AARP in Your State

July 2008

Fixer upper – AARP New Hampshire and the state attorney general’s office have teamed up to help homeowners avoid home repair scams. This summer volunteers will share information on how to recognize such fraud and dig out of a bad situation.  New Hampshire has no state licensing requirement for building contractors. Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte, R, recommends that consumers get an estimate and terms of warranty in writing, obtain references before assigning contractors to a job, and never pay for the entire job upfront.  For more information on home repair scams, call the Consumer Protection Bureau hotline at 1-888-468-4454 toll free. To request a free copy of “Tips on Home Improvement,” call 1-866-542-8168 toll free.

April 2008

Rein in rates – As part of a coalition that included the state attorney general and banking commissioner, AARP New Hampshire urged lawmakers earlier this year to put a reasonable cap on short-term loans. In February the House and Senate passed bills (HB 267, SB 472) that would limit annual interest rates on short-term loans to 36 percent. After reconciling differences between the two bills, lawmakers are expected to send the legislation to the governor this spring. New Hampshire is one of a handful of states that lack usury laws to control high interest rates. Some short-term lenders in New Hampshire charge as much as 500 percent annually for payday loans and 350 percent for loans that require a car title as collateral, consumer advocates say. To sign up for legislative updates on this and other issues, e-mail nh@aarp.org or call Bill Hamilton, AARP associate state director for advocacy, at 603-621-1005.

March 2008

All aboard – New Hampshire’s governor, executive council, state Senate and entire federal delegation have committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to provide state residents and all Americans access to affordable, quality health care and lifelong financial security. Making these issues top domestic priorities is the goal of AARP’s Divided We Fail effort. “The push to make elected officials address health care and retirement security will not fizzle just because our first-in-the-nation primary is over,” says Kelly Clark, AARP state director. AARP New Hampshire aims to add as many of the state House’s 400 members as possible to the roster this year. To get involved, e-mail nh@aarp.org or call Steve Griffin, AARP New Hampshire’s associate state director for Divided We Fail, at 603-621-1018.

January/February 2008

Local action – AARP New Hampshire has enlisted mayors from across the state to urge federal lawmakers to put aside partisan bickering and find ways to provide affordable, quality health care and lifelong financial security for all. Those goals are the cornerstone of AARP's national Divided We Fail initiative. The mayors of Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth pledged their support in November, and others were expected to sign on before the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Mayoral endorsements can strengthen the effort because the costs of providing health care and pension plans for employees often strain municipal budgets. AARP New Hampshire encourages members to contact their mayors and other elected officials and ask them to support Divided We Fail. For more information, visit http://www.dividedwefail.org.

December 2007

Who can deliver? – Independent New Hampshire voters polled by AARP in October said health care is the second most important issue facing the country, behind Iraq. Even so, many had not yet decided which presidential candidate could best break through gridlock and make progress toward ensuring health care for all.Seventy percent of independents likely to vote Democratic and 81 percent of those likely to vote Republican said their candidate of choice is likely to change before the January primary — results that have changed little since August. As part of the national Divided We Fail campaign, AARP New Hampshire is asking candidates to explain specifically how they plan to provide affordable health care and lifelong financial security for all Americans. To learn more, visit http://www.dividedwefail.org.