We are spreading the word in case you have not heard yet about a rally planned by local Monadnock area residents.  

Saturday, March 8th  Noon-1:00  Central Square, Keene

DOGE's mass layoffs, targeted budget cuts, and US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) have put the world's women and girls at ever greater risk for starvation, assault, torture, and early death.

And while our senators and congresswoman raise their voices in opposition, Governor Ayotte has remained silent about the impact that recent cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Medicaid, and Food Assistance will have on NH women and girls's safety, health, and longevity.

Come support women!

Come celebrate women who speak up!

Bring flags, bells, noisemakers!!

More information at: https://action.womensmarch.com/events/international-women-s-day-unite-resist-in-keene-nh-1

This is a request from the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project whose mission statement is: “The mission of the NH School Funding Fairness Project is to inform the public about the condition of New Hampshire public schools and their funding; to advocate for changes to make the system more equitable for students and taxpayers alike; and, if necessary, to prosecute, manage, control, and/or participate in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the system for funding education in New Hampshire.”

Two important pieces of legislation have public hearings on Wed. Mar. 5th at 1:00 and 1:45 that could severely impact NH’s public education system. HCR 11 and HR 7 aims to remove the court’s role in defining and overseeing education policy, ignoring years of judicial guidance that have ensured NH meets its constitutional obligations for an “adequate education.” 

HCR 11 would reverse the State’s responsibility to fund an adequate education by deeming the Claremont decisions to be judicial overreach and the decisions made in that case not applicable to the legislature. (For those who have been keeping track, this has gone on for more than thirty years!) HCR 11 reads: “A RESOLUTION declaring the directives of the judicial branch in the Claremont cases that the legislative and executive branches define an "adequate education," adopt "standards of accountability," and "guarantee adequate funding" of a public education are not binding on the legislative and executive branches.” This is brought by the usual group of Liberty Alliance extremists.

HR 7 instructs the House to determine whether grounds exist to impeach Judge David Ruoff for his rulings in the Con Val and Rand school funding lawsuits. This could have a chilling effect on future court rulings that attempt to hold the legislature accountable for violating the constitution. The only need for these lawsuits and rulings in the first place is because the legislature is not funding schools adequately. Sponsored by three House Liberty Alliance members.

Our courts play an important role in holding the legislature accountable for providing NH students with the adequate education they are constitutionally entitled to. These resolutions would undermine that important oversight. 

Why should we oppose HCR 11 and HR 7? 

• Undermines Separation of Powers: Both HCR 11 and HR 7 attack the principle of separation of powers between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. The courts play a role in ensuring that the state's education system meets our constitutional requirements.  
• Threatens Educational Equity: By undermining judicial oversight these resolutions open the door for future reductions in quality education and access for NH students.  
• Sets Dangerous Precedents: The passage of these bills would set a dangerous precedent, further emboldening the legislature to ignore judicial rulings.

What to do?

Contact members of the Judiciary Committee and tell them you oppose both resolutions. Use the following example or your own words. Even a simple, “I oppose these resolutions” would suffice.

“I am writing to express my strong opposition to HCR 11 and HR 7, resolutions that seek to undermine the judicial branch’s role in protecting our constitutional rights. These resolutions ignore the essential guidance provided by the courts regarding what constitutes an adequate education and the state's responsibility to fund it and even go so far as to threaten impeachment for rulings that some members of the legislature disagree with. 

The judicial branch has provided essential and legitimate direction in defining an adequate education and holding the state accountable for funding that education. Instead of passing HCR 11 and HR 7, the legislature should be spending time actually confronting how to adequately define and pay for public education in NH. 

I urge you to reject these resolutions and take your responsibility to provide NH students with an adequate education seriously. These resolutions are a dangerous step backward in ensuring that commitment is met.”

Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Windham, rjlynn4@gmail.com
Rep. Dennis Mannion, R-Salem, Dennis.Mannion@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Katy Peternel, R-Wolfeboro, Katy.Peternel@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Joe Andrson, R-Goffstown, Joe.Anderson@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Kristine Perez, R-Londonderry, Kristine.Perez@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Katelyn Kuttab, R-Windham, Katelyn.Kuttab@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Louise Andrus, R-Salisbury, Louise.Andrus@gc.nh.gov

All can be put on one email to make it easier.

Thank you for standing up again, for NH’s students and public education. 

OK, folks. The public schools, teachers and students need us to speak up on their behalf again! 

On Wed., March 5th, at 9:00 a public hearing will be held by the Judiciary Committee on HB 520. This is the bill that sponsors, Liberty Alliance members, Rep. Bob Lynn, Rep. Katelyn Kuttab R-Windham and Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro are hoping will enable the NH Dept. of Education to issue subpoenas. To who? Teachers? Support staff? Sounds like the beginnings of a police state attempting to be implemented.

The American Federation of Teachers-NH strongly oppose this bill and the next two. We should, also. 

SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

· Fill in your Personal Information

· Select the correct date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). [Select Bill # and select the date].

· In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select committee.

· In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select the correct time and bill number.

· Select the correct option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public").

· Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."

· Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”

· After filling in all the appropriate drop boxes, click “Submit.”

· After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, your town, state, and email address.

Press “Continue.”

· If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.

On Tues. March 4th at 11:00, HB 115, which removes the household income criteria from eligibility requirements for the school voucher program, will be voted on in the Education Funding Committee. This is not a public hearing, however you can make your opposition known to the following members (email them together) who have sponsored this bill: Valerie.McDonnell@gc.nh.gov; Kristin.Noble@gc.nh.gov; Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov; rep.jsoti@gmail.com; kweyler@aol.com
All are members of the extremist group Liberty Alliance.

Last one; HB 699  redefines and adds new definitions related to special education. This is not a public hearing, however, you can make your opposition known to the sponsors before the Education Policy and Administrative Committee votes on Wed. to send it to the full House. Katelyn.Kuttab@gc.nh.gov; Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov

Our public school teachers need our help right now. Let’s not fail them!

LIBERTY: 1. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.
2. the power or scope to act as one pleases.

With town meetings and local elections on the horizon, there have been some school districts who have shown a “thumbs down” to putting spending caps on public school spending during their respective town’s public sessions. 

The Republican majority, who wants control of public school spending, has introduced HB 675. Sponsored by Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) members, Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem and Rep. Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, (who is also a Free Stater), this bill “changes the formula for determining statewide adequacy aid, ties education funding increases to the Consumer Price Index, requires municipalities to remit excess education tax revenue back to the state, establishes a tax cap for local school districts, and increases the total revenue raised under the statewide education property tax.” (emphasis added)
The bill also raises per student spending from $4,100 to $7,356, which would come from property taxes. 

Where is the state’s share of funding in all of this?

Fellow Liberty Alliance member Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, put forth an amendment proposal eliminating increased aid from the state while retaining the spending cap. Voters could override that cap, but would need a two-thirds vote to do so, and for some towns, practically impossible to do. In Oct., a new law went into effect giving towns the choice to cap how much districts spend for each student, as opposed to voting on the district budget as a whole. Voters have mostly rejected that choice, choosing to leave budget writing to local officials. Voters have also stated the solution should be more state support.

Erf has removed his proposal. 

In Epsom, the school district increased a $25,000 per student spending cap proposed by Liberty Alliance member Rep. Dan McGuire. The district raised the cap to $100,000 knowing it will be voted down at town meeting. Naturally, McGuire supports HB 675, stating, “We need some controls on spending and this would give us that.”

Osborne, the other sponsor of the bill had this to say, “Perhaps, if [local voters] are unwilling to cap themselves, the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.”

Let’s say that again, “. . .the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.” 

What happened to local control? What happened to: 1. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.
Sounds like the “Liberty” loving Republicans in the House, who carelessly throw that word around, are looking to take “Liberty” away from those who don’t agree with them. Hence: 2. the power or scope to act as one pleases.

This is NOT a “police state,” Jason. Nor do we, the people, want it to become one!

And there’s some doozies!

On Mon. March 3rd, there is a public hearing for the Education Policy and Administration Committee at 3:30. This is for HB 555 sponsored by Rep. Ellen Read D-Newmarket. This bill is intended to “expand holocaust and genocide study requirements for an adequate public education to include at least 5 hours of discussion on different genocides and the United Nations.”

Most people have no idea of the crimes against humanity that were committed even in this country against Native Americans, Japanese Americans and Black Americans. History books need to factually cover that. If you agree and would like to let the committee know, click SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

Fill in your Personal Information

· Select the relevant date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). [Select Bill # and select the date].

· In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select Education Policy and Administration committee.

· In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select the correct time and bill number.

· Select the appropriate option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public").

· Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."

· Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”

· After filling in all the correct drop boxes, click “Submit.”

· After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, where you will fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, as well as your town, state, and email address.

· Press “Continue.”

· If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you will need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.

· If you wish to submit testimony, email the committee and upload the testimony file from your computer.

This next one is being heard by the same committee but on Wed. March 5th at 9:30. HB 360 sponsored by Moms for Liberty, Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member Rep. Kristin Noble R-Bedford. The other six sponsors are members of two of the same extremist groups also. This is a bill meant to “prohibit public schools from performing diagnostic tests or surgical procedures, or prescribing pharmaceutical drugs.”

Two things, why does the bill only mention “public schools?” 
And, is this a problem that is constantly going on in the public schools? Would the removal of a splinter be considered a “surgical procedure?” And no matter what Trump says, no kid is having gender reassignment surgery done in school! What nonsense!

On March 5, the Education and Policy Administration Committee will be deciding whether to recommend this bill to the full House. You can write to express your opposition to the Chairman - Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov, or the Vice-Chairman at Kristin.Noble@gc.nh.gov.

Please oppose this bill that does nothing but attack public schools/teachers needlessly again! Thank you.

During the summer of 1899, in Derry, New Hampshire, a man named William Hobdy opened a business called Star Cleaning & Repairing Co.

According to historical records, William Hobdy was born in Virginia in 1862, eventually relocating to Lawrence, Mass., where he grew up and worked in a cotton mill. After moving to and establishing his business in NH, Hobdy, who was also a skilled piano player, shared that gift of music at private gatherings and special occasions. 

What is known about him:
-To supplement his income while living in Derry, he would shine shoes, clean basements, chimneys and houses, bury dogs and occasionally take on the role of umpire for local games.
-He would host ice cream gardens for summer visitors at his own home.
-In Nov. 1902, he held the first-ever ragtime ball in the area.
-Between 1900 and 1915, he held summer concerts at West Windham and Adams Memorial Hall and was often requested by summer guests to musically entertain.

Hobdy, who was the first known Black business owner in Derry,  passed away in 1918, leaving behind his wife, Maud who was Black and their (informally) adopted daughter, Rose, who was White.

In 2023, The Black Heritage Trail of NH, Derry Public Library and other supporters honored the life of William Hobdy by unveiling a new marker on the Derry Rail Trail to honor Hobdy’s life and his contributions to the town of Derry while living and working there.

Frank Edleblut has been New Hampshire’s Commissioner of Education since former Gov. Chris Sununu appointed him in Feb. 2017. He is one of the longest serving commissioners in the country, coming into that position with a career background having had nothing to do with education. His appointment ends on March 23rd and we need to encourage Gov. Ayotte NOT to reappoint him!

The bad thing for NH is that this current governor is also a fan of school vouchers and has the support of the state’s extremist groups. On Feb. 15th, the House Finance Committee met with the governor putting in an appearance about the budget. Rep. Kate Murray D-New Castle asked how the governor would "reconcile your desire for belt tightening and being fiscally responsible while responsibly shepherding the people's money with the expansion of a program (school vouchers) that to my mind has no guardrails, unlike similar programs in this State. Has always come in over budget and doesn't have an accountability mechanism. This is taxpayer money we are talking about..."

The governor doubled down on her position concerning vouchers.

But getting back to trying to persuade her and the five members of the Executive Council not to re-appoint Edleblut . . .

There are a few ways to make your voice and concerns heard:

-Email:  KELLY.A.AYOTTE@GOVERNOR.NH.GOV
Council: Joseph.D.Kenney@nh.gov, John.A.Stephen@nh.gov, Janet.L.Stevens@nh.gov, karen.liothill@nh.gov, David.K.Wheeler@nh.gov

-Call:  (603) 271-2121

-Fill in THIS FORM, or

-Send snail mail:

Governor Kelly Ayotte

Office of the Governor

State House

107 North Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

Some talking point ideas:
-We need someone whose commitment to supporting and strengthening public schools is clearly evident.

-We need someone who is not perceived as working to undermine our public schools.

-We need a person who is not divisive or polarizing, which is not working out for NH.

-We need a commissioner who doesn’t think providing just math, science, social studies and language arts equals an adequate education 

These are just a few ideas, but put it in your own words so it doesn't sound like cookie cutter messaging. Or perhaps you have different thoughts and ideas. Whatever you can do to support our public schools and teachers, in turn supports the students.

Edelblut's term expires March 23. Thank you for taking the time to partake in democracy.

Yesterday was “Session Day” at the State House. What that entails is proposed legislation is brought before the House of Representatives to be voted on or to be “killed” outright (inexpedient to legislate, ITL). Some bills, after passage, go on to either other committees for more work or to the Senate for them to work on, possibly amend. If that happens, the amended bills come back to the House for another vote. Should the Senate pass a bill without making any changes, the bill goes straight to the Governor. 

We had 32 bills to vote on yesterday, one being HB 682 sponsored by Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member Rep. Michael Harrington R-Strafford. The purpose of this bill is to:
I. Remove the office of offshore wind industry development from the office of energy innovation.

II. Repeal the offshore wind industry workforce training center committee and the offshore and port development commission.

III. Move the grid modernization advisory council and the hydrogen advisory council to the office of energy innovation.

Well, there goes more jobs in the renewables field and clean energy planning. Also, now electricity costs may rise due to possible increase in dependence. Republicans: 204 – Democrats: 163

This is my absolute all-time favorite of the day! HB 368 is a bill sponsored by Rep. Peter Schmidt D-Dover, that was meant to prohibit smoking and e-cigarettes in motor vehicles when a passenger is under 16 years old. Here were the stated pro’s and the con’s:
Pro’s: young children are still developing, deserve a safe and healthy environment even from second-hand smoke. That exposure can cause life-long respiratory damage and other health issues. 
Con’s: this is an infringement on the rights of drivers and/or other smoking adults in the vehicle. They don’t want to see government being able to tell people what they can and cannot do in their own vehicles. 

The bill was “killed” by Republicans: 213 – Democrats: 157

Of course, if you are a female of child bearing age, that thought process goes right out the window! They are happy to have the government crawling all over YOUR rights and womb, telling YOU what you can and cannot do! But once that fetus is born, all bets are off. You and your kid are on your own. Need a good paying job? What? $7.25 an hour isn’t enough? Need affordable housing? Not on a $7.25 an hour income. These lawmakers won’t even pass a bill to allow free or reduced school lunches for low-income families.

Yesterday, NH Life Sciences was presenting a brief program in the cafeteria during the lunch hour. Included was a free lunch. You see where this is going, the lines were out BOTH cafeteria doors with representatives waiting to get their free lunch. I wonder how many of these hypocrits have voted time and time again to deny the same thing to children of low-income households?

Now I’ll end with a “win some.” HB 75 is a proposal to legalize cannabis for people 21 and older. Shockingly it is sponsored by Liberty Alliance and YAL member Rep. Kevin Verville R-Deerfield. The pro’s were that this is accessible in all other states surrounding NH, so let’s partake of that lost revenue. It would also allow for anyone convicted of or serving time for any cannabis-related offense to have their conviction or sentence annulled when the law goes into effect. Con’s: none other than “do the bill right” by voting against it. 

The bill passed with 190 votes against Inexpedient to Legislate (killing the bill), with 167 votes in favor of killing the bill. The governor has said she will veto any such legislation, but we take our “wins” where we can!

What’s next? Your local library issuing a subpoena to people who are late in returning a book? 

Anyway, Liberty Alliance member Rep. Bob Lynn R-Windham, (he of the many voter suppression bills) is now looking to give New Hampshire’s Dept. of Education the power to issue subpoenas. HB 520 is a bill meant to “authorize hearing officers of the department of education to issue subpoenas.” 

“XIII.  The commissioner or the commissioner’s designee is authorized to seek subpoenas for persons, and for books, papers, documents and other items for the purpose of carrying out investigations pursuant to the code of conduct for New Hampshire educators, as established by RSA 21-N:9, II(cc)(1).

(a)  In seeking a subpoena, the department shall present the reasons for seeking such subpoena to a hearings officer, who shall issue the subpoena if the hearings officer finds that:

(1)  The subpoena is sought in good faith for the purpose of investigating a violation or possible violation of the educator code of conduct by a certified educator; and

(2)  The information sought by the subpoena appears reasonably likely to be material and relevant to the investigation.”

It goes on. This is how a police state begins. Education Commissioner Frank Edleblut, who has been diligently working to dismantle our public school system, does not need tools to run witch hunts. The American Federation of Teachers-NH strongly oppose this bill, we should, too. 

This bill will be heard on Wed., Feb. 19 at 9:45 am before the House Judiciary Committee. Please oppose this bill.

To submit your position, click SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

· Fill in your Personal Information

· Select the correct date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). [Select Bill # and select the date].

· In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select committee.

· In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select the correct time and bill number.

· Select the correct option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public").

· Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."

· Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”

· After filling in all the appropriate drop boxes, click “Submit.”

· After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, where you fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, your town, state, and email address.

 Press “Continue.”

· If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.

Let’s do this for the school teachers out there who do not need any more land mines placed in their path! Your activism helps!

In March of last year, I wrote an article about the federal monies coming into New Hampshire through the Infrastructure, Investments and Jobs Act, passed into law by Pres. Biden. Money to be allocated for bridge and road repairs, cleaning up “brownfields,” modernizing airport infrastructure and (among other things) building a statewide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. 

That’s almost $18 million in federal money the state is to receive for EV charging stations, with another $14 million over the next few years. The Federal Highway Administration has now put a stop to spending federal money on EV charging stations. The Trump “administration” decided to review the program and on Jan. 20, halted billions in funding for the nationwide construction of EV charging stations, already allocated to states through Pres. Biden’s programs. Trump has referred to EV charging station construction as “an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars.”

In the meantime, NH’s $2.8 million National Vehicle Infrastructure Grant program Phase 1 has been put on hold. This had been planned since 2022 and was to begin this summer, after Governor and Executive Council approval. The state was expecting to receive $17.2 million over five years to build more EV charging stations, according to US Dept. of Transportation reports.

Last month, NH was awarded a federal $15 million Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant. That too, is on hold as we wait for word or guidance from the federal government. According to federal and state data, NH has the fourth-lowest ratio of public EV charging stations to registered electric vehicles in the nation. 
As an example, here’s a few New England states: 

Ct. – 1,233 charging stations            3,546 charging ports
Mass. – 3,549 charging stations       8,573 charging ports
Me. – 525 charging stations              1,211 charging ports
even little Rhody has more - 338 stations and 794 ports

NH? – 281 charging stations             717 charging ports

These charging stations are essential in supporting EV owners and the transition to clean energy.

Congressional representatives, businesses and tourist officials all across NH viewed this as a way to attract more tourists and folks looking to relocate to our state, thereby increasing the state’s economy. Not to mention all the jobs that would’ve been generated. 

New Hampshire initially applied for the CFI Grant awards in 2023, becoming one of seven states who received their first CFI grant disbursement in January. The grant money was to be used to boost public EV charging station infrastructure throughout the state. The state’s goal was to improve availability to EV charging stations across nine regions and installing 199 more charging ports.

All the good work Pres. Biden did for the country as a whole, is now placed on “hold” by a convicted felon. Elections DO have consequences, some of which are not so good.

But here’s a good note to end on . . .

Earlier in the week, I wrote about some crazy education bills that were in legislative committee hearings. One bill included HB 415, the one about removing requirements for schools to provide menstrual products in restrooms. I can’t help but ask again, who DOES that to young girls? 

Anyway, due to online activism 1,702 people opposed this bill with only 23 supporting it! (Who ARE these mean people?) The House Education Policy and Administration Committee ended up voting unanimously against it! A good win for activism! 

So, let’s continue to take a few moments when the opportunity arises and express YOUR opinion!