Sign the Business Owner Petition
Urge Gov. Chris Sununu to Immediately End Emergency Orders
BUSINESS OWNER PETITION TO END EMERGENCY ORDERS
To Gov. Christopher T. Sununu
Whereas we, the loyal citizens and business owners of New Hampshire, do petition His Excellency Christopher T. Sununu, the Governor of the great State of New Hampshire, to immediately lift and remove all Emergency Orders and subsequent requirements, enforcement actions, demands, and fines on the private businesses that operate within the State;
Whereas at least 300 businesses in New Hampshire have been permanently closed as a result of these now oppressive Emergency Orders, resulting in loss of livelihood, life savings, and economic security of their owners and employees;
Whereas most of these businesses are small, family operated businesses that have little to no chance of recovering under the emergency rules because these business owners and their customers have no other opportunities to participate in the economy;
Whereas small businesses that are re-opening under the oppressive restrictions of the Governor’s Emergency Orders are finding it difficult to hire or rehire employees;
Whereas the COVID-19 curve has been flattened in New Hampshire, and the state has experienced a 5 percent or lower average positive test rate for more than three months, and the state is number 50 in the country in terms of active cases, which indicates we are no longer at an emergency-level risk from the virus;
Whereas the vast majority of the active COVID-19 cases are individuals in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, or with underlying health conditions;
Whereas there is no longer a well-defined pandemic and all justifications for requiring the dramatic Emergency Order restrictions have been exhausted;
Whereas in accordance with RSA 128, RSA 141-C, and RSA 147, local health officers are authorized to investigate, including inspecting sites on public and private property without the consent of the owners, all nuisances and other causes of danger to the public health (Per Executive Order 65) in violation of constitutional due-process rights;
Whereas requiring that an individual abide by the guidelines of the Emergency Order is in violation of RSA 354-A:16, which requires that every individual will have equal access to places of public accommodation without discrimination;
Whereas New Hampshire’s estimated tax revenue as a result of the current Emergency Order restrictions is projected to significantly decline, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report on August 12, 2020, and reductions in tax revenue of these magnitudes place an undue burden on the taxpayers and business owners of New Hampshire.
Now therefore be it resolved that we present these grievances, and in accordance with our Constitutional Right to present this Petition, we as free citizens and loyal business owners of the great State of New Hampshire demand that Gov. Christopher T. Sununu take immediate action to end all of his Emergency Orders and restore commerce to pre-pandemic practices, without restrictions, which will prevent further damage to our great state and protect the rights of the good people who live here. It is now essential that we change course from the self-destructive path that has burdened our state, our businesses, and our livelihoods.
