This bill will scare you if you value free enterprise

Hello 

I am contacting you in regards, to a new bill that will set the tone for the worst legislation in recent history. 

A commission can never have this much power if it is made up of our competition.  Post secondary schools do not work like traditional colleges.  We bid against them on contracts weekly.  This would be equivalent to Exxon and Mobile being in charge of the EPA and have access to our customer list , financial information and everything that is held private to the company. Please read again two to three competitors would have 100 percent access to everything in our company and the worst part is if this does pass we must submit all the above information to them every year and if is incomplete they can deny or ability to operate.

I do  not know of any industry where this has been allowed to happen at this level.  I do not believe that it is the states job to help create oligopolies.  I have not found one business professional or College professor who feels this would benefit the students, the schools or the employees of the schools.    I have not found any industry that would ever agree to give this much power to anyone.  Even if the commission received the applications from a third party it is impossible to hide who that school is they are reviewing.  The applications contain locations, owners name, course names and many other things to identify the school to the commission members.  This bill was put forward by the two owners who would sit on the commission 

This is the bill

http://legiscan.com/NH/text/SB162

Sen. Stiles, Dist 24; http://votesmart.org/candidate/42931/nancy-stiles#.URUbCKXC0gs

Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; http://www.jebforstatesenate.com/

Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; http://dallesandro.com/

Rep. Lovejoy, Rock 36;   patty.lovejoy@leg.state.nh.us

Rep. Copeland, Rock 19; tim@copelandforstratham.com 

kirin88@comcast.net

Rep. Abrami, Rock 19; patrick.abrami@leg.state.nh.us

Rep. Shaw, Hills 16; beshaw3@comcast.net

Rep. Ladd, Graf 4 ladd.nhhouse@charter.net

After reading this bill, I find this to be very troubling. If they can pass this for our industry this can be passed for any.  The sponsor of the bill are the two school owners mentioned. 

In 183 I(b) two owners or directors of career schools will be making  will make up part of the commission. This is large conflict of interest. These  owners can have a large influence on how the commission will run. How will they be impartial, ensuring that their decisions are not ultimately for their own financial gain. Basically, the way I see this, you are letting owners on two companies have ultimate control over all other post secondary institutions which are their direct competition. 

In 183 III(b) the commission approves licenses. Back to the two owners in the commission, they can decide who gets a license and who doesn't. With this power, they can simply disapprove licenses for competitors. 

 

In 183 III(c) the commission hears reviews. So, when the commission disapprove a license, it’s these same commission with the same two owners that will review the appear, for a license they already disapproved.

In 186 – inspections The commission can come into my office, and see  my operation and interfere with daily operations.

In 186 You are giving the commission the power to see financial data of a competitor? You are letting the owners of two companies have total financial overview of all the financial records of the competitors?

What I see in this bill, they are creating an oligarchy when you are giving the owners of two companies control over their direct competitors.

The commission is made up of at least two people that have direct financial stakes in the decisions made by the commission

The commission can decide who gets licensed

The commission hears appeals for licenses they declined

The commission had the ability to set fines against their competitors

The commission has the ability to see every aspect of all competitors in this market

If this bill is passed, the two people in the commission decide that the school I own is too much competition, they can deny us a license, they can deny us the appeal, they can set fines against us and they can take the work I have done for their own purposes.

Please do not allow this Bill to pass.

Thank you for your time

Donald Patch