Where they stand on business issues: U.S. Senate candidates

Although this election cycle has been nasty and personal at the national level, complicated by COVID-19’s infestation of the entire country including the White House, a U.S. Supreme Court nomination and protests over systemic racism, other issues crucial to business are on the line.

NH Business Review asked the major party candidates running this year for four key offices about seven topics: labor and employment, taxes, housing, healthcare, infrastructure, energy and COVID-19. Answers are unedited unless they exceeded the word limit. Biographical information is also included.

Jeanne Shaheen

The first woman in U.S. history to be elected governor and U.S. senator, Jeanne Shaheen has a record of breaking partisan gridlock to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire.

As governor, she extended affordable health insurance coverage to tens of thousands of New Hampshire children, and in the U.S. Senate, she passed a provision giving New Hampshire veterans access to healthcare outside the VA and closer to home. She will continue making a difference for New Hampshire, with pragmatic leadership that brings people together to get real results.

Bryant “Corky” Messner

Raised in a blue-collar family in Altoona, Pa., Bryant “Corky” Messner attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played football and prepared for military service. Upon earning the Army Ranger tab and graduating in 1979, he served in West Germany, witnessing firsthand the specter of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Following his military service, he attended the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law and went on to found the law firm Messner Reeves LLP, which today includes more than 100 lawyers, 200 employees and offices in nine cities.

Messner is a strong conservative and remains passionate about giving back to the country that has offered him the opportunity to live the American Dream. A father of three, Messner’s elder son is a recent West Point graduate and is now serving in the U.S. Army. His younger son is a West Point Cadet and his daughter is preparing to attend medical school. He resides in Wolfeboro.

COVID-19

Do you support current restrictions on businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19? What else would you do? Do you support a mask mandate? What kind, and how it will be enforced?

Jeanne Shaheen: My top priority is ensuring that during this pandemic, New Hampshire has the resources to support small businesses, towns, families and healthcare providers most affected. Rebuilding our economy demands that we get this virus under control, and we need people to stop the spread by following public health safety guidelines.

There’s proven evidence that masks are very effective at limiting the spread of this virus, which is why I believe we should all be wearing a mask in public. It would save lives and help get this virus under control and our economy moving again. We know that this virus spreads through the air, and we have seen how events without proper safety precautions have led to outbreaks across the nation.

Wearing a mask isn’t just about protecting yourself — it’s about protecting your family, friends and neighbors.

Messner: The economic impact of COVID on our economy is undeniable. Given that we have learned much more about the virus through these past months, the country needs to find ways to continue to reopen businesses, following protective guidelines that help ensure health and safety of employees and customers.

I support the least restrictions possible because the businesses themselves can now handle prevention of the spread of the virus, and it is their best economic interest to do so responsibly. I do not support a mask mandate. Individuals and businesses can make those decisions based on location, situation and science-based recommendations for reducing the spread of Covid.

What kind of additional stimulus package do you support, especially for small business? And how would it differ from previous packages?

Shaheen: I raised the alarm about the coronavirus weeks before the Trump administration was willing to take it seriously, and my focus has remained on making a difference for Granite Staters during this difficult time. Tens of thousands of New Hampshire businesses have received more than $2.5 billion in aid, and I continue to work across the aisle because more help is needed to help our small businesses and our cities and towns.

I have been calling for an additional relief package for months with another round of small business funding as well as significant federal support for testing and contact tracing, which is critical for us to get this virus under control and rebuild our economy. Any COVID package must include state and local funding to support our front-line workers, resources for healthcare providers and food assistance for families, as well as unemployment assistance for workers who are still unable to find work because of how the virus has crippled our economy.

It was disappointing to see Republican leadership in the Senate propose a package without any help for our state and local governments, for healthcare providers or food assistance for families, and with inadequate funding for testing. This is a crisis, and we urgently need to hammer out a real, bipartisan deal that will help New Hampshire.

Messner:The Senate currently has a new package, which I support. The new package would provide weekly federal jobless benefits, provide additional funding for testing and vaccines, would allow some small businesses to apply for a second loan through the Paycheck Protection Program with more flexibility in its use, and provide new money for schools and child care. The legislation also included legal protections for businesses and health providers.

Should businesses receive any special liability protection?

Shaheen: I don’t believe there should be blanket immunity, especially for large corporations that ignore public health guidelines. Most New Hampshire businesses want to keep their employees safe through following safety guidelines from public health officials, and they want their employees to feel comfortable visiting them. The challenges they are facing really underscore the need for testing, contact tracing and a sufficient supply of protective equipment so that we can safely rebuild our economy. It’s extremely frustrating that the Trump administration and Republican leadership in the Senate refuses to work with us on these areas.

Messner: I consider this an additional form of protection for businesses that allows them to reopen without being exposed to liability. This is in the same spirit as the Paycheck Protection Program; supporting businesses that otherwise would be frustrated or discouraged from fully reopening and succeeding.

Labor and Employment

What should the minimum wage be? Why?

Shaheen: As governor, I was proud to sign a minimum wage increase into law. Every American worker should be able to work a full-time job and support themselves and their family. I support federal efforts to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 gradually over the next few years to ensure that workers are earning a living wage.

The cost of living varies significantly across our country. While that increased minimum wage is an important step for our workers, states and cities with a higher cost of living should raise it above the $12 to provide their workers with the dollars they need to survive and succeed.

Messner: The current minimum wage establishes a floor yet gives employers control over wages for their employees, which I support. We have seen businesses offer much more than the minimum in order to attract and keep good employees.

I believe that given such autonomy, businesses will find innovative ways of bringing in young workers to entry-level jobs as well as new employees as their businesses grow, and increase the wage paid according to experience and value.

Should federally-enhanced unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility for benefits continue? For how much, and how long and why?

Shaheen: We’ve got a long way to go before we’re at the other end of this crisis and unemployment hit the highest levels seen since the Great Depression — we need to make sure additional unemployment benefits are extended.

It’s completely unacceptable that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has allowed enhanced benefits to expire. I supported the bipartisan inclusion of the weekly $600 unemployment relief in the CARES Act for those unable to work because families are under enormous pressure during this crisis. This enhanced unemployment insurance has helped Granite Staters pay their rent and mortgages, buy medicine and put food on the table. However, I’ve heard how this benefit has caused workforce shortages in some industries. It’s long past time for Republicans and Democrats to hammer out another bipartisan agreement to extend benefits — Republican leadership needs to let these negotiations begin immediately and not waste any more time.

Messner:The Congress is in agreement that more unemployment assistance is needed, however they are still debating how much and how long. There is some concern that if receiving benefits pays more than being employed, it will defeat the purpose of assisting someone who is unemployed until they can get back to work. The proposal for $300 through December 2020 is a good starting place and at least gets money out the door to those whose supplemental unemployment ran out at the end of August and need continued support.

 Do you support paid family and medical leave? To what level and in what form?

Shaheen: Paid family and medical leave is about ensuring Granite Staters, and all Americans, have the support they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Our nation loses almost $21 billion a year without a national paid family leave program, and both women and men lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages and retirement benefits over a lifetime.

I am cosponsoring the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act to create a universal paid family and medical leave program. This program would help our businesses, which often lose their workers without paid leave and then have to incur additional costs having to hire and train new employees. This federal legislation would provide up to 66% of wage replacement for 12 weeks during an emergency or a serious personal or family challenge.

Messner: I support paid family and medical leave that is designed by employers, as I did in my own business. A government-mandated paid leave may adversely affect the employees’ salaries and the economic success of businesses. It is reasonable to expect business and industry to attempt to accommodate the needs of their employees, and to give support for a specific time until they can return to the workplace. Experienced and well-trained employees are difficult to replace. I also support creative ways to grant paid leave, which many businesses allow — working remotely, flextime, job sharing, and other innovations.

Taxes

Do you think that current state business tax rates or federal corporate rates remain the same, go up or go down during your term?

Shaheen: As a senator, I voted for the largest middle-class tax cut in American history and I got tax credits for businesses to help them hire veterans. I took on my own party and led the fight against the internet sales tax, because small businesses in New Hampshire without a sales tax should not be forced to manage the complicated tax systems created by other states in order to sell products online.

The Trump tax bill was a trillion-dollar tax giveaway to big corporations and the rich, providing billions in tax breaks to big oil and drug companies, Wall Street and the wealthiest 1%. Many middle class families in New Hampshire will ultimately pay more. Instead of helping the Americans that needed help the most, that tax bill exploded our deficit and put Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security at risk.

Messner: The federal government does not create jobs; it either establishes an environment that enhances job creation or it imposes burdens and obstacles which crush entrepreneurs and their job-creating capabilities. High taxes are one of the restrictions to unleashing business success. I would support lowering corporate tax rates, especially in light of the pandemic. Businesses need an assist in getting back up to full speed. In addition, I would like to see businesses come back to the United States, particularly those in China, so lower federal tax rates provide an incentive to make that move.

Housing

What would you do increase the availability of workforce housing?

Shaheen: Our state was already facing challenges with affordable housing before this crisis, and too many families have been left behind. Securing federal investment in housing is among my top priorities, and on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have worked across the aisle to help secure millions in grants and federal investment in affordable housing in communities across New Hampshire.

Our work is not done, and this is an urgent challenge in many Granite State communities. I will continue to push for federal resources to make home mortgages more affordable and to build and strengthen housing availability in our cities and towns.

Messner: The Tax Reform Act of 1986 created the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, providing private-sector incentives for the development of rental housing for lower-income households. In the 1990s, the HOME Investment Partnerships program established a block grant used by state and local governments to address affordable housing needs.

Today, the LIHTC and HOME programs continue to support multifamily rental housing production. The federal government also promotes multifamily rental production by permitting issuance of tax-exempt bonds, through FHA mortgage insurance products, and, in rural areas, through direct and guaranteed loans provided through the Rural Housing Service. Working with state leaders, I would support the continuation of these programs and will work to make them more effective to meet the workforce housing needs in the Granite State.

Infrastructure

Tell us your plan to improve infrastructure and what should be the top priority: roads, rail, broadband, the grid or another concern?

Shaheen: In the Senate, I have delivered substantial federal investments in New Hampshire, helping improve and expand our airports, including in Nashua, Manchester, Laconia and Portsmouth, supporting revitalization projects for Main Streets, from Concord to Claremont, and improving our highways, widening I-93 and leading the call to replenish the highway trust fund.

Every community in New Hampshire should have access to high-speed broadband, and I have secured grants to expand cell service and improve accessibility in the North Country and communities across our state. During the pandemic, while remote learning continues, broadband access is more important than ever. I helped secure $100 million to boost broadband services in the CARES Act and will continue to call for the FCC to provide increased support in any Covid package and for more funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission that supports New Hampshire’s northern and western border communities.

Strengthening our infrastructure should be a bipartisan priority, and I am leading legislation to repair all of our aging bridges. I will push for continued, bipartisan support to make sure that our state is safe, secure, and connected.

Messner: Ironically, I believe that the experiences of COVID have made it clear how important our supply chains are to businesses and healthcare. Moving goods throughout the country makes keeping up our highway system extremely important.

With the pandemic we’ve also seen a rise in the use of broadband for remote learning, working from home and telemedicine.

In certain parts of our state, and throughout the country, broadband access is poor or nonexistent. Therefore, this is another priority for me and I was pleased that it is being addressed and grants are being provided.

As we rely heavily on electricity in our businesses, industries, healthcare services, schools and homes, protecting and maintaining a modern grid is also a top priority.

Healthcare

What have you done and will you do to lower healthcare costs for businesses?

Shaheen: Rising healthcare and prescription drug costs are among the most serious challenges facing Granite State families and Americans all across our country, and they affect the bottom line of our businesses as well.

I led a bipartisan bill to suspend implementation of a Health Insurance Tax which was signed into law and will help reduce premiums for New Hampshire families. I also have worked to pass additional bipartisan measures signed into law to help lower costs for medical devices and health care costs for small businesses.

There are common-sense steps we can take to lower prescription drug costs for everyone that I’m fighting for, including allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, getting cheaper generic prescription drugs into the market, and stopping big drug companies from collecting tax breaks for their TV advertising.

The Affordable Care Act protects coverage for people with preexisting conditions and those relying on the ACA for substance use disorder treatment, and if Republicans succeed in repealing it, they would throw millions of Americans off their coverage and raise health care costs by making it harder to access care.

Messner: One of the primary things I believe will bring down healthcare costs is tort reform. Changes to these laws will reduce malpractice insurance and relieve providers from practicing defensive medicine, which clearly drives up the costs of services.

I support promoting portability of health insurance, which much better meets the needs of today’s workers and our fastpaced, multi-career job market, in particular for the millennial generation. I also support permitting insurers to sell across state lines, as we do most other types of insurance, with the states setting the coverage requirements as they do now.

The options for utilizing health savings accounts and high-deductible plans, especially coupled with portability, match the needs of our society. Once transparency and cost comparisons are introduced, market forces should drive competition in the delivery system. Transparency should also prevent surprise billing for out-of-network care.

Energy

What specific measures would you support or oppose to lower the economic and environmental costs of energy?

Shaheen: Combating the climate crisis should be an urgent fight for everyone across New Hampshire and the country. We can make a big difference for our environment and strengthen our economy by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and investing in clean energy technologies that will create jobs here in New Hampshire.

As governor, I made clean energy a priority, enacting landmark legislation requiring fossil fuel plants to reduce emissions of new pollutants, making New Hampshire the first state to do so. To make progress on energy policy in the Senate, I have written and passed bipartisan energy efficiency legislation with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. This critical energy-efficiency legislation protects our environment while saving billions of dollars for American families in energy costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons annually by making new homes and buildings more energy-efficient.

Messner: While I oppose the so-called “Green New Deal,” I do support federal incentives such as tax credits and lending support for alternative energy sources.

A diversified energy portfolio provides a stable and sustainable power supply while lowering the environmental costs of energy. Supporting continued deregulation of the electrical grid, expanding fracking and oil exploration and petroleum production while increasing competition among power suppliers will help to lower the economic costs of energy. I will support free market-based solutions and strategies, which achieve these ends.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.