OSHA Vaccine Mandate Partially Defeated; NH Reacts: PM Patch NH

Concord NH

13 January, 2022

7:08 PM

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CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire politicos commended a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting an Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine-or-test rule on businesses with at least 100 employees. Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), a former Representative to Congress from the 1st District, said he was glad the court saw the executive branch had a limit on its power. "The Biden Administration cannot simply make up new powers as a 'workaround' the limits imposed by Congress and the Constitution," he said. "Vaccines are a valuable tool in fighting COVID-19, and I'm proud that New Hampshire has one of the highest vaccination rates. But firing people in the middle of a workforce crisis who don't adhere to an unconstitutional federal mandate is not the answer. It is long overdue that the administration more appropriately focuses its COVID response on procuring testing supplies, monoclonal antibodies and the oral anti-virus pill, all of which are in inexcusably short supply as COVID cases explode around our nation." Bradley's colleagues in the House, House Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) and Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn), also praised the ruling. "Today's decision to block the federal government's mandate is great news for the people of New Hampshire," Packard said. "This eliminates unnecessary oversight and gives the choice back to private businesses on how to manage their own daily operations. Our economy is better for this, and our workforce remains intact. We have the resources available to those wanting to get the vaccine to do so, and we trust our citizens to make their own informed, medical decision." Osborne agreed, saying the court confirmed what everyone already knew — the mandate was a big overreach. "(It) reeked of despotism," he said. "This was a unilateral decision that sought to achieve an outcome through coercion and intimidation. House Republicans have stood firmly against this assault on personal freedoms. Granite Staters are smart enough to make their own health care decisions without fear of the government taking away their right to provide for themselves and their families. Although today's decision is a win, we must not be complacent as the Biden Administration continues to thwart states' rights and individual liberties." But Republicans were not the only ones praising the decision. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) said he, and other Congressional leaders, too, repeatedly expressed concerns about the OSHA mandate and the burdens it placed on small businesses. "A more realistic approach is needed to encourage vaccinations, and so it's welcome news for New Hampshire's small businesses that this standard has been put on hold," he said. "I continue to urge the administration to revise its approach so that we do not place unworkable or unnecessarily burdensome requirements on businesses who are still struggling to recover from the ongoing pandemic. At the same time, we must encourage vaccinations and ensure that testing capacity continues to be dramatically expanded to help people stay safe at home, at school, and at work." Former Gen. Don Bolduc, a U.S. Senate candidate against U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, also commended the ruling. "Today's SCOTUS decision against workplace vaccine mandates is a welcome relief for business owners across the country," he said. "Unfortunately, they ruled in favor of mandates on our healthcare workers. We cannot give up that fight for our health care heroes. The Biden-Hassan vaccine mandate overreach shows once again the failure of this administration. Sen. Hassan votes with President Biden 100% of the time and is 100% the problem. I'm an outsider who will shake things up when I get to Washington. It's time to send career politicians packing and end government overreach." Health care workers as well as facilities that are funded by Medicare and Medicaid will be allowed to enforce the vaccine mandate, by a 5-to-4 vote of the court. Reward Increases; Tips Still Requested More pledges have come in for the reward leading to the whereabouts of Harmony Montgomery, 7, who was last seen in October 2019. Manchester police said the reward now stands at $112,000. A $6,000 anonymous donation from Georgia came in recently as well as $2,000 from Stan and Catherine Boch of Kansas, according to Heather Hamel, the public information officer for the department. "Once again, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the many people who have so willingly made these generous offers," she said. Anyone with information about Harmony Montgomery is asked to call our dedicated tip line at 603-203-6060. WECO Now Taking Orders In NH If you saw the Patch story about WECO Hospitality delivering chef prepped meals to southern New Hampshire, take note: The company said it would be beginning deliveries to Amherst, Londonderry, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, Salem, Windham, and a number of surrounding communities on Jan. 17. Here is everything else going on in New Hampshire right now. Wind Chill Warning: Temps Will Feel Like 30 Below Zero In NH GRAY, ME — Weather forecasters have issued a wind chill advisory for Friday and Saturday. According to an alert on Thursday, the National Weather Service warned that between 7 p.m. on... Read more New Concord City Councilor Accused Of Vote Conflict Violation CONCORD, NH — A new Concord city councilor, who committed to recusing herself from conflicted votes dealing with her employer and husband, who is a city employee, before... Read more Concord Firefighters Extinguish Fire On Manchester Street CONCORD, NH — Concord fire and rescue teams were called to 71 Manchester St. on Wednesday for a garage... Read more New Hampshire Fugitive Of The Week Arrested In Vermont CONCORD, NH — This week's New Hampshire Fugitive Of The Week was quickly caught after tips were received by the U.S.... Read more Concord Man Arrested On Assault, Child Endangerment Charges: Log CONCORD, NH — Jeffrey Clark, 36, of Rumney received a summons at 11:22 p.m. on Dec. 26,... Read more IRS 'In Crisis': Why NH Residents Should File 2021 Returns Early NEW HAMPSHIRE — The Internal Revenue Service is "in crisis" heading into the tax season, according to a new watchdog report that says obsolete technology and understaffing have caused a backlog of... Read more Manchester Police Increase Reward To $104K For Missing NH Girl MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg held a news conference on Wednesday to announce an increase in the reward for finding Harmony Montgomery, 7. Aldenberg thanked the community... Read more Soule: Highlander Cows Make Superb Pets! This month, Bruce and I joined hordes of people flocking to Logan Airport on our way to visit with family in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We aren't the only ones who left our farm this week.... Read more Dr. Chan: COVID-19 Cases Double In A Week In NH; Changes In Reporting Deaths By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org CONCORD, NH —... Read more Frozen Hydrant Frustrates Firefighters At Fatal Fire: PM Patch NH CONCORD, NH — More than $1 billion in sports bets have been wagered during the past two years, according to the New Hampshire Lottery. The $1 billion mark was crossed earlier this month,... 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