A “Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution” (CACR) is a proposed constitutional change requiring a 3/5 majority vote in both the House of Representatives and Senate. If passed in both chambers, the CACR ends up on the ballot of the state’s voters at the next general election. But before being ratified into the state Constitution, it must receive a 2/3 majority from the voters. 

So far, a lot of these terrible CACR’s are not getting on the ballot in Nov. due to a lack of 3/5 majority. Here’s some examples brought to us by Republican Free Staters:
CACR 9 is sponsored by perennial voter suppression advocate Rep. Bob Lynn, but this one will raise the mandatory retirement age for NH judges from 70 to 75. Currently, the law reads: “No person shall hold the office of judge of any court, or judge of probate, or sheriff of any county, after he has attained the age of seventy years.” This was tried in 2024 and failed. Lynn, a former judge, wants to have the words, “judge of any court, or judge of probate, or” removed and replaced with “No person shall hold the office of judge of any court after the person has attained the age of seventy-five years.” Lynn scored a “B” on last years Liberty Alliance scorecard, which should be a red flag for voters. The amendment failed to gather the 3/5 majority; 185 no, 136 yes.

I need to correct what I had previously written about CACR 14, requiring candidates for the office of governor, state senator and representative be citizens of the United States. The state already has that requirement under RSA 655:1. An effort in redundancy failed to get 3/5 majority, 182 yes, 157 no.

CACR 15 is just another gun rights bill disguised as “the constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest game and fish, subject to restrictions existing in law” for NH citizens. There is no need for this bill because every citizen with a hunting license already has the right to hunt, fish and trap. If this had passed, a person accused of domestic violence could argue if courts try to remove their guns, “my rifle is my hunting rifle and I have a constitutional right to hunt. You can’t take my gun.” Additionally, if a person is a convicted felon or convicted of domestic violence, this amendment can be used by that person to have a gun returned. This amendment failed to get the 3/5 majority, 199 yes, 128 no.

CACR 21 is another effort in redundancy. This requires “only legal residents who are at least 18 years of age or older who reside in the place they claim as domicile shall be eligible voters.” Duh. Here it is already in RSA 654:7. 184 yes, 146 no, failed to get 3/5 majority.

Who knew we parents didn’t have any rights pertaining to the education of our kids? All these years being blissfully ignorant. . . Anyway, parents and guardians already have rights in the educating of their children. Republican Free Staters brought forth CACR 24, an amendment that could be used against public education and public schools. And we all know how they feel about public education. Luckily, it failed to get 3/5 majority, 181 yes, 156 no. 

Here’s one brought by Democrats, seeking to have “the right to marry as a fundamental civil right and that the state shall protect the right of every individual, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or race, to marry and to have their marriage legally recognized.” CACR 25 was killed (ITL) in the House, 176-162. 

Here’s a couple more relating to taxes that didn’t make the cut; CACR 10 and CACR 18. A huge effort by Republican Free Staters this Session to mess with the state’s Constitution. 

This one was a Democrat effort for Medicare for All. HCR 12 (House Concurrent Resolution) called upon “the federal delegation from NH to support Medicare for All, a universal health insurance program that guarantees all people the health care they need.” Not caring about any fellow human beings in the least, the resolution failed, 180-151.

Oh, and one more bill that was effectively killed (ITL) was HB 1171, my attempt to protect apartment tenants (seniors) who have had their Social Security payments unexpectantly interrupted, 186-155. Maybe next time . . .

So, the good news is that all these unnecessary and terrible constitutional amendments will not be on our ballots in Nov. A reminder to know who you vote for. Vet your candidates carefully. Government power comes from We, the People. It should work for all of us.

Picking up where we left off on the Thurs. March 5thSession, here’s a few more bills to review that came up before the House.

Given the current state of ICE gone wild and detention centers cropping up all over the country with little to no oversight, Democrats proposed a bill to require twice yearly reporting about the number of people detained for civil immigration violations by any state, county, or local law enforcement or correctional facility who are working with ICE. HB 1822 seeks transparency in the number of people held for “violations” and how long they are held. This reporting would then go to the Attorney General’s Office. 

Rep. Terry Roy made a motion to table the bill, which passed, 193-155. Nope to transparency again, now concerning detainees, whether they’re American citizens or not. A shout out to the town of Merrimack for holding firm and publicizing a proposed detention center for their town. ICE lost. Score one for the good guys!

Here’s another Constitutional Amendment looking to solve a non-existent problem. CACR 14 requires candidates for the office of governor, state senator and representative be citizens of the United States. New Hampshire already has that requirement under RSA 655:1 which simply states, “–To hold any elective office in the state, a person must be a citizen of the United States, either by birth or by naturalization.” Talk about redundant. The bill passed, 182-152, so this question will probably appear on our Nov. ballots where it will need a 2/3 majority to pass.
Fun fact: Not one non-citizen has ever filed to run or ran for office.
EVER. 

Here’s one that thankfully failed. Hunting with your pet ferret. The sponsor of HB 1167, Rep. Joe Barton (got an A on the Liberty Alliance scorecard), is just going to have to find a better hunting buddy. After all, are ferrets capable of field dressing a deer?

Doubt it . . .

A Democrat sponsored bill proposing to protect employees at work from extreme temperature related injuries and deaths was motioned to be tabled by Rep. James Creighton (B+ Liberty Alliance score). HB 1451 called for extra rest periods during extreme temperatures, initiates emergency procedures for employees showing symptoms of cold or heat distress and calls for a review of these safety procedures at least once a year. The party of Republican Free Staters passed the motion to table, 178-152. 
Work outdoors? Well, take your chances in extreme weather, hot or cold, because the party of cruelty cares nothing about your safety. 

Fun Facts: on July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage rose from $6.55 per hour to $7.25, stagnating there for nearly 17 years now. That's the longest amount of time the federal minimum wage has gone without an increase since the US started the pay standard in 1938.
Conn. - $16.94
Maine - $15.10
Mass. - $15.00, non-tipped; $6.75, tipped
New York - $16-17.00 (depending on the region)
RI - $15.00
Vermont - $14.42
NH - $7.25
As usual, we stand regressively alone.

Democrats introduced HB 1484 to initiate a state minimum wage, raised incrementally. Testimony online showed 407 people supported this bill and 17 opposed it. Rep. Creighton made the motion to table, which passed, 180-153. 
And NH remains standing alone.

HB 1256 removes the authority of the state librarian to award scholarships to students attending graduate library schools. Republican Free Staters are the sponsors, including Rep. Noble who wants segregated schools. These graduate library schools are accredited by the American Library Association, a non-profit accrediting masters programs in library science. It is also NOT a political action committee. The bill passed, 189-162. Education and students lose again.

Fun fact: there is 1% or less transgender people living in NH, yet attacks on them continue: HB 1442 opens the door for all sorts of unnecessary problems for a tiny sliver of NH’s population. Online testimony showed 660 opposing, 17 in support. When the bill came up for a vote to refer it for further study, it failed 182-163. 

A motion by Rep. Alice Wade to table it failed, 186-163. A floor amendment was added and passed, 183-162. This is the wording:
I.  "Female" is defined as an individual with a reproductive system of the type which in normal function produce ova and specifically defined as an individual who lacks a functional Y chromosome.  A functional Y chromosome is a Y chromosome which expressed the SRY gene during fetal development. A person with 46,XX/46,XY and functional ovarian tissue is a female.  

II.  "Male" is defined as an individual with a reproductive system of the type which in normal function produce sperm. Male shall include any person who does not meet the definition of female.

Got that?

All this to hurt a tiny sliver, 1% or less of NH’s population who just want to live their lives in peace. The floor speech by Rep. Wade is below. She is courageous and an inspiration!  

Thursday, March 5th was a very challenging Session day. Why? The Republican Free Staters practically fell over themselves to defeat or table bills calling for accountability for their precious public education destroying school vouchers. Here’s a few examples:

HB 1578 was an effort brought forth by Democrats for the school voucher program to give quarterly reports listing the number of applications and withdrawals, use of funding along with parental reimbursements. In other words, transparency for public funds used in this out-of-control program! Rep. Rick Ladd (who scored an A on Liberty Alliance scorecard), Chairman of the Education Funding Committee, made the motion to “table” the bill, which passed 182-162. So, what does this mean? For that answer I turn to my colleague Rep. Anita Burroughs who wrote in her Substack article; “If a motion to table succeeds, debate on the bill ends immediately. Only a simple majority is required. If the bill is never taken off the table, it effectively dies.” And “Occasionally, however, a bill is removed from the table when one party realizes that changes in attendance have shifted the vote count and they suddenly have a chance to pass legislation that once seemed unwinnable.”

So, they killed the bill anyway. No transparency for the use of public funding.

HB 1264 was another Democrat effort at bringing accountability and transparency to the school voucher program. It also required the oversight committee to meet monthly and for these meetings to be live broadcast and recorded on the general court website. Since 2022, this wasteful program has gone from $8 million to a projected $52 million this year. In just under four years! 

Rep. Kristin Noble, who thinks schools should be segregated, made a motion to table the bill. A roll call was requested and the bill was tabled, 186-165. Nope, no accountability for school vouchers. Business as usual.

HB 1820 sponsored by Democrats, would require the NH Dept. of Education to administer the education freedom account program, making it more accountable to auditors, lawmakers and NH citizens. At a projected cost of $52 million taxpayer dollars, having the NHDOE manage this program would give much needed accountability, oversight and transparency. Currently, this program is managed by Children's Scholarship Fund, which costs an additional $5 million each year. Rep. Noble again motioned to table this bill, which passed, 179-157. Nope, NHDOE won’t be overseeing public funds that are rerouted to private school vouchers.

HB 1834 limits the number of school vouchers allowed through 2027. Estimates put 13,750 students in the program next year, up from this year’s count of 10,510. This was a Democrat sponsored bill looking to protect the already overburdened property owner. And, wanting only to protect their voucher program, Rep. Noble again motions to table the bill, which passes, 180-157. Nope, come one, come all to the Republican school voucher trough. 

Two other Democrat sponsored bills, HB 1402 and HB 1403 would codify into statute the NH credentialing standards for (respectively) superintendents and school business administrators. This pertained to knowledge, skills and competency to perform those duties. HB 1402 was tabled, 184-150 by Rep. Noble and HB 1403 was tabled, 196-152 by Rep. Margaret Drye (B+ on LA scorecard). 

HB 1635 sponsored by Republicans, reduces the amount of suicide prevention training administrators, teachers and staff receive from once a year to every other year. The committee heard concerns from mental health associations, a parent who lost a child to suicide and organizations working to reduce suicide. Testimony online was 238 who opposed this bill with 12 who supported it. Not caring about children who are now out of the womb, the bill passed, 183-167. Did you know what the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-24 in NH is? Yup, you guessed it. Suicide. 
Fun fact: one of the Republican sponsors is an EMT. Go figure . . .

There were plenty more good bills that were either killed or tabled (same ending, basically) and terrible bills that were passed. But those are for a future article.

In the meantime, be sure to get out next week and vote at your town meetings. Look over your warrant articles. Vet your candidates. Remember, the Republican Free Staters start at the local level; school boards, select and planning boards, trustees . . .

NHCADSV is an established organization assisting women and men experiencing abuse in their lives. Whether it’s domestic, financial or sexual abuse, the coalition and their crisis centers are there for the victims. Now, the coalition finds itself in a position of needing the public’s help. 

A bill will be coming to the House floor next week that will remove the privacy protections victims rely on at New Hampshire’s domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers throughout the state. HB 1675 wants to form “a commission to investigate the NH Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and require funding only be provided for the direct services materially benefitting survivors of sexual and domestic assault.” This would force the Coalition and twelve crisis centers to turn over private records belonging to victims of abuse. Yes, the organization helping survivors of rape, domestic violence, stalking, and trafficking could be forced to respond to public requests for information about their work and the victims they serve. Victims call crisis centers because they believe their conversations are confidential. Which they are and stay that way! That trust is what allows survivors to come forward, make safety plans and access life-saving services. HB1675 puts that very trust at risk. 

This bill is not about accountability. Should it pass, it would: 

• Allow people to flood crisis centers with requests meant to harass and overwhelm staff;
• Discourage victims from looking for help for fear their information could be exposed;  
• Strip NH of federal victim-services funding that mandates crisis centers to provide confidential support.

As an aside, no other nonprofit victim service organizations in NH are subject to Right-to-Know requests. Why this one?

So, here’s the “call to action part:” (email) contact your state representative letting them know of your opposition to this dangerous (for abuse victims) bill. Here is a sample message to use. The more legislators hear from their constituents, the more likely they are to understand how serious this threat to victim safety really is.  

The online testimony shows 1,148 who oppose this bill with 256 who support it. I’ll leave you with some examples of testimony:
~The legislature should be protecting victims, not trying to silence victims and, not investigating an outstanding non profit organization.

~I oppose HB1675 because it hurts people who need help. The NH Coalition Against Domestic Violence& Sexual Violence advocates for victims. The legislature should not have investigative authority over non-profit organizations because our justice system has authority and procedures to deal with problems. The legislature should not pass this bill but work together to solve problems of protecting victims of abuse.

~Domestic and sexual violence is nonpartisan and affects all of us. The Coalition does amazing work to fight against it and serve all kinds of victims. Like most nonprofits they already have extensive scrutiny and oversight, which is why everyone should oppose this Bill. It is nonsensical and wasteful.

~Survivor services and prevention work must be protected. My daughter is a survivor and the local crisis center was essential to her getting help and safety. Protect victims!

As part of a voting rights movement and despite ongoing segregationist repression, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Leadership Christian Conference (SCLC) led protest marches to the Dallas County Courthouse during Jan. and Feb. 1965. On Feb. 18th, an Alabama state trooper shot protester Jimmy Lee Jackson, who died eight days later. In response, a protest march from Selma to the state’s capital in Montgomery was scheduled for March 7.

Along that 54 mile stretch of highway from Selma to Montgomery, three protest marches took place. These nonviolent marches were organized as a means of African-American citizens pushing for their constitutional right to vote. Six hundred people gathered in Selma on Sun., March 7, now forever known as "Bloody Sunday." The late Congressman John Lewis led them and other SCLC activists on this march. Before crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River to Montgomery, they were blocked by Alabama State Police and local police, ordering them to turn around. When the unarmed protesters refused, the police shot tear gas into the crowd, beating the nonviolent protesters with batons, resulting in over fifty people being hospitalized. Lewis himself suffered a fractured skull. Another march took place a couple days later, but because of the unrest didn’t amount to much.

On March 21, thousands of protesters marched along US Route 80, reaching Montgomery on the 24th. On March 25th, roughly 25,000 people held a demonstration on the steps of the State Capital. The resulting Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. 

The march route is memorialized and designated as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail and is a reminder to all of us that nonviolent protests and perseverance can and do work!

Jonathan Myrick Daniels was born on March 20, 1939, in Keene and was an Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist. In 1965, Daniels joined the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama returning to the seminary in Massachusetts to take his exams. In July, he returned to Selma where he tutored children, assisted the  poor in applying for aid and helped register new voters. 

On Aug. 14, 1965, Daniels was one of 29 protesters who went to Fort Deposit, Alabama to picket whites-only stores. Subsequently, they were all arrested and taken in a garbage truck to a jail in the nearby town of Hayneville and were held for six days. On Aug. 20th, they were released, waiting near the courthouse jail as one of their members called for a ride back to Fort Deposit. Daniels and three others, a white Catholic priest and two black female activists, went to buy a cold soft drink at nearby Varner's Cash Store, one of a few places to serve non-whites. Standing in front of the store was Tom L. Coleman, an unpaid special deputy, holding a shotgun and had a holstered pistol. Coleman threatened the group, pointing his gun at seventeen-year-old Ruby Sales. Daniels pushed her down, catching the full blast of the shotgun and was killed instantly.

Hearing of Daniels' murder, Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "one of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan Daniels." His death brought further support for the civil rights movement. In 1991, the Episcopal church designated Daniels a martyr and he is recognized annually in the Episcopal church.

Fifty years later, this country is still in a fight for voting rights. Here in New Hampshire we have seen one voter suppression bill after another get passed into law by Republican legislators who hold the majority and want to keep it that way by making it harder to vote. So, this is the perfect segue into an upcoming event being held to address that issue, still fighting for voting rights.

On Sun., March 15th at the St. James Episcopal Church in Keene there will be an event titled “Freedom’s Unfinished Journey.” The event runs from 1:30-3:30 and scheduled speakers are:
~Rev. Elsa Worth will give an introduction
~Olivia Zink from Open Democracy
~Deborah Opramolla, Following Jonathan Daniels Example Meet the Team here at Disability Rights Center NH
~Prof. Larry "Lawrence" Benaquist, made a documentary "Here am I, send me. The Journey of Jonathan Daniels."

I’m told there’s also food! 

“If voting didn’t matter much, foreign governments wouldn’t try to influence it. And if voting didn’t matter much, we wouldn’t see efforts in America to make it harder for certain people to vote. Your vote does matter.”
― Kim Wehle, law professor, University of Baltimore School of Law

Earlier this week, due to constant peaceful protests, media and social media publicity along with contacting the governor and federal representatives, the proposed human warehouse in Merrimack was declared “dead on arrival.” Too bad for House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, who was so looking forward to a “ribbon cutting.”

 

Ahhh, the power of We, the People, when we band together and use our voices.

Now the end of this week brought the abrupt end of another cruel and vengeful piece of proposed legislation filed by Free Stater Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney. HR 41 was seeking to have the House of Representatives investigate whether grounds existed to impeach Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, the only Democrat on the Executive Council. 

Her “crime”? Let’s recap that . . .

Sweeney, the lone sponsor, claimed in his bill, “in her capacity as an executive councilor, Karen Liot Hill used official resources, including her government email account and the prestige and authority of her office, to facilitate and encourage litigation against the state of New Hampshire’s duly enacted election laws by recruiting potential plaintiffs and referring them to a partisan out-of-state law firm . . .” 

In mid-December, the state’s Attorney General’s Office found otherwise, announcing Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill did nothing wrong by using her government email responding to a law firm suing the state over our new suppressive voter ID law. But HR 41 was already filed and in the process of making its way to the House floor for a vote. Before that happens, the bill went to the House Judiciary Committee, where there was a public hearing held Fri., Feb. 27th. 

The committee room was packed, with more than 50 people who showed up in support of Karen. More people had previously gone online to register their support for her, 2,031 to be exact. Perhaps that was why Sweeney had withdrawn his support for his own bill, as we all learned at the start of the hearing and was a no show. . .

At the end of what turned out to be a very short hearing, the Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to send this nonsense to the full House with a recommendation of ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate), “kill the bill.” More here.

Let’s continue to use our voices.

HB 1277 is a reasonable bi-partisan bill seeking to “require an applicant for an absentee ballot to write his or her drivers' license number or nondrivers' license identification number on their application.” Online support numbered 306 to 10 who opposed. This committee is meeting on Tues. the 3rd and you can urge members of the Election Law Committee to vote Ought to Pass (OTP) by contacting (email) them.

On Thurs. the 5th, the State Senate will be voting on HB 323, another suppressive voting bill, this time targeting college students. This bill requires presenting a government-issued photographic means of identification to vote, rather than the acceptance of a college ID. Which seemed to work OK in the past. File this one under, “it ain’t broke, why are you trying to fix it?” Contact your senator (or drop all of them an email) urging them to vote against this bill. Those who registered their opposition online numbered 811 to 67 who supported it. 

In yesterday’s words of Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, “. . . we have two-year terms for members of the executive and legislative branch, and the voters are the ones who hold their elected officials accountable." 

Just sayin’ . . . and thank you all for your determined activism in the name of democracy. 

The Free State Project (FSP) is a political movement aimed at relocating “liberty” minded people to New Hampshire, promoting personal and economic freedom. (Along with guns and crypto.) Their thinking is that “more liberty leads to more prosperity for everyone.” Ask any property owner whose taxes have risen to offset all the state revenue that has been stripped away by the Free Staters just how prosperous they’re feeling. 

The Libertarian Party of NH (LPNH) is the state affiliate of the 
national Libertarian Party, “dedicated to advancing principles of individual liberty, voluntary association, private property rights and limited government intervention in personal and economic affairs.”

Sigh . . .

The leader of the LPNH is Jeremy Kauffman, a former board member of the Free State Project, having been kicked out in 2023 for his repeated refusal to stop using FSP social media accounts to promote white supremacy. In 2022, he ran against Maggie Hassan for a Senate seat and thankfully lost. In 2024 he was visited by the FBI for posting on X, “Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero.” Kauffman’s wife, Rachel Goldsmith, was an Interim Executive Director for FSP (2018) for a couple years before beginning a chapter of Moms for Liberty in 2021 in Hillsborough County. Later that year, “Moms” offered a $500 bounty to anyone who turned in an educator who “taught” critical race theory. Here they are with the governor, House Majority Leader Jason Osborne and his wife Sharon. 

Recently this invitation to attend an upcoming Free State party in NH appeared on a white supremacist X account.

And this disturbing one and a half minute video, promoting Free Staters and Libertarians recently surfaced but was removed. Luckily, someone thought to save and share with others. It’s narrated by Kauffman who fancies himself as our future governor, claims to want to raise strong, healthy families (but wants nothing to do with vaccines), wants to go to Mars to cure disease (but they have no use for science), questions if NH should annex northern Maine. It’s a dark vision of “utopia.” 

To see where your representative’s votes land him/her on the Liberty Alliance scorecard, click here.

This can and must be stopped by using the ballot box in November! 

“This bill is an unseemly attack on a political enemy. It brings shame to our legislature and the legislators who support it.”

“I strongly oppose this nonsense! Stop wasting the people's time and resources!”

“This bill is an outrageous example of partisanship.”

Now what craziness is going on in the legislature? 

Rep. Joe Sweeney has set his sights on Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill. He wants the House of Representatives to investigate whether grounds exist to impeach her. Her alleged horrendous “crime” was contacting five individuals/organizations requesting an assist to a constituent who asked for her help concerning the latest voter suppression bill SB 287, that was recently signed into law. This bill makes it harder for those who vote absentee to continue to do so by now requiring an acceptable photo ID or appearing in person before a notary or clerk. Proof of her transparent “crime” of helping a constituent can be viewed here.

The NH Atty. General's office recently found the Councilor as having done nothing wrong by using her government email when responding to a law firm concerning the lawsuit. “This Office cannot conclude that the e-mails constituted a misuse of position or otherwise violated the executive branch ethics code. This matter is closed.” 

Case closed, right? Apparently not. . .

To that end, there will be a public hearing on Friday, March 27 at 9:30 on this upcoming bill, HR 41. The prime and only sponsor is Free Stater Rep. Joe Sweeney. Here’s the call to action part that we’re all getting real good at: 
Click here to sign in your online testimony
Your name and address
Feb. 27th on the calendar
Judiciary Committee
HR 41, 9:30
You oppose this bill
You can also leave written testimony if you’d like or show up in support of Karen at 1 Granite Place in Concord. 

So far, 620 oppose this waste of time, 5 support it.

I’ll leave you with a few more comments left in opposition to this bill:

“As a former State Representative who has worked closely with Executive Councilor Liot-Hill, I oppose this unnecessary bill. The Attorney General has exonerated her from any wrongdoing after careful investigation. She serves her constituents and all people of our state admirably. I ask you to vote NO on this misguided bill. The Honorable Richard M. Abel”

“Karen Liot Hill has been our outstanding Executive Councilor and this is a sadly partisan attempt to undercut her. She has already been exonerated from any claims of wrong-doing and this is not necessary or even acceptable.”

“This resolution has no place in a democratic system where the courts have already decided the fate of an elevated official. This is pure and simple partisan nonsense. This resolution should not pass. It is time for all legislators to agree to disagree and move on. This vindictive behavior is beneath the office held by elected officials.”

“Karen Liot Hill has been investigated through the AG and cleared of wrong-doing. Wasting the state’s resources on impeachment when there is lack of evidence of wrong-doing is not only inappropriate and wasteful, it is abusive. I am absolutely opposed to HR41.”

The founder of the “Free State Project” (FSP) is Texas born Jason Sorens, residing in Amherst. In 2001, he organized a migration of 20,000 Libertarians, anarchists, anarcho-capitalists, pacifists, even some like-minded Democrats and Republicans, to New Hampshire. Here they sought to create an even “freer” NH, free from laws and rules; free from government-issued currency, public schools and libraries; free from rules and laws that keep us safe such as environmental and zoning regulations, speed limits, drug and vaccine laws.

These new transplants immediately integrated into NH; lawyers, hair stylists, business owners, crypto dealers and most importantly, politicians. They quickly discovered there were already some elected officials and residents who were like-minded and formed the Liberty Alliance. Many of their members got themselves elected to local town, planning, zoning, library and school boards, unbeknownst to unsuspecting townspeople. 

The NH House Republicans are now under their control. They began the process of defunding public education with the help of former Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. They oppose vaccine mandates and have expanded gun carrying rights onto college campuses. All this and more accomplished with the help of FSP board member Greg Moore, who is also the (NH) State Director of Americans for Prosperity. (Think Koch brothers, although one is now deceased.) Currently more than 160 Free Staters/Liberty Alliance members hold seats in the NH House and Senate. 

From March 5-8, the Free Staters will be hosting their “liberty” forum in Concord, with a tour of the State House on Thurs. the 5th. So, from 2:30-3:30 come join fellow citizens to show that NH is not their Free State "Project" to take over and turn into their "libertarian homeland." If you know you are going to attend and would like a free sign respond here. Be sure to bring a friend, NH is depending on all of us!

Former State Senator Jeanne Dietsch has done extensive research on the Free Staters and their history here in NH. She has been traveling the state giving talks, answering questions and handouts to those who want to share with others. Titled “Who are the Free Staters? Wake up, NH!”, she will be speaking next in:
~Wolfeboro, March 5th at 6:30, Wolfeboro Library, North Main St.
~Franklin, March 19th at 6:00, 24 Peabody Place
~Concord, April 8th at 6:30, Citywide Community Center, 14 Canterbury Rd.

Unable to make any one of those dates? No problem. Click on the above link to schedule a “Free State Awareness” presentation by Jeanne in your town. 

Haven’t the Free Staters/Liberty Alliance members damaged NH enough with what they think “freedom” and “liberty” is all about. Time to put a stop to it. Those of you who live in Carroll County District 7, Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro and Ossipee have a special election on Tues. March 10th to fill an open seat in the House of Representatives. The Free Staters have been consistently voting in new laws to restrict and suppress voting rights. Be sure to use that right because it’s past time we put a stop to bad legislation! 

Next up on the Republican chopping block is special education and people with disabilities, in other words, the vulnerable.

A Democratic bill meant to help school districts with special education costs, HB 1557 was, naturally, voted down on Feb. 19th. The bill made minor changes to the required state aid provided to school districts for the costs of special education. The bill removed the grant proration if the state’s appropriation was not enough. Online public testimony had a little over 100 people who supported this bill, with only ten opposing. Those who left written testimony in support cited the need to reduce already burdensome property taxes. Still wanting to destroy any form of public education, the bill was defeated, 184-157.  

Here’s one that actually passed by voice vote, with a few from the other side of the chamber yelling a feeble “no.” HB 1574 permits school boards to extend eligibility in the free and reduced meal program for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for an extra year. Students who receive special education are now permitted to remain in school until they reach age 22. The Democrat-sponsored bill further directs the state to reimburse school boards from the general fund for free and reduced price meals for those who are eligible. 

HB 1791 initiates an inclusive higher education program for students with developmental disabilities, awarding grants to public higher education institutions to increase programming and support for students with developmental disabilities. Education Funding Committee Chairman Rep. Rick Ladd (who scored B+ on the Liberty Alliance 2025 scorecard) spoke out against the Democrat backed bill urging a vote to defeat it. The bill failed, 187-157. 
Fun fact: New Hampshire is the only state who doesn’t do this for students with developmental disabilities. And sadly, will remain that way.

The state did get a few more wins before the day ended. HB 1467 will require the Dept. of Education to develop the NH Seal of Civic Engagement and Excellence Program. The bill further directs school boards to award qualifying graduating high school students the distinction of a seal attached to their diploma and completion of the program mentioned in their transcript. The Democrat proposed bill passed by voice vote. 

As did HB1571, sponsored by Republicans! The statewide academic standards for math, science and English/language arts and reading are currently in need of a review. HB 1571 will require the Dept. of Education to review and update statewide academic standards, while making a recommended list of exceptional curriculum and instructional materials available to school districts. 

This bill, HB 1792 pays homage to their slain “hero” Charlie Kirk, while targeting public schools again. “Short Title. This act may also be cited as the "Countering Hate And Revolutionary Leftist Indoctrination in Education Act" or the "CHARLIE Act". The bill prohibits the teaching of critical race theory, LGBTQ+ ideologies, identity based ideologies, and Marxist analyses in public schools. (Funny, how private, religious schools are never mentioned.) The bill also creates a private right of action for parents and students whose feelings and sensibilities are offended by a school violating these new rules. Naturally the party of “hard labor” added their favorite punishment in the way of fines, up to $10,000 per violation and a possible termination of a teaching certificate for “unprofessional” conduct under the Educator Code of Conduct. 

Not surprisingly, online testimony had 1,271 opposing with 353 in support. Some people wrote: “Please send this white supremacist nonsense out of New Hampshire.”
“This bill, casts suspicion on our teachers, blatantly lies about classroom teaching, and then imposes stiff penalties on educators for violating vague, undefined sections.”
“This bill is anti-education and anti-freedom. I oppose this bill in the strongest possible terms.”
“Critical race theory and LGBTQ+ are NOT ideologies.”

Republican Rep. Matthew Coker gave a floor speech which you can see here (at the 1:15:31 mark) stating how he disagreed with this bill, spoke to many of his colleagues who agreed with him but were hesitant to vote against leadership and that they weren’t mindless robots. “There’s no way I will replace left “woke” with right “woke.” He then urged a “no” vote. To his credit, he DID vote against the bill. I hope his time in the woodshed was swift. 

Rep. Katy Peternel (scores an “A” with Liberty Alliance) spoke of returning “truth to public education because this is how we improve our public schools.” No mention of how they are diligently working to defund and destroy them. Free Stater Jason Osborne spoke, his speech is at the 1:26:45 mark. And this terrible bill went on to pass, 184-164.

While we voted on nearly 50 bills, I’ll throw in just one more. HB 1499 adds new, mostly redundant reasons to evict a tenant. A landlord can already evict if someone lies on their application or participates in criminal behavior such as threats to property or other tenant safety. The bill further conflicts with the federal Fair Housing law, possibly creating confusion and increasing lawsuit risks for landlords. It passed anyway, 193-154, but not before Rep. Sheri Minor (B+ with Liberty Alliance) spoke, “ . . .if I know identity thieves, recent felons and registered sex offenders are not a protected class in our fair housing laws, would I then press the green button . . .”

Anybody else thinking of an (alleged) sex offender who IS in a protected class?