Chris Sintros

To Whom It May Concern: New England Deaconess Association has served older adults in New England for 136 years and currently serves at Wesley Woods. We offer reasonably priced housing and community life to 40 individuals and couples in Gilford New Hampshire. It is the role of the board of a not for profit to define mission and service and we are proud of both - providing significant charitable contributions to countless individuals over the past decades. The Sponsor’s intent to target just CCRCs in HB 1295 is misinformed. The bill would impose broad new requirements on all nonprofit senior housing and care providers—not just CCRCs. Wesley Woods has already been defined as a CCRC by the state of New Hampshire despite a number of facts that identify it otherwise. These regulations are driving up costs for the middle market . By definition, we as officers The bill’s requirement that providers “quantitatively demonstrate” they reduce government burden is vague and conflicts with the existing legal standard in RSA 72:23 I. Under current law, an organization is considered charitable if it provides a public benefit that advances the well being of the general public—not based on whether it saves the government money. We are proud that we provide services to all income levels and regulations can have the unintended consequence of increasing the cost to the average consumer. I urge the committee to vote this bill ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate). Sincerely, Chris Sintros