Next Wed., on Jan 21st, in the Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee, HB 1091 will be heard in a public hearing. This bill is meant to require cities and towns to provide for a nonfinancial penalty that may be elected in place of a financial penalty for any ordinance or bylaw prohibiting sleeping or camping outdoors. Currently Keene’s fines are $157, compared to Nashua at $1000. 

Sadly, for unhoused individuals, these fines only generate yet another unaffordable barrier to stability, particularly one that folks who are unhoused are least likely to be able to overcome. 

Requiring a nonfinancial means of remedy for these violations, such as community service, verification of long-term housing or employment, etc., could make these unfortunate situations productive ones, help to lift people up, rather than push them deeper into debt and further instability.

This bill is sponsored by Rep. Jodi Newell – Keene, along with several other Democrats in both the House and Senate. Please take a moment to register your support of HB 1091 to the House of Representatives sign in portal. Fill in your name and address, then follow the prompts; the date is Jan. 21st; the committee is Criminal Justice and Public Safety; the bill is HB 1091 at 3:30; unless otherwise, you’re a member of the public and then that you support the bill. Hit “submit.” 

Let’s give a helping hand to someone today!

On Wed, Jan. 14th, the New Hampshire House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee held a public hearing for three death penalty bills:

• HB1749, reinstating the death penalty for murder offenses.
• HB1413, reinstituting the death penalty in cases of capital murder
• HB1737, relative to reinstating the death penalty for certain offenses against minors under 13 years of age

All three will now be going before the House for a vote in early February. Another similar bill will be heard in the same committee today Thurs., Jan. 15th.

• HB1730, making all offenses against minors involving sexual penetration or contact felony-level offenses punishable by death

The public hearing was recorded with both support and opposition speeches given. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, Peter Libasci, spoke to the amount of money it takes to end someone’s life that could be spent on needs which would benefit the quality of life for people in the state. Recall that it costs roughly $1.1 million to put someone to death as opposed to $6-700,000 for life imprisonment. 

Rep. Seth King – Whitefield, a Liberty Alliance member who scored a B+ for his votes last year, spoke of his “concern” for putting someone to death. Should be done humanely, such as a firing squad which sounded so much kinder to him then say, the electric chair or a lethal injection. I wonder how he would know that . . . There was no mention of public hanging, guillotine or that all time biblical favorite, public stoning.

The other bill which came before the same committee yesterday was HB 1793. This bill, proposed by fourteen Republican House and Senate members, will:

 I.  Prohibit public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of firearms and non-lethal weapons on campus.

 II.  Allow persons aggrieved by public colleges or universities that implement such regulations to sue such institutions for damages and injunctive relief.

Yes, you read that right, colleges can be sued if someone’s feelings are hurt because they aren’t allowed to bring a weapon on campus! Public testimony on this bill can be viewed here. This bill will also be coming to the House for a vote early next month. 

So far there is overwhelming public opposition to these barbaric bills. For example, HB 1413 registered 637 against with only five in support; HB 1730 registered 575 against with only three in support; HB 1749 registered 667 against with only three supporting.

These are bills to keep an eye on as we move closer to a scheduled vote in the House.

“Hangman, Hangman, upon your face a smile. Tell me that I’m free to ride, ride for many a mile.”   Led Zepplin  “Gallows Pole”

More terrible bills are making their way through Committee hearings this week. Your job, should you choose to accept it (again), is to register your support or opposition of these bills.

First up, reinstating the death penalty in New Hampshire. On May 30th, 2019, NH became the last New England state and the 21st state to abolish the death penalty. That repeal is not retroactive and there remains one person on death row, Michael Addison, convicted of murdering police officer Michael Briggs in Manchester in 2006. 

Fun facts: NH hasn’t executed anyone since 1939 and has the lowest homicide rate in the nation. 
Fun fact: Studies have shown that capital punishment is more costly to implement rather than a life imprisonment sentence, roughly $1.1 million versus $6-700,000 for life imprisonment. 

The Republicans are repealing all manner of state revenue. Where do they think they’re going to get the money to legally kill people?

Anyway . . .

On Wed., Jan. 14th, the House Criminal Justice Committee will have a public hearing for the following bills:

• HB1749, reinstating the death penalty for murder offenses.
• HB1413, reinstituting the death penalty in cases of capital murder
• HB1737, relative to reinstating the death penalty for certain offenses against minors under 13 years of age

Click on the bill number to see who the sponsors are and more information about the bill itself.

The other bill will be heard in the same committee the next day Thurs., Jan. 15th.

• HB1730, making all offenses against minors involving sexual penetration or contact felony-level offenses punishable by death

To register your opposition to these four bills, click here and follow the prompts. 

On Fri., Jan. 16th, 10:00am, the House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on HB1651. This bill establishes sexual assault orders of protection when they fear for their safety and updates certain rights for sexual assault survivors. 
Currently, survivors of sexual assault may not be able to access civil domestic violence or stalking orders if they are not in a relationship with the offender, or their experiences don't rise to the level of stalking. This helps ensure these protections extend to all sexual assault survivors in NH, regardless of their relationship to the offender.

HB1651 strengthens survivors' right. This bill will require survivors be informed about the status and location of their rape kit and how long it will be stored. This gives survivors more control over their kit by being able to track its location through the system. This bill also fixes a shortfall in current law by ensuring rape kits are preserved for either the full statute of limitations or 20 years, whichever is longer. This protects access to evidence, especially for child survivors.

To register your support of this bill, click here and as before follow the prompts.

HB1740 completely repeals and rewrites NH's domestic violence statute, RSA 173-B. This bill would significantly restrict access to civil protection, increase danger for victims, and undermine decades of evidence-based domestic violence policy in NH. It will cut funding for crisis centers and survivor services, making it harder to get a protective order by requiring there be criminal charges before someone can get protection. This will create more court delays, costs, and barriers for victims, undermining victim privacy and emergency protections when danger is highest. 

To register your opposition to these dangerous bills, click here and again, follow the prompts.

Thank you again for taking the time to participate in our democracy!

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), is under attack again! SB 615 is another attack on those in our state who are most vulnerable; children, senior citizens and veterans. This Republican sponsored bill seeks to cut eligibility for SNAP while adding more red tape and hoops to jump through.

As if that’s not enough, there are already federal SNAP cuts in place due to the recently passed “Budget Reconciliation Bill;”
Effective October 1, 2025:
~SNAP nutrition education eliminated: Federal funding to the tune of $1.18 million for NH's SNAP-Ed program gets cut. The result? Thousands will experience even worse food insecurity, thereby reducing health benefits, and eroding economic benefits by undermining programs such as the one that doubles SNAP dollars at farmers' markets.

Effective October 1, 2026:
~NH will be stuck with huge new administration costs: The state will pay 75% of SNAP's operating costs, up from 50%. This is an annual increase of at least $5.7 million, potentially resulting in less staff and slower service for families.

Effective October 1, 2027:
~NH will be hit with huge new food benefit costs: the state may end up having to pay a share of SNAP food benefits if the state's error rate is 6% or higher. The cost share is likely to be between 5-15% of benefits, costing millions more annually. This would be a humanitarian disaster for NH. 

So why do Republicans in the state senate want to add more pain? Remember the recent federal government shutdown? SNAP assistance was halted, resulting in immediate and overwhelming numbers of folks utilizing food pantries. 
This bill inflicts constraints on top of federal SNAP rules, such as making purchases in NH only, creating unnecessary administrative burdens on retailers and could possibly force small stores to stop taking SNAP. SB 615 places more administrative burdens, risking huge federal penalties.

This bill comes before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Jan. 14 and is opposed by NH Hunger Solutions. Please take a moment to contact committee members and urge them to vote “no” on this cruel bill:

Email Entire Committee or singularly:

Sen. David Rochefort | Chair | 603-271-8631 | David.Rochefort@gc.nh.gov

Sen. Kevin Avard | Vice Chair | 603-271-3479 | Kevin.Avard@gc.nh.gov

Sen. Regina Birdsell | 603-271-3479 | Regina.Birdsell@gc.nh.gov

Sen. Suzanne Prentiss | 603-271-3091 | suzanne.prentiss@gc.nh.gov

Sen. Pat Long | 603-271-2104 | Patrick.Long@gc.nh.gov

To register your opinion online click here:
The date of the hearing is Jan. 14th
The committee is Health & Human Services
The bill is SB 615
Unless otherwise, you are a member of the public
Select whether you support or oppose this bill
Hit continue and fill in your name and address
Hit continue again, you’re done!

Thank you for taking the time to defend democracy in its many forms, this time speaking in defense of those in our communities who are the most vulnerable!

For many people, the time period between America’s Civil War and Great Depression were economically hard times, resulting in high unemployment and as a result, brought with it a wave of transients, called “tramps.”

In 1875, seeking to address the growing number of transients, New Hampshire passed a state law sentencing those caught publicly begging, up to six months at the county or town poor farm. Didn’t take too long for this new law to inundate local towns, so in 1878, the legislature passed a new state law called “Marston’s Law.” This law sent beggars and tramps to state prison for up to five years doing hard labor. All for the “crime” of being poor.

Most small towns, having no local police departments, couldn’t impose this law. Instead, townspeople/taxpayers built small buildings called "tramp houses." These were roughly around 200 square feet, a gabled roof, one door, one window and a chimney for the small wood stove inside. The houses made of wood were sometimes lined with sheet metal to prevent fires. Some also served as a jail.

Towns were required to provide food and firewood to transients, with town reports between the 1870s and 1940s showing these expenses, which often came under the police or welfare budgets.

Today, only seven known free standing tramp houses remain: in Barnstead, Errol, Grafton, Hill, Kingston, Richmond and Weare, a reminder of earlier, tough economic times for a lot of people. And how others stepped up to assist.

Thurs., Jan. 8th was the second day House Representatives were back at the State House, ostensibly to do the work of the people. That afternoon HB 348 came up for a vote. Sponsored by Jennifer Rhodes-Winchester, Jason Osborne-Auburn, Joe Sweeney-Salem, Terry Roy-Deerfield, Ross Berry-Weare and several others from the majority party, this bill will permit towns to limit public assistance for those in need. 

Currently, NH law RSA 165 states in part: I. “Whenever a person in any town is poor and unable to support himself, he shall be relieved and maintained by the overseers of public welfare of such town, whether or not he has residence there.” And RSA 165:20 allows for towns to reimburse each other for assistance given to residents originally from some other town. 

An added amendment to HB 348 now requires those seeking assistance to “provide proof of residency prior to being approved for such assistance. Acceptable evidence of an individual's residence may include a lease, car registration, utility bill, or any government-issued document with an address matching the stated residence.” However, if you’re running from domestic violence you get 72 hours to come up with the required documents, just in case that isn’t the first thing an abuse victim thinks to pack. After the floor debate, the bill went to a roll call vote where it handily passed, 190-157. Click here to see how your representative voted on this latest bit of cruelty to others. To see the floor debate: House Session (01/08/2026)

And no article would be complete without mentioning that the much maligned HB 155 sponsored by Joe Alexander-Goffstown, Berry, Osborne and Sweeney was passed 189-165 through a roll call vote. This bill cuts the Business and Enterprise Tax (a boon to the wealthy) and reduces state revenue annually by more than $20 million. Those of you reading this know exactly where the money to make up for that shortfall will have to come from. 

You . . . 

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.”   Proverbs 19:17

Back when the Education Freedom Account (school voucher program) was brought to fruition by the legislature in 2021, it was initially touted as a “choice” for low-income families wanting to send their children to private or home school, rather than public schools. It was originally intended for students who were already in public school, making the transition to private or home school. It was also originally intended for students whose family’s annual income was at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. That cap had been incrementally raised and has now been eliminated altogether. It didn’t take Gov. Ayotte long to sign the newly passed bill into law. 

The Children's Scholarship Fund (based out of New York), is the administrator of the school voucher program. ClassWallet doles out the money to educational providers. This includes homeschools, on-line learning, out-of-district public schools and private/religious schools. And yes, they do draw a paycheck. 

Nearly two years ago, state auditors, specifically NH’s Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA), were attempting to review and audit the Education Freedom Account school choice program. Then Education Commissioner Frank Edleblut felt the LBA should not have requested financial data that is not owned by the state (even though state dollars are used). He called it a “fishing expedition.” I can see why he wanted to hide what taxpayer money was supporting. Here is the link for the “EFA service providers,” with some examples following: 

Your child interested in taking dance lessons, including Irish step? How about learning karate/martial arts? Plenty of businesses to choose from. Perhaps your child is interested in horses, just contact a stable in Alstead, Belmont or Temple. They’ll set your child up. French horn lessons. Piano lessons. Photography school. Child needs driver training? Schools in Enfield, Goffstown, Moultonborough or Rochester. Tutors? Skiing lessons? Gunstock Area Commission received $62,738; Pat’s Peak Ski Area, $4,246; Waterville Valley Ski Area, (Sununus,) $237. Let’s not forget the Association of Pickleball Players who received $1,510 in voucher money. All happy to do so. Here’s another one with their hand out, The Prickle. Their logo is the Free Stater porcupine. Tells us all we need to know . . .

And then the state pays these places which are clearly out-of-state: 
Mid-Vt. Christian School, White River Junction, Vermont
Mahogany Bay Farm in York, Maine 
Maximum Velocity Sports Camp, Berwick, Maine
Maker Farm, Pepperell, Mass.
Paper Pie, Chelmsford, Mass. Looks to be an on-line children’s book and game store! Why would they need vouchers?

Voting has consequences. This property tax sucking program and revenue repealing bills have been brought to you by the majority party. And they have plenty more hurtful bills in store for the state! Think of that when voting at your upcoming town meetings and again in Nov. 

Before they completely take that right away . . . 

Garry Rayno from InDepthNH, wrote even more about this burdensome program.

Back when the Education Freedom Account (school voucher program) was brought to fruition by the legislature in 2021, it was initially touted as a “choice” for low-income families wanting to send their children to private or home school, rather than public schools. It was originally intended for students who were already in public school, making the transition to private or home school. It was also originally intended for students whose family’s annual income was at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. That cap had been incrementally raised and has now been eliminated altogether. It didn’t take Gov. Ayotte long to sign the newly passed bill into law. 

The Children's Scholarship Fund (based out of New York), is the administrator of the school voucher program. ClassWallet doles out the money to educational providers. This includes homeschools, on-line learning, out-of-district public schools and private/religious schools. And yes, they do draw a paycheck. 

Nearly two years ago, state auditors, specifically NH’s Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA), were attempting to review and audit the Education Freedom Account school choice program. Then Education Commissioner Frank Edleblut felt the LBA should not have requested financial data that is not owned by the state (even though state dollars are used). He called it a “fishing expedition.” I can see why he wanted to hide what taxpayer money was supporting. Here is the link for the “EFA service providers,” with some examples following: 

Your child interested in taking dance lessons, including Irish step? How about learning karate/martial arts? Plenty of businesses to choose from. Perhaps your child is interested in horses, just contact a stable in Alstead, Belmont or Temple. They’ll set your child up. French horn lessons. Piano lessons. Photography school. Child needs driver training? Schools in Enfield, Goffstown, Moultonborough or Rochester. Tutors? Skiing lessons? Gunstock Area Commission received $62,738; Pat’s Peak Ski Area, $4,246; Waterville Valley Ski Area, (Sununus,) $237. Let’s not forget the Association of Pickleball Players who received $1,510 in voucher money. All happy to do so. Here’s another one with their hand out, The Prickle. Their logo is the Free Stater porcupine. Tells us all we need to know . . .

And then the state pays these places which are clearly out-of-state: 
Mid-Vt. Christian School, White River Junction, Vermont
Mahogany Bay Farm in York, Maine 
Maximum Velocity Sports Camp, Berwick, Maine
Maker Farm, Pepperell, Mass.
Paper Pie, Chelmsford, Mass. Looks to be an on-line children’s book and game store! Why would they need vouchers?

Voting has consequences. This property tax sucking program and revenue repealing bills have been brought to you by the majority party. And they have plenty more hurtful bills in store for the state! Think of that when voting at your upcoming town meetings and again in Nov. 

Before they completely take that right away . . . 

Garry Rayno from InDepthNH, wrote even more about this burdensome program.

To close out the year, at our last meeting the Keene City Council voted to pass "Suzette's Ordinance," which has been a long time coming. This ordinance will make it so that dogs that attack and injure other dogs or people can be required to wear a muzzle when out in public for two years after the attack.

This has been about two years in the making. We worked with State Rep. to change the law at the state level so it could enable New Hampshire municipalities to pass a local ordinance like this.

I was excited that Keene would be the first in the state to pass a muzzling ordinance to protect the public from vicious dogs, but it turn's out that Dover got ahead of us, and passed its version of the ordinance back in November. I expect other municipalities will follow.

"Granite staters are suffering from a plague of illegal aliens and fraudulent asylum seekers who put a drain on our resources, thus I look forward to permanently abolishing the NH office of refugee resettlement via HB1706, and I extend my warmest welcome to ICE as it ramps up operations in NH." Rep. Travis Corcoran – Weare, who scored an “A” with the extremist group Liberty Alliance's legislative voting scorecard. 

Now according to this recent article written by Rep. David Preece – Manchester, the current regime is now setting its sights on New Hampshire to renovate industrial warehouses to be used as ICE holding facilities. One town was specifically mentioned as a human warehouse possibility . . . Merrimack. 

Just a brief overview of the “plague of illegal aliens” in NH:
As the state (and the nation) grew, many French Canadians moved to NH after the Civil War and worked in textile mills. Today, about a quarter of the state can claim French-Canadian ancestry, myself included. During the late 1800’s, more and more immigrants came to NH to work in the mills, most of them were white European immigrants.  

By the early 1900’s, NH had roughly 88,000 foreign-born people living and working here, around 21% of the population. As of 2022, the state had about 82,000 foreign-born residents, comprising 6% of the state’s population. 
Fun fact: According to American Immigration Council data they account for roughly 7% of the labor force, which includes 11.3% of the manufacturing workforce and 13.4% of all science, technology and math (STEM) workers in NH. 

Another fun fact according to the American Immigration Council: in 2022 the total household income of NH immigrants was $4.4 billion, with $3.3 billion in spending power. They paid $1.1 billion in taxes; $262.2 million to state and local government and $849.4 million to the federal government. They added $460.3 million in Social Security taxes and $128.5 million in Medicare taxes.

On the flip side, there are an estimated 9,500 undocumented immigrants in the state, which works out to be about 0.7% of the state’s total population. Hardly a “plague.” Also, 86.5% of them are of working age.

A few more fun facts: As recently as 2022, there were 3,767 foreign-born students attending NH colleges and universities. Collectively, their contribution to the economy was $161.3 million. 
According to the NH Dept. of Health and Human Services, the state has “extended its warmest welcome” to refugees from about 50 countries over the last decade. Asylum visas have been granted for citizens of specific countries including Ukraine, Venezuela and Haiti. In Keene we have an organization called Project Home dedicated to assisting with housing, employment and integration services. 

"Granite staters are suffering from a plague of Free Staters and Liberty Alliance members who have repeatedly repealed our state revenues, thus I look forward to the 2026 midterm elections, while extending my warmest welcome to asylum seekers who only want to live in peace and safety here in NH."

"Warehouses aren't supposed to be for human beings to live in. We live in New Hampshire, you know how cold it gets outside. A warehouse is not a humane place to keep people."

                  Rep. Wendy Thomas - Merrimack

In mid-November a House seat opened up due to the unexpected resignation of (former) Rep. Glenn Cordelli. The towns of Ossipee, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro will be holding a special election in 2026 to fill the vacated District 7 seat for Carroll County. The filing period ends on December 26th. If there is more than one candidate from both political parties, a primary election will be held on January 20, 2026 with the special election held on March 10, 2026. If a primary is unnecessary, the special election will be held on Jan. 20th.

This election can be the precursor for flipping state and federal seats in the mid-terms in Nov. If you are a resident of any of the three above mentioned towns and would like to see New Hampshire stop regressing and stop repealing all manner of revenue for the state, please be sure to take the time to vote on Jan. 20th. 

So far, there is one Democrat candidate for the open seat. To learn more about or to contact Bobbi Boudman, click here.

       “Elections belong to the people.” Abraham Lincoln

Please be sure to participate in this upcoming election before the NH House majority continues to make it harder to do so!

Moving along to a different topic, the state’s Republican party alleged this past summer that Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill used her position inappropriately by involving herself in a lawsuit against the state over its voter ID law.

To that end 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.” 

We’ll have to see what this conclusion by the NH Atty. General’s office does to Rep. Joe Sweeney's proposed resolution to impeach Councilor Liot Hill. She is, after all, the only Democrat on the Council . . . with the other four in the majority party.