Good evening everyone, on this bitter cold, snowy evening. I’ll make this brief. On Tues. Jan. 27th, the Housing Committee will be holding a public hearing on my bill HB 1171. This bill establishes a 90-day grace period for residential tenants who miss rent payments due to an unexpected interruption in their monthly Social Security benefits.

We’ve all heard the threats from the regime about cutting or getting rid of people’s life lines; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Well, this bill will enable seniors (many of whom Social Security is their only income) a little extra time to either find other housing or perhaps get those payments reinstalled. 

That said, I sure could use some online testimony support. And because we’ve all had so much practice in doing this, I’m reaching out in the hopes you’ll come through for HB 1171. And I promise, this is the CORRECT link, I triple and quadruple checked!

Click The New Hampshire House of Representatives, fill in your name, etc., Jan. 27th, Housing Committee, HB 1171. And I do hope you find it worthy of your support.

Thank you all and please share with others!

Where does it end? Apparently in a desperate move to make up for all the revenue the majority party has bent over backward to repeal, three Republicans have come up with this brainchild! HB 1703 “establishes a required annual registration fee for all bicycles and electric bicycles operating on state or municipally funded paths, trails and roadways which bicycles and electric bicycles are permitted to be ridden on. The bill also establishes a penalty for failure to register and directs funds from said fees and penalties to the commissioner of the department of transportation for the creation and maintenance of bicycle routes, lanes, paths, or trails in the state.”

The fee will be an annual $50 and because the Republicans do love themselves some penalties, the violation fee will be $100. And if you think your minor child’s bike will be exempt, think again: “The application of any person under the age of 18 years to register a bicycle or electric bicycle shall be signed by said person's parent or guardian, or in the event there is no parent or guardian, then by another responsible adult.”

On Tues., Jan. 27th at 11:00 the Transportation Committee will be holding a public hearing on this crazy bill. You know what to do:
Online testimony click here. Fill in your name, the date of the hearing, the committee, the bill number (HB 1703), and then just follow the prompts. If you would like to leave some written testimony here are some suggestions from Bike Walk Alliance of New Hampshire who strongly opposes this:

• The bill would cost a family of four with four bikes $200 per year. That would make parents think twice about buying a bike for their kids.
• The registration fee and penalties would have the unintended and unfortunate consequence of discouraging bicycling, which has significant public health benefits, improves quality of life and brings tourism revenue to NH.
• The bill would make NH a much less bike-friendly state, which would be disastrous for our tourism economy.
• It would make life even more difficult for those whose only mode of personal transportation is a bike, particularly the economically disadvantaged.
• The cost of implementing the registration program would be significant, maybe greater than the amount of revenue generated. The fiscal note sheds little light on the fiscal impact of the bill, stating that the revenues can’t be determined.

As of right now, 4,809 people oppose this crazy bill with only 14 supporting it! 

No one is coming to save us, but us.

After a full year of chaos, hatred, and wondering what latest dysfunction a new day is bringing by the woefully inadequate hands of the world’s largest two year old, I happened upon a message the poster said he had emailed to his representatives. I read it and like what I read, so decided to do a little tweaking and send it out to our own four representatives in DC. Please feel free to do the same with the following because no one is coming to save us, but us.

“Dear . . ., with his open declaration that he is willing to start a global war over a perceived Nobel Prize snub, Trump has made crystal clear that he is mentally unstable and a danger to the nation and the world. His threats against a NATO ally should be grounds for impeachment and his behavior of late is clearly that of a man who is incredibly unhinged and is unable to govern (not that he was ever able to govern). Although the Democrats are in the minority, you have a moral and official obligation to take all steps possible to either bring about impeachment hearings or invoke the 25th Amendment to have him removed, for the safety of not only our nation but the entire world! Reach out to the other side and make them understand polling is NOT in their favor. This is a 5-alarm fire and I am sick and tired of the virtual silence of our Democratic leaders. I want to know what definitive, assertive and forceful steps you intend to take to bring an end to this madness. This is not business as usual, it is a nation held hostage by a mentally impaired grudge holder. Republicans would NOT have sat by quietly if a Democrat president behaved this way. It's past time for the Democrats to learn how to fight and the stakes couldn't possibly be higher than they are now.
 

Thank you for your attention to this matter, not just for myself but also for my constituents!

Rep. Terri O’Rorke
Cheshire District 7, Keene”

And here is their contact information should you choose to do so:

Email Me | Congressman Chris Pappas

EMAIL Maggie - Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander

Email Senator Hassan | U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan

Contact | U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen

And now to end on a lighter note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQNcIyaNok

It’s worth the 14 seconds of your time! 

The recent disclosures of private GOP-Signal messages attributed to State Representative Kristin Noble, in which she appears to advocate for segregated schools, including remarks such as Republicans could add “fun stuff” “when we have segregated schools” and “imagine the scores though if we had schools for them and some for us” are utterly unacceptable from any public official.

They are especially disqualifying coming from the Chair of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee.

These comments stand in direct opposition to the values of equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity that should guide our public schools and our state. In New Hampshire, this is a bridge too far. We cannot, and must not, allow anyone who expresses support for any kind of segregation to shape education policy for our children.

What makes this even more alarming is that Rep. Noble doubled down when confronted. There has been no meaningful accountability. No consequences. And silence from GOP leadership.

This is not an isolated incident, it is part of a clear and disturbing pattern. The New Hampshire GOP has repeatedly demonstrated hostility toward public education and a willingness to undermine it. Taken together, these actions suggest they no longer believe in public education as a shared public good.

When rhetoric like this is tolerated, especially in leadership, it corrodes public trust, harms communities, and undermines our state’s commitment to fairness and equal opportunity.

Accountability starts now:

• Rep. Kristin Noble must immediately resign as Chair of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee.
• House majority leadership must remove her from all leadership roles for poor judgement and breach of public trust.
• The Speaker must not excuse Legislators implicated in racist or discriminatory rhetoric from a formal ethics review.
• Segregation, in word, deed, or in policy, must never be normalized in New Hampshire.

Public office carries an obligation to serve all residents with dignity and respect. The statements from Rep. Noble are a betrayal of that obligation and an erosion of the democratic values that bind our communities together.

Education policy should be rooted in expanding opportunity, not resurrecting the worst practices of our past. Anything less is a betrayal of New Hampshire’s children and families.

Take Action Now

• Email Speaker Sherman Packard and demand accountability and a clear commitment to public education:
  Email: sherman.packard@gc.nh.gov
  Phone: 603.271.3661
• Support change at the ballot box - consider donating to the Bedford Democratic candidates opposing Noble and the other GOP on the Bedford slate. 

Any funds received will be used to support all 7 Democratic  candidates against Noble and the other Bedford GOP State Reps. Bedford has an active committee and robustly engages in voter outreach on behalf of all their Democratic candidates. 

Here's the Bedford Dems donation link on ActBlue:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bedford2026

Checks may also be sent to:

Bedford Democratic Committee 
PO Box 10334 
Bedford NH 03110

Segregation is never acceptable. This moment demands moral clarity and action.

In solidarity,

Wendy E. N Thomas

New Hampshire State Representative

Friends of Democracy NH 

NH House Progressive Caucus 

I write to ask for your support of HB 1799, “an act relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.” You may review the entire text of HB 1799 by clicking this link. A brief outline of the bill is at the bottom of this note.

HB 1799 seeks to conform the state’s public school funding system to two new court rulings handed down in 2025 in the ConVal and Rand cases. When properly funded through appropriate state budget processes in the next budget cycle, or before that if possible, the HB 1799 formula will enable school districts to meet, at an admittedly minimum level, our state-level constitutional school funding obligations, thereby ensuring funding, with other currently available funding streams, sufficient to provide every child with the opportunity for a constitutionally adequate education while also enabling significant, constitutionally mandated local property tax relief across the state.

HB 1799 will be heard by the House Education Funding Committee hearing on Tues., Jan. 20th, at 1:30 PM. You may record your position on the bill, and provide written testimony if you wish, by clicking this Online Testimony Submission (Sign-In) link and then proceeding through a multi-step process to the point where you will be able to state your position on the bill.

The hearing will be at Granite Place in Concord, Room 232. In person testimony is welcome. You may also watch the hearing on YouTube by going to this link and clicking on the House Education Funding streaming video for Jan. 20th.

Thank you for considering this.

Brief Outline of HB 1799, “an act relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.”  

1. At the core of HB 1799, in section 2, is its “policy, findings and purposes” declaration affirming the state’s commitment to provide and fund, in cooperation with local school districts but without excessive reliance on local property taxes, a constitutionally compliant, high quality, public education system for all of NH’s children.

2. HB 1799 sets, in section 5, new annual per pupil cost factors for determining each municipality’s state grant. On average, these new cost factors will increase the state’s annual adequacy grants to municipalities for their respective school districts across the state by about 1.7 times the current level of adequacy funding.

3. HB 1799 includes, in section 4, a new provision for “Statewide Oversight to Identify and Address Persistent Disparities in Achievement.”

4. HB 1799 establishes, in section 7, an “Adequate Education Funding Commission” to “study and identify transition and revenue options other than local property taxes for the full funding of state grants to public schools for consideration and action by state officials involved in the development of the state budget for fiscal years 2028-2029.

5. HB 1799 changes the Statewide Property Tax (SWEPT) to require the collecting municipalities to pay all revenue received to the department of revenue administration for deposit in the education trust fund. (Note that HB 1799 does not seek to change the amount to be collected by the SWEPT.)

Thank you for considering this.

Dick Ames
NH State Representative, Cheshire County District 13,
Dublin and Jaffrey
House Education Funding Committee

On Jan. 30th, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) bill, which is the one that funds ICE, is up for a vote in the Senate. This funding runs out at the end of the month. In order for this bill to pass, no less than 60 votes are needed. The current United States Senate consists of 52 Republican members, 44 Democrats and two Independents (Bernie Sanders – Vt. and Angus King – Me., who usually vote with Democrats). As we can see the Republicans need at least eight Democrats to vote with them and that terrorist group receives more funding.

ICE is investing roughly $100 million towards the recruitment of 10,000 new agents, adding to the 20,000 already employed. Just under the size of the Marine Corps Reservists, to put the numbers in perspective. They are permitted to use lethal force in self-defense, although we have seen time and again no one is attacking them! They roam our streets in unmarked cars, wearing masks, body armor and carry militarized weapons, using brutality to bully and frighten not just immigrants but law-abiding citizens. 

What can we do? We can ensure the ICEstapo loses its funding!

How? By demanding, yes demanding, our members of Congress and the Senate require the DHS spending bill must prohibit ICE from carrying weapons! 
Our members of Congress and the Senate must clearly and directly declare that ICE does not have absolute immunity under the law if they harm or murder civilians!

Who? Sen. Maggie Hassan; 202-224-3324; Email Senator Hassan | U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen; 202-224-2841; Contact | U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Rep. Maggie Goodlander; 202-225-5206; EMAIL Maggie - Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander
Rep. Chris Pappas; 202-225-5456; ZIP Code Authentication | Congressman Chris Pappas

Let’s overload their voice mail and email:
~ The DHS spending bill must prohibit ICE from carrying weapons.
~ The bill must include that ICE has no absolute immunity under the law if they harm or murder civilians.
~  Include that they must not target people because of race, language or accent.
~ Include that ICE agents are liable under civil and criminal law if they harm or murder civilians. 
~ ICE members need to be reminded of both the 5th Amendment and the 14th amendment, specifically the Due Process Clause.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for taking the time to defend our fragile democracy and fellow human beings yet again!

 

I’ll bet most people in New Hampshire have no idea how many security and surveillance agencies we have here. I know I didn’t. Other than local police, sheriff and state police departments I discovered we also have access to these, thanks to today’s technology:
Home - Law Enforcement Center Cyber
Search the Data | Atlas of Surveillance
Welcome to the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management | Homeland Security and Emergency Management

The Mission Statement of the Division of Homeland Security (last link) states: “To provide an integrated, all-crimes/all-hazards, information sharing network to collect, analyze and disseminate information derived from multiple sources to stakeholders in a timely manner, in an effort to protect the citizens and the critical infrastructure of New Hampshire, while ensuring the protection of civil rights and civil liberties.”

Oh. OK. So, the state currently has an “information sharing network from multiple sources” and currently shares this counterintelligence information throughout law enforcement per RSA 651-F. 

On Thurs., Jan. 15th, the Executive Depts. and Administration Committee held a public hearing on HB 1605. Sponsored by Liberty Alliance member Rep. Mike Belcher – Wakefield, this proposed legislation will “establish the state intelligence and counter-intelligence office within the department of safety.”

Now wait a minute, don’t we already have that in the Dept. of Safety? Yes, we do but according to Belcher, "What it really is, is a normal investigative office that would be tasked specifically with looking at threats posed by foreign hostile actors, largely the Chinese." And of course this bill comes with a price tag all at a time when the Republicans are repealing every form of state revenue in sight, leaving the property owner holding an ever burgeoning bag! How does $6 million sound for a redundant office employing about a dozen people whose focus is on China? According to language in the bill, the state would also purchase "nondescript surveillance vehicles, an unarmed aerial surveillance platform, and night vision or thermal imaging devices, or both, and operational costs." Even the Dept. of Safety acknowledged this bill would be “duplicative to the efforts that have existed since 2010.”

As with their desire to bring back capitol punishment, which costs more than a life sentence, where are they going to scrounge up the money? GoFundMe? Higher property taxes? Repealing more community minded services? Voting in a terrible budget?

How about concentrating on furthering the intelligence of NH students by enacting previous court orders and properly fund public education? And I don’t mean the segregated kind. 

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!