Senator Tim Lang

Summary of the history of Memorial Day: Memorial Day is a federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. Originally called "Decoration Day" to commemorate Civil War soldiers, it was later expanded to honor the fallen from all American wars. The Origins: Decoration Day: The tradition of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags began in the years immediately following the Civil War. The Earliest Observance: Research suggests the earliest recorded observance was held on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina. Freed enslaved people gathered to honor fallen Union troops by singing patriotic songs, strewing flowers, and giving them a proper burial. Official Proclamation: On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of the Grand Army of the Republic (an organization of Union veterans), proclaimed May 30 as Decoration Day. The date was chosen because springtime flowers would be in bloom across the country. Arlington National Cemetery: The first large observance took place on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where participants decorated the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Evolution to Memorial Day As the nation became involved in subsequent global conflicts, the holiday's meaning evolved.Expanded Meaning: After World War I, the holiday expanded from honoring only Civil War casualties to remembering all American military personnel who died in any war. Federal Designation: The name "Memorial Day" became more common after World War II, but was not officially adopted as the federal name by Congress until 1967. Uniform Monday Holiday Act: In 1968, Congress passed a law moving the observance of Memorial Day from the traditional May 30 to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend for federal workers. This change officially went into effect in 1971. Symbols and Observances To truly grasp the significance of Memorial Day, many Americans engage in specific commemorative traditions and observe moments of national reflection. National Moment of Remembrance: Established by an act of Congress, Americans are asked to pause for one minute wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to honor the fallen. Red Poppies: Inspired by the famous World War I poem "In Flanders Fields," red poppies are worn and displayed as a symbol of remembrance and respect for those who died in service. Veterans Day vs. Memorial Day: While Memorial Day specifically honors those who died in military service, Veterans Day (November 11) is dedicated to celebrating the service of all U.S. military

@NHHouseofReps Nice work @Mofmichael

Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives joined Gold Star Families today as a new law was signed expanding the Gold Star License Plate Program to include Gold Star Fathers and other immediate family members, in addition to Gold Star Mothers.

Remember when the argument, against my Constitutional Amendment questions about taking the idea of a State income Tax away from legislators, was 'No one is looking to propose an income tax in NH.' we don't need to do this. Well...that wasn't exactly right. House Democrats hijacked (or are trying to with a floor amendment) my CACR (Question to the voters to amend the constitution to ban an income tax in NH) to replace it instead with a ques@tion to create a progressive income tax in NH instead. The argument is.. it will lower local property taxes, however no where is there a mechanism or plan in the bill to do that.. they will say if the state just provides more money to towns, property taxes will lower...and yet recent history proves this absolutely wrong! In the last 6 years, each year, the state has increased per pupil spending in education AND at the same time increased gross rooms and meals tax revenue shared with towns by over 100% (yes doubled gross shared revenue to towns.) and increased monies for roads and bridges. Did your property taxes go down with that increased revenue from the state? Yeah neither did mine. You either believe there is no spending problem that raising taxes won't fix or you believe that if spending is out of line with revenue, you curb spending to fit revenue. The good news, in November you get to decide which type of legislators you want making those decisions, those who will raise your taxes to meet spending, or those who will cut spending to meet taxes. There is a huge difference. Choice is yours, choose wisely.

@doeraimeifaso Not zoned commercial nor industrial so, that ain't happening. Read the bill.

@tlangsr Its going to look beautiful with a data center in it.

#mycommute I've shown you mine, now you show me yours! 😁

Regarding Senate actions on HB155 - a House Bill to lower the Business Enterprise Tax (payroll tax) from .055 to .05 ( at a cost of $26m in State Revenues). I introduced an amendment instead to lift the filing threshold for the Business and Enterprise Tax from $298,000 to $375,000. That move will cost the state $2 million in revenue but would now exempt 2,000+ small businesses, who currently pay the tax, from doing so in the future. This is targeted tax relief to help our small businesses only. Those smallest of businesses, our neighbors with in-home type businesses, the ones hit the hardest by tariffs, inflation, rising energy prices, and interest rates, will now not ever have to file. In my opinion, given the revenue structure and revenue concerns that we are in right now, I think that lowering the rate would be a fiscally imprudent thing to do, but we can still help. I also co-sponsored another amendment to the bill, that would spend $2.5m of the Medicaid Expansion Tax Surplus (coming in with about $3.5m surplus this year and by design this tax can only be spent on Medicaid programs) to help stabilize the Medicaid Long-term Care per diem rates in our nursing homes across the state. Every 6 months this rate is adjusted. It looks like this most recent formula rate change would increase costs on County Nursing Homes, thus increase your county property taxes. So I supported the spend, to help keep your county property taxes from increasing. Both of these amendments were good and fiscally sound tax policy decisions. The vote on the bill, as amended with the above 2 amendments, was unanimous 5-0, and The bill, as amended, will be on the Senate floor for a full Senate vote on 5/7. I will note - state revenues are rebounding so far, as I predicted in the beginning of this budget cycle, but gone are the days of $500m surpluses. We are currently $90m above the state's revenue plan with another week in April (our biggest revenue month) for revenues to come in. However, there were some off budget spending approvals by the Fiscal Cmte to the tune of $20m+ so stand-by and I know we have a future request from the Dept of Corrections for adding $8m in overtime due to shortages in correctional officer staffing. I'll be keeping a close watch on these revenues (and off budget spending), but if the trend continues we will be in good shape by the end of this budget cycle, allowing us to accelerate paying back the Rainy day funds for monies we needed for this budget cycle to balance the budget due to the inflationary impacts of the Biden Administration's economic policy decisions in 2022-24.

@NewHampJournal @NHHouseofReps @NHGOP @NHDems It's not over .. standby

GOP Defections Kill Open Enrollment Bill in N.H. House nhjournal.com/gop-defections… @NHHouseofReps @nhgop @nhdems

The open enrollment debate is over. Even opponents say it will benefit students. jbartlett.org/2026/04/even-o…

@KlandriganUL Correction $375,000

NH Senate Ways and Means Committee approves changing BET tax cut bill (HB 155) to raise the no-tax floor for businesses to $350,000 rather than cut the tax rate to .5%. Added to the bill $2.5 mil. to increase nursing home rates. #nhpolitics #nhpolitics

Concord, NH: Senator Tim Lang (R-Sanbornton) released the following statement after the House Education Policy and Administration Committee recommendation to pass SB 101 (Open Enrollment). “I want to thank the House Education Policy and Administration Cmte on advancing the Universal Public School Open Enrollment bill to a full vote on the House floor. I am optimistic my colleagues in the House will vote for students, for families and for education choice. While we often hear Democrats talk about doing what’s best for students, they continue to oppose giving parents more options to find the best education for their children. True choice means trusting families – not limiting them. Republicans remain committed to opening more pathways and ensuring Granite State students have access to every opportunity for a great education. I look forward to sending this to the Governor’s desk.”

So.. How did the NH revenues do in March? Short answer Great! March is above revenue plan by $38m, and YTD we are $129.9m above plan, broken out by the General Fund being $63.1m above plan, while the Education Trust Fund is $66.2m above plan Some Quick Highlights:: Business Taxes: $6.9 above plan Lottery Revenue: $4.6m above plan Tobacco Tax: $2.9m above plan (vape tax enforcement changes working) Insurance Tax: $28m above plan Liquor: $.04m below plan as Liquor continues to struggle Rooms and Meals Tax: At Plan and above prior year by $2.9 million Real estate Transfer tax: below plan by $.08m for the month, above plan $7.9m YTD. Long Answer: Unrestricted revenue for the General and Education Funds received during March totaled $411.5 million, which was above the plan by $38.8 million (10.4%) and above the prior year by $23.1 million (5.9%). YTD unrestricted revenue totaled $1,993.0 million, which was above plan by $129.3 million (6.9%) and above prior year by $107.8 million (5.7%). Labor #s: New Hampshire’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2026 was 3.2 percent. This was unchanged from the revised December 2025 rate of 3.2 percent. The January 2025 seasonally adjusted rate was 3.0 percent. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2026 was 4.3 percent. Opinion: We continue to see recovery in most sectors across the board, our jobs market is stronger than national trends as evidenced by lower unemployment#s. I suspect that this trend will continue in April (much bigger revenue month so it will be telling), as NH works itself back into the strong New England Economic engine we are, after the crazy inflationary and interest rates of 2024 stifled business growth. The moves by the Fed Reserve in Sept- Dec to lower the Fed interest rates are working. Let's hope we have a quick decisive victory in the ongoing Iranian conflict to stabilize energy costs to continue the growth. @HowardPearlNH @roche4nh @daninnis @RuthWardNH @avard_kevin @VoteMcGough @birdsell_regina @darylabbasforNH @SenatorGannon @NHSenPresident

Incrementalism. My oldest daughter, @meghanclang has a birthday today. It seems like just yesterday I was driving down I93 through a literal blizzard to Concord Hospital with her mom in the passenger seat yelling at me. Last year she both got married AND had a big promotion at work. Anyone will tell you I am not very sentimental, some people will tell you I have no feelings at all, but.. but today, looking back at my photos with Meghan, I can tell you I do have feelings. The lifetime passes in an instant, and as I look back, as I remember and feel each photo, I am so very proud of her. I am so very grateful for each moment with her. (Well maybe not every moment... 🤔) Her life was not easy, and yet she has grown to be such a strong, intelligent, beautiful and giving woman, I can't help but be happy for her and proud of her. Love ya Meghan

My speech before the NH House of Representatives Education Policy Committee to introduce SB101 Universal Public School Open enrollment today. Title: Breaking the Zip Code Barrier Cmte members, For too long, a child’s educational destiny has been decided by a single factor: their zip code. We tell families that education is the key to opportunity, yet we force them to attend school based on arbitrary geographic boundaries, rather than where their child will thrive. Today, I am here to advocate for a solution that empowers families and improves education for everyone: Open Enrollment. Open enrollment is not about destroying public schools; it is about strengthening them by making them more responsive. It simply means allowing students to transfer to public schools outside their assigned district if there is capacity. Imagine a child who is being bullied at their assigned school, or a student who desperately needs advanced STEM courses that their home school cannot provide. Open enrollment acts as a "release valve of opportunity," giving these families the freedom to choose a safe, high-performing environment. It breaks down the barriers that prevent children from accessing a better future just because of a city line. But the benefits extend beyond individual families. When schools have to compete for students, they innovate. Open enrollment creates strong incentives for all districts to improve their programs, engage more with parents, and provide better services. It transforms schools from complacent monopolies into competitive, quality-driven environments. And let’s be clear: open enrollment keeps funding in the public system. It allows families to find a public school that fits their child's unique needs, preventing them from having to look toward private or charter alternatives. Research shows that over 1.6 million students across the country are already using open enrollment to find better options. It is time for us to embrace this change. Let’s empower parents to be the drivers of their child’s education. Let's support policies that favor opportunity over school districts. Let’s support open enrollment. Thank you. An Amendment was introduced that changes funding to Charter School funding model (used for decades for public school to public school transfers), better defined capacity, better defined transportation policy, and extended the implementation out one year. Hoping to see the sign below from the Cmte.

I joined Gov. @KellyAyotte and Adele Sicilia (Dir./NH State Council on the Arts) at the Granite Patron of the Arts Fund check presentation, thanking Delta Dental & Duprey Hospitality for supporting the Arts and helping this community thrive!

@NHDems So the inference is that you'd end the war now, and allow the financing and training of terrorists, as well as the treatment of women as chattel, just so long as you have low gas prices? Glad to understand your position!

WATCH: John Sununu flees the scene when asked about Trump’s war in Iran that’s surging gas prices for Granite Staters. #NHPolitics #NHSen

Thoughts on this headline?

Tonight I am in Manchester supporting a fantastic program.. grief hits all of us, but it hits harder with children. Helping children understand and deal with loss is a mission worthy of saints. This group deserves canonization and sainthood! “Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. “ --- Vicki Harrison @friendsofaine friendsofaine.com

@ChairmanBuckley @NHDems So Mr Chairman.. while I find your attempts to distract voters from my original point of my reply, let's get back to my point.. Did you / the NH Dem Party) pay for that ad, and have involvement on where it was parked?

@tlangsr @NHDems

Spotted yesterday in downtown Manchester and Concord, a digital billboard truck asking the question on Granite Staters’ minds: Why is John Sununu’s name in the Epstein files? 👀 #NHPolitics #NHSen