Stay informed of Chapter Activities

Maximize your Member Engagement




Action News
July 2015
Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn
EDUCATION

7/09 & 16

Super Cert: Quality Control 

3:30 - 6:00 PM

Concord, NH

Dave Webb, American Steel and Precast Erectors

(click here to register)

 


 

7/15 & 29

OSHA 10 HR  

7:30 AM - 1:00 PM

(both days)

Concord, NH

Jay Fitzpatrick. WorkSafe New England

(click here to register)

 


 

7/30 

Super Cert: Safety begins

3:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Concord, NH

Jay Fitzpatrick, WorkSafe New England
 


 

7/30

Hiring and Retaining Workers 

8:30 AM -11:00 AM

Concord, NH

Mirjam Ijtsma, Cultural Chemistry


 

ABC NH/VT Mobile APP

Download the App TODAY!

 

 
Now you can stay in touch with YOUR ABC Chapter wherever you are. Search the member directory, check out the latest news, register for events, and even stay up to date with the latest legislative activities.

Available for download in the App Store or Google Play store.
 
Search for Associated Builders and Contractors OR Vieth Consulting

ABC YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP




BUSINESS TAXES ARE KEY TO NH BUDGET DEBATE

 

Less than $200 million in a more than $11.3 billion budget separates the NH Republican-controlled Legislature and Democrat Gov. Maggie Hassan. In years past that might have been a simple fix, but not after she vetoed the budget. The stalemate is due to fundamental differences in political philosophies that prevent the two sides from coming together and sets the stage for the 2016 election. Business taxes are the primary battleground. New Hampshire does have high business tax rates compared to surrounding states and the rest of the country. Business taxes comprise about a quarter of all state revenue so they are important, but that is where the agreement ends. Hassan says she wants the revenue in order to pay for the safety net under the most vulnerable, while the Senate leadership wants to cut the rates to spur business and create jobs. As a result many proposed bills have been retained as budget issues remain unresolved. In fact, of all the legislative action this session, budget related or not, only a few bills ABC has been involved with have been passed by both the House and Senate, they are listed below. For a complete roster of legislation and status CLICK HERE.

 

HB292, expanding the Good Samaritan law to licensed engineers and architects rendering assistance in an emergency in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct.

 

SB86, specifies the information related to state procurement of goods and services which shall be available to the public. This bill also includes ethical guidelines for relationships between vendors and agency members.

 

SB125, requires persons providing residential mold assessment services for mold contamination in residential dwellings be certified by certain professional organizations and requires the board of home inspectors to inform the public that mold assessment professionals are required to be certified.

 

SB133, requires the insurance commissioner to consult with certain groups and organizations and to make a report by December 2015 to the legislature and the governor with recommendations on options for including workers' compensation data in the New Hampshire comprehensive health information system. This bill also clarifies certain payments for medical costs under workers' compensation.

 

SB190, modifies the determination of financial responsibility for tuition for career and technical

education center programs and the administration of CTE programs by the department of education.

 

IF YOU HAVE EMPLOYEES WORKING IN MASSACHUSETTS, PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEW EARNED SICK TIME LAW

 

The Massachusetts Earned Sick Time law went into effect on July 1, 2015.  It requires employers to provide up to 40 hours of sick leave to  employees whose  primary place of work is Massachusetts, regardless of the location of the employer .

For example, If an employee spends 40% of his time in MA, 30% in NH and 30% in ME, his primary place of business is MA. 

There is a Transition Year Safe Harbor Provision for employers with existing policies providing paid time off. Employers with 11 or more employees must provide paid sick leave. Employers with fewer employees must provide unpaid sick leave. For a copy of the rules for the Earned Sick Time law, 
CLICK HERE.
 
 

ABC Workers' Comp Trust 

Celebrates 20 Years

 

The ABC Workers' Compensation Group Trust celebrated 20 years of success at its Annual Meeting in June by distributing $847,000 in dividends to Group members! And, as Alan Quinlan, the Group's Administrator explained, the Trust has performed exactly as anticipated when it was launched two decades ago.

 

There are basically three components to the workers' compensation "dollar." 

  • Loss Costs, which insurers hope to limit to 65 percent of premium, represents the largest share. The Trust has limited its losses to 45 percent of premium over the long term, fully 20 points or a third better than the insurance industry. 
  • Expenses make up the next largest share of the premium dollar. Self-insurers routinely provide a higher level of service at lower cost. 
  • Investment Income, is income that the Group earns off of its loss reserves, was $106,000 in 2014. 

The ability to outperform the insurance industry in all three areas over the long term results in significant savings for Trust members.

 

So how does the Workers' Comp Trust consistently beat the insurers at their own game? There are two main reasons. 

  • First, the Trust invests heavily in loss control to limit the frequency and severity of claims. Fund Year 2014 was the sixth consecutive year in which the Group limited the number of claims to one for each $1 million in payroll. 
  • Second, the Group aggressively manages the claims that do occur in order to return the employee to full duty as soon as possible.

 

The $847,000 dividend is only a small fraction of the $3,238,000 Dividends Payable at the end of the first quarter. Trust members often apply their dividends to current premiums. This year's dividend is equal to 37 percent of the 2015 estimated premium. Members will be receiving the balance, nearly $2.4 million, during the next few years according to the Department of Labor regulations.

 

The ABC Workers' Compensation Trust was established in 1995 and provides self-insurance services to 33 member companies representing $60 million of contractors' payroll. For more information please contact the Chapter office at 603-226-4789.


2015 Annual Pig Roast Recap

 










 

(click here to view more pictures from this event) 

 

Thanks to everyone who attended the Annual Pig Roast. This was our largest attendance to date! A special thanks again to all of our sponsors for this event, and we want to congratulate all of our Safety Award winners and Student Graduates.

 

Click here to view list of Safety Award Winners 

 

Click here to view list of Graduates Award Winners 

 

 

Summer Events Still to Come

Thursday July, 16
Western Region Networking
featuring awards and recognitions
Blackback Pub - Waterbury, VT


_______________________________________

Friday August, 7
Summer Golf Classic
Canterbury Woods Country Club - Canterbury, NH






_______________________________________

Thursday August, 20
Portsmouth Harbor Cruise
Isle of Shoals - Portsmouth, NH








Sponsor these Great Events!
Call us today for more information
603-226-4789

Save with ABC

your one-stop-shop for employee pricing

 

ABC is very excited to announce its partnership with Next Jump, a provider of corporate discount programs to introduce ABC Marketplace.


 

ABCMarketplace is a one-stop-shop for members, employees and their families to save on almost anything.


 

Over 30,000 merchants participate in the Next Jump Program.  


 

To get started:

  1. visit http://abc.corporateperks.com
  2. Login/Register at ABC Marketplace
  3. Start Saving!





Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing more than 24,000 merit shop construction and construction related firms in 70 chapters across the United States. For more info, email: info@abcnhvt.org.


© 2014 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. All Rights Reserved.