William Fontaine

Please vote NO on HB1598. This bill, if passed into law will clog New Hampshire's courts with many new hearings, which will lead to a delay of other important hearings being delayed. This is clearly laid out in the bill's financial impact statement. This will burden the court system and increase legal fees for everyone involved, including the State. This law will also burden sheriffs, taking them away from criminal law enforcement so that they can complete 24 hour lockouts for evictions. This bill also effectively strips tenants of rights they have under federal, state, and common law. Landlords currently have adequate power to evict tenants. Increased evictions will burden cities and towns, such as Lebanon, which by law (RSA 165) are responsible for providing temporary shelter and financial help for the homeless who have been evicted. HB1598 places undue burdens on New Hampshire's cities and towns. New Hampshire cannot afford HB1598, which creates problems instead of solving them.