Thank you for agreeing to provide information to assist the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) Stakeholder Advisory Board (“SAB”).  Your contribution is critically important to allow the SAB to perform its purpose of developing recommendations to the GOFERR for the allocation and expenditure of federal Covid-19 emergency funds to address fundamental needs of the State of New Hampshire.

Because the Covid-19 crisis has impacted almost everyone and every institution across New Hampshire, SAB expects to gather a substantial amount of information from many sources.  In order to accomplish this task effectively and efficiently, SAB requests that all persons who submit information (including those persons who are scheduled to provide oral comments before a SAB meeting) please follow these guidelines.

The SAB is hopeful that many interested persons will submit information and ideas on how the State can best allocate federal emergency relief funds.  We plan to read all comments, and for those who make oral presentations to the SAB, we intend to ask questions based on the written submissions. 

There is no particular format for the comments, but we request that you focus your comments as efficiently as possible, and try to limit the number of pages to less than 10. 

In order to help the SAB members to the greatest extent possible, we request that you try to address each of the information items listed below.  The SAB members have identified these information items as highly relevant to their overall task. While some commenters are likely to provide additional information, and others may not be able to address each item, we request that you try to address the following items in your submission:

(1)       Please identify your position and your organization.

(2)       Please identify what economic sector your enterprise operates within.

(3)       Please describe how your enterprise and economic sector has been impacted by Covid-19.

(4)       Please provide an assessment of how you project your organization and economic sector will be impacted over the next 12 months by Covid-19.

(5)       Please explain whether your enterprise or economic sector has or is receiving, or may possibly receive in the future, any other governmental support (federal, state or local) or charitable funds specifically intended to help address Covid-19 impacts; and explain whether the identified need might be covered by other governmental or charitable sources of funding or support programs.

(6)       Please provide comments on one or more ideas on how some portion of public relief funds could be provided to your enterprise and economic sector (including, if possible, an estimate of the amount of funds), and please comment on how these ideas would achieve the following important public goals:

(a)       The funds will serve a public use and provide a public benefit.

(b)       The funds will preserve or increase the social welfare or economic prosperity of the state, and will promote the general welfare of the state’s citizens.

(c)        The funds will promote the orderly development of economic and social activities, create or preserve employment opportunities, or protect the physical environment.

(e)       The funds will contribute significantly to the continued operation, competitiveness and future success of the organization and the economic sector, and will enhance the resiliency of the organization to survive future economic or health challenges.

(f)        The use of funds is not in conflict with local or regional development plans and policies, or any other provision of state or federal law.

(g)       The funds are structured in a way that will help the community and the State at large, and not just the particular private business or organization.

(h)       The use of funds is consistent with the one-time availability of the public relief funds and will not require future continuing operational support from the public sector in order to maintain success.

(7)       Please describe how the receipt and use of the public relief funds described in question 6 could be accounted for in your organization’s financial statements.

(8)       Please describe specific measures for public reporting on the receipt and use of the public relief funds, so that the State may satisfy any public reporting obligations that may be imposed with respect to such funds.

(9)       Please identify other important organizations or functions in the State that have an important impact on your organization or economic sector, and, if possible, provide ideas of how those organizations and functions may be assisted by public relief funds in a manner that would help your organization or economic sector.

(10)     What would your business, agency, organization, sector do with the funds that cannot be done currently?

(11)     We consistently hear different stories of what is occurring and what is needed; given the opportunity, please comment on what do you think should be said or considered that hasn’t received much attention?

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SAB anticipates that its members will be reaching out to diverse interests and persons to request submission of comments, and we thank you in advance for considering these requests.  We are all in this together, New Hampshire!

Please check the GOFERR websitefor current information on how to submit comments.  All recommendations and information submitted in response to this request will be available for public inspection and copying in their entirety. For further information, please contact Joe Doiron at the GOFERR offices (JOSEPH.DOIRON@LIVEFREE.NH.GOV). 

Please submit your comments no later than May 1, 2020.