite Staters, I was horrified and outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. But even before the Supreme Court acted, anti-choice politicians in Concord passed the first abortion ban in our state’s modern history. We need a pro-choice governor again in the corner office, one who will champion reproductive freedom. For those who think New Hampshire Republicans won’t act to further restrict abortion rights in our state, remember: We also thought Roe would never be overturned. But it happened.

Joyce will always fight for a woman’s fundamental freedom to make her own health care decision. But her opponent, Kelly Ayotte, has repeatedly tried to take that right away. When she was a U.S. senator, Ayotte voted for a national abortion ban. She also voted repeatedly to defund Planned Parenthood. In state after state, women have lost their freedom because of draconian abortion bans, and if Donald Trump wins in November, he will try to ban abortion nationwide. And even if Trump doesn’t win, Republican politicians in New Hampshire will continue to push harmful restrictions on women’s access to birth control and health care. In this time of peril for a woman’s fundamental freedom, Kelly Ayotte is a particularly bad fit for the Granite State’s corner office. We need someone who will hold the line against anti-choice restrictions and who will stand up for freedom. For everyone.

More than ever, we need a governor who will lead the New Hampshire way. As Granite Staters, we know that freedom matters, and our best governors understood that freedom always comes first. Our love of freedom defines us; it’s why we are proud to call the Live Free or Die State home. We’ll always have our debates and disagreements – that’s just part of living in a democracy. But our best governors have understood that it’s their job to represent everyone and to stand for freedom for all. We need a leader who can bring people together and deliver results and who has the conviction to stand up for our freedoms and our families when it really counts. Joyce Craig is exactly that kind of leader and the Live Free or Die state needs her as our next governor.

Maggie Hassan is a former New Hampshire governor now serving her second term in the U.S. Senate.

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New Hampshire

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

What employers are getting wrong, and how to fix it before it becomes a claim

New Hampshire’s employment law landscape heading into 2026 may not be dramatically different from last year, but the real risks lie in implementation missteps. From the initial setting of wages, to calculating and distributing wages, employers will likely find a specific statute and/or labor regulation governing the transaction. Failure to follow these detailed wage and hour laws can result in significant back wages and other penalties being imposed by the state or federal Department of Labor following an audit. Fortunately, however, this area of employment law is relatively easy to master, once you are familiar with the basics.

Notice compliance

One of the most common pitfalls for employers in New Hampshire is misunderstanding the wage and hour notice requirements under RSA 275 and the related New Hampshire Department of Labor Administrative Rules.

At the time of hire, employers must notify employees in writing of their rate of pay and the day and place of payment. This notice is traditionally delivered to employees by way of an offer letter or some sort of “New Hire Rate of Pay” form. (A sample form is available from the New Hampshire Department of Labor website.) What surprises most employers, however, is that Lab. 803.03(f)(6) also requires employers to request and obtain their employees’ signatures on this written notification of wages, and employers must keep a copy of the signed written notification of wages on file. Further, employers must notify employees in writing during the course of employment of any changes to wages or day of pay prior to such changes taking effect, and the employer must obtain the employee’s signature on this subsequent notification as well. (See RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)

Employers are further required to notify employees in writing, or through a posted notice maintained in a place accessible to employees, of:

• employment practices and policies with regard to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits.

• deductions made from the employee’s payroll check, for each period such deductions are made.

• information regarding the deductions allowed from wage payments under state law. (RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)

Policies regarding vacation and sick leave should inform employees whether or not the employer will “cash out” unused time at year end or at the end of employment, and if so, under what terms. Again, if any changes are made to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits during the course of employment (all of which are considered “wages” under New Hampshire law), employers must request and obtain their employees’ signatures on the written notification of the change, and must keep a copy of the signed form on file. (Lab. 803.03.) Importantly, notification by way of pay stub alone is not sufficient, and, these requirements apply to both increases and decreases in pay.

Two-hour minimum (reporting pay)

Another frequently overlooked obligation is New Hampshire’s two-hour minimum reporting pay requirement. Under RSA 275:43-a, non-exempt employees who report to work but are sent home early must generally be paid for at least two hours. Weather-related closures, client cancellations or operational slowdown days can trigger this rule. Employers should also note that the New Hampshire Department of Labor currently applies this law to remote-based employees. Consequently, employees who “report to work” at an employer’s request from a home office may likewise have a right to two hours of pay, depending on the circumstances.

Salaried vs. hourly employees

Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime remains a significant source of compliance exposure. The position’s job duties — not the titles or label such as “salaried” — determine whether an employee qualifies for an overtime exemption.

Employers, particularly in nonprofits, health care and small businesses, unintentionally misapply exempt classifications to roles such as administrative staff, office managers, executive assistants, program coordinators or hybrid jobs that involve significant non-exempt tasks. Over time, as organizational needs evolve and employees take on broader responsibilities, job duties can drift outside of an exemption’s scope.

Best practice is to periodically review job descriptions and actual job duties to ensure continued compliance with exemption criteria, particularly following any significant restructuring or job redesigns.

Peg O’Brien is chair of McLane Middleton’s Employment Law Practice Group. She can be reached at margaret.o’brien@mclane.com.

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New Hampshire

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

Published

16 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

Local News

“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” said the family of the victim.

A new photo has been released of the victim in a nearly 30-year-long unsolved murder case, in the hope of finding any new potential witnesses in the cold case, New Hampshire officials said.

“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” the family of Rosalie Miller said in a press release. “We miss her and want to give her peace.”

Miller was last seen on December 8, 1996 at her apartment in Manchester. At the time of her disappearance, Miller had plans on meeting friends in the Auburn, New Hampshire area, officials said.

Her body was found on January 20, 1997 in a partially wooded spot on a residential lot along the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn, officials said in the release.

The autopsy report declared Miller’s death a homicide by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation, N.H. officials wrote.

As part of a new effort to garner public help with the case, an “uncirculated” photo of Miller, 36, is being distributed “in hopes it may jog the memory of someone who saw or spoke with her in the winter of 1996,” Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in a joint press release.

Investigators are especially hoping to talk to anyone who was in contact with Miller in December of 1996 or anyone “who may have seen her in the vicinity of the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn during that time,” officials said in the release.

The newly released photo of Rosalie Miller, 36, who was strangled to death nearly 30 years ago. – Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall

“We are releasing this new photograph today because we believe someone out there has information, perhaps a detail they thought was insignificant at the time, that could be the key to solving this case and bringing justice for Rosalie and those who loved her,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Chief said in the release.

The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit encourages anyone with any amount of information to contact the group at [email protected] or (603) 271-2663.