 SERVICE OF ALCOHOL AND WINE AT BEVERAGE AND WINE MANUFACTURERS: On Tuesday April 3 at 2:30 p.m. the Senate Commerce Committee will hear HB 1725. The bill would enable beverage manufacturers and nano breweries to serve two pints of beer. Wine manufacturers would go from 2-ounce samples per label to two 5 ounce glasses. This change moves the manufacturers from allowing patrons to “sample” their product to allowing patrons to pull up to the bar and enjoy a couple drinks. NHLRA will continue to oppose this bill and urges members to contact the Senate Commerce Committee and ask them to oppose this bill.
LABOR LAW CHANGES: On Wednesday, April 4 at 10:00 a.m. the House Labor Committee will hear SB 318. The bill removes the requirement for 16 or 17 year olds that have graduated from high school or obtained a high school equivalency credential from providing an employer proof of permission to work from a parent or legal guardian. It also increases the number of hours 16 or 17 year olds can work in one week. Current law limits it to no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 30 hours a school work week. As amended, the bill keeps the 30 hour limit on school work weeks, but loosens it as follows: no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 40 hours if school is in session for 4 days; no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 48 hours if school is in session from 1 to 4 days; and no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 56 hours during summer vacation or any school vacation week. The bill also limits the NH Department of Labor from doing unannounced inspections and to only conduct them where a complaint is filed. It also limits inspections to the areas of a complaint. It further makes it clear that employees can purchase company garments beyond any uniform that is purchased for the employee by the employer. Finally, it makes it clear that there will be no penalty for failure of an employer to provide notification to an employee concerning changes to their wage when the minimum wage is increased by statute. NHLRA supports the bill and encourages members to ask the House Labor Committee to pass the bill.  SERVICE OF ALCOHOL AND WINE AT BEVERAGE AND WINE MANUFACTURERS: On a vote of 14-9, the Senate approved a floor amendment to SB 418 that would increase the amount of product beverage and wine manufacturers and nano breweries could serve for consumption on the premises. The House has already passed a similar bill, HB 1725. These bills are the continuing creep of beverage and wine manufacturers wanting to serve more of their product at their facilities without having to make an investment in food service, essentially becoming bars with no (or little) requirement to serve food. These bills would enable beverage manufacturers and nano breweries to serve two pints of beer. Wine manufacturers would go from 2-ounce samples per label to two 5 ounce glasses. This change moves the manufacturers from allowing patrons to “sample” their product to allowing patrons to pull up to the bar and enjoy a couple drinks. NHLRA will continue to oppose these bills.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: On a vote of 11-10, the Senate passed SB 318 with amendment. Introduced at the request of NHLRA, the original bill would have repealed employment restrictions for 16 and 17-year olds. Current state law limits the number of hours 16 and 17 year olds can work. Federal Labor law has no such restrictions. As amended, the bill now does a variety of things. It removes the requirement for 16 or 17 year olds that have graduated from high school or obtained a high school equivalency credential from providing an employer proof of permission to work from a parent or legal guardian. It also increases the number of hours 16 or 17 year olds can work in one week. Current law limits it to no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 30 hours a school work week. As amended, the bill keeps the 30 hour limit on school work weeks, but loosens it as follows: no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 40 hours if school is in session for 4 days; no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 48 hours if school is in session from 1 to 4 days; and no more than 6 consecutive days or more than 56 hours during summer vacation or any school vacation week. The bill also limits the NH Department of Labor from doing unannounced inspections to those instances where a complaint is filed. It further makes it clear that employees can purchase company garments beyond any uniform that is purchased for the employee by the employer. Finally, it makes it clear that there will be no penalty for failure of an employer to provide notification to an employee concerning changes to their wage when the minimum wage is increased by statute. The bill now goes to the House. Granite State College and NH Lodging & Restaurant Association Team Up for Hospitality Employees3/22/2018
 By: Granite State College
Granite State College and the the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association (NHLRA) have entered into a partnership to offer an exclusive discount on professional development for the hospitality industry to promote careers in management. Participants will have an opportunity to attend workshops in an online, face-to-face, or hybrid environment. Topics will include: management, communications, customer service, and leadership, driving excellence in the field. “Through discussions with NHLRA, we found that professional development is challenging for their member employees,” said Johnna Herrick-Phelps, Granite State College vice provost for academic affairs. “These individuals have no concrete pathways for development and promotion. Granite State will fill that void by offering our portfolio of high quality workshops at a discounted rate.” “We approached Granite State College to lead our professional development efforts because we wanted to offer opportunities for our members’ employees to excel and enter management in the field,” said Amie Pariseau, NHLRA Education and Workforce Development Manager. “In hospitality, the demanding hours make it difficult to take on these sorts of educational opportunities. What Granite State College offers is a perfect match for these individuals, providing convenience of location and schedule flexibility.”  SERVICE OF ALCOHOL AND WINE AT BEVERAGE AND WINE MANUFACTURERS: The House voted to pass HB 1725 with amendment. This bill is the continuing creep of beverage and wine manufacturers wanting to serve more of their product at their facilities without having to make an investment in food service, essentially becoming bars with no (or little) requirement to serve food. As amended the bill would enable beverage manufacturers to serve two pints of beer. Wine manufacturers would go from 2-ounce samples per label to two 5 ounce glasses. This change moves the manufacturers from allowing patrons to “sample” their product to allowing patrons to pull up to the bar and enjoy a couple drinks. The bill now goes to the Senate.
REDUCING LABOR REGULATIONS: The House delayed action on HB 1762 until next Thursday. The House Labor Committee has voted 17-4 to recommend that the bill be referred to interim study. The bill would reduce and eliminate many state labor regulations. It would: prohibit fines from being imposed if the general intent of the law was met; written documentation would not be required to meet the intent of the law and paperwork discrepancies would not be fined; working hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds would be eliminated; employees could buy company clothing; the need for employee signing/documenting when leaving before 2-hour minimum on their own, when correcting hours to be paid due to their clock in errors, or when receiving pay increases would be eliminated; no random audits of employers would be allowed; employers would be allowed to have mandatory tip-sharing policies; opportunity for unpaid internships would be expanded; reduce record keeping from 4 to 3 years; warnings before fines by providing employers 30 days to fix violations; fines for not posting labor laws in “conspicuous” place would be eliminated; and it would eliminate need for written safety plan. The full House was scheduled to vote on the bill this past week. The snowstorm delayed action until next week. A similar bill was tabled in the Senate.  SERVICE OF ALCOHOL AND WINE AT BEVERAGE MANUFACTURERS: Continuing the gradual creep of beverage and wine manufacturers wanting to serve more of their product at their facilities without having to make an investment in food service, HB 1725 is gradually making its way forward in the legislature. The House Commerce Committee has voted 15-2 to recommend passage of the bill with amendment. As amended the bill would increase the amount of product manufacturers could serve at their facilities. The full House will vote on the bill next week. SEPARATE BATHROOMS FOR EACH SEX: The House passed HB1382, which would repeal the requirement that restaurants provide separate bathrooms for each sex. The bill now goes to the Senate. ALLOWING CITIES AND TOWNS TO LICENSE SHORT TERM RENTALS: The House voted to send HB 1635 to interim study. This effectively kills the bill for this year. The bill would have allowed cities and towns to issue licenses for the operation of a short term rentals like Airbnb and HomeAway. REDUCING LABOR REGULATIONS: The House Labor Committee has voted 17-4 to recommend that HB 1762 be referred to interim study. The bill would reduce and eliminate many state labor regulations. It would: prohibit fines from being imposed if the general intent of the law was met; written documentation would not be required to meet the intent of the law and paperwork discrepancies would not be fined; working hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds would be eliminated; employees could buy company clothing; the need for employee signing/documenting when leaving before 2-hour minimum on their own, when correcting hours to be paid due to their clock in errors, or when receiving pay increases would be eliminated; no random audits of employers would be allowed; employers would be allowed to have mandatory tip-sharing policies; opportunity for unpaid internships would be expanded; reduce record keeping from 4 to 3 years; warnings before fines by providing employers 30 days to fix violations; fines for not posting labor laws in “conspicuous” place would be eliminated; and it would eliminate need for written safety plan. The full House was scheduled to vote on the bill this past week. The snowstorm delayed action until next week. A similar bill was tabled in the Senate.  SEPARATE BATHROOMS FOR EACH SEX: The House Commerce Committee has voted 20-0 to recommend passage of HB1382, which would repeal the requirement that restaurants provide separate bathrooms for each sex. The full House will vote on the bill next week. ALLOWING CITIES AND TOWNS TO LICENSE SHORT TERM RENTALS: The House Commerce Committee has voted 17-3 to recommend that HB 1635 be referred to interim study. The bill would allow cities and towns to issue licenses for the operation of a short term rentals like Airbnb and HomeAway. The full House will vote on the bill next week. REDUCING LABOR REGULATIONS: The House Labor Committee has voted 17-4 to recommend thatHB 1762 be referred to interim study. The bill would reduce and eliminate many state labor regulations. It would: prohibit fines from being imposed if the general intent of the law was met; written documentation would not be required to meet the intent of the law and paperwork discrepancies would not be fined; working hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds would be eliminated; employees could buy company clothing; the need for employee signing/documenting when leaving before 2-hour minimum on their own, when correcting hours to be paid due to their clock in errors, or when receiving pay increases would be eliminated; no random audits of employers would be allowed; employers would be allowed to have mandatory tip-sharing policies; opportunity for unpaid internships would be expanded; reduce record keeping from 4 to 3 years; warnings before fines by providing employers 30 days to fix violations; fines for not posting labor laws in “conspicuous” place would be eliminated; and it would eliminate need for written safety plan. The full House will vote on the bill next week. A similar bill was tabled in the Senate. |
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