Yeah, between voter suppression, school vouchers and anti-immigration bills, the opposition has been very busy pushing their inhumane agendas forward. So, this “call to action” is for upcoming hearings being held on Tues., Feb. 4th with the House Election Committee. The following are bills to express opposition for with your legislators.

🚨HB418 – Restricts absentee voting to only those absent from town or with a disability. Check out HB418 Talking Points

🚨 HB217 – Requires absentee registrants to provide citizenship, age, domicile, and identity documents. (Seriously?) Check out HB217 Talking Points

🚨 HB686 – Requires ID before receiving an absentee ballot. Check out HB686 Talking Points

🚨HB608– Requires notarization of absentee ballots. Check out HB608 Talking Points (imagine being disabled and trying to figure out how to get this NEW requirement done!)

The following are bills to express support of with your legislators.

✅HB294– Ends delays in absentee ballot processing. Check out  HB294 Talking Points

✅HB344– Absentee Ballot Pre-Processing. Check out HB344 Talking Points

To submit your position, 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 dropbox below "Select the Committee," select Election committee.

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

·   Select the appropriate option for the "I am" dropbox (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 of the correct dropboxes, 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 election committee and upload the testimony file from your computer.

There are six voting rights bills headed for hearings on Tues. Please take a few moments to let your representative know how you feel about these bills. Thank you for doing so!

Amos Fortune was about 15 years old when he was captured and taken from his home in Africa to be sold as a slave around 1725.  The “voyage” to the New World was a terrifying nightmare for those onboard slave ships, lasting between two to four months. Belongings were confiscated, they were branded, chained naked together and sent belowdecks where they were tightly packed in as “cargo” usually anywhere from 350-600 human beings aboard one ship. Many of these captives died from disease, malnutrition, murder, suffocation and/or suicide. For the ones who did not die from the horrific onboard conditions, many were left with permanent disabilities. Amos survived, was eventually auctioned off and purchased by Boston bookbinder Deacon Fortune. During his enslavement in Boston, he became well educated in bookbinding and English, eventually also converting to Christianity.

In 1740, Amos was sold to Ichabod Richardson, a tannery owner from Woburn, Massachusetts, where he became an apprentice. The first known historical record of Fortune appears in Dec., 1763, by way of an unsigned “freedom paper” prepared by Richardson, granting Fortune his freedom after four years. Richardson died in 1768, the document was left unsigned and Richardson’s will made no mention of the agreed upon promise of freedom. Nevertheless, Fortune made an agreement with Richardson’s heirs to “pay off his bond.” In 1770 at the age of 60, Fortune made his last payment and was now a free man in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

He remained in Woburn for another ten years, working as an expert tanner. He was able to purchase land there and build a home. In 1778, he married Lydia Somerset, an enslaved woman whose freedom he bought from slave holder Josiah Bowers of Billerica, Mass. Lydia died not long after they married. The next year, on Nov. 9, 1779, Fortune bought the freedom of his second wife, Violate, from slave holder James Baldwin. Amos and Violate (Violet) Fortune were married the next day in Woburn.

Two years later, the Fortunes moved to Jaffrey, New Hampshire, where Amos began what became a successful tannery and was able to train two apprentices. It was during this time he and Violate adopted a daughter, Celyndia. 

Amos became a founding member of the Jaffrey Social Library, where members would meet weekly for literary discussions. He was a member of the First Church of Jaffrey, enjoying a close friendship with the first minister, Laban Ainsworth, (who was the longest serving Congregational minister in American history.)

In 1801, Fortune died in Jaffrey and is buried in Jaffrey’s Olde Burial Ground next to Violate, who died a year later. Even though he was a former slave, Amos became a successful businessman in both Woburn and Jaffrey. He became Jaffrey’s first benefactor upon his death, when he bequeathed $233 to the town for educational programs, and $100 to the church to purchase “a handsome gift.” This contribution for educational purposes created the Amos Fortune Fund, which to this day funds literary contests in local schools. The Amos Fortune Forum honors him by hosting a Lecture Series each summer featuring distinguished guest speakers.

“Sacred to the memory of Amos Fortune, who was born free in Africa, a slave in America, he purchased liberty, professed Christianity, lived reputably, and died hopefully, November 17,1801, AET 91.”       Rev. Laban Ainsworth

Long before any white European immigrant set foot in the New World (later, the United States of America), there were already indigenous folks living, hunting, fishing, gardening, trading, fighting, birthing and dying on this land. At the beginning of the 1830’s there were an estimated 125,000 Native Americans living on millions of acres of southern land - land that was deemed valuable and begrudgingly coveted by White immigrant settlers who were moving into the area. These settlers did anything they could to get that land - from looting and burning Native American homes, stealing their livestock to squatting on land that did not belong to them. 

Remember the Trail of Tears? Thousands of Native Americans were forcefully removed from their lands, walking hundreds of miles to reservations on what was then called “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma. Many died enroute or were killed, unsuccessfully defending their lands. In 2003, these forced removals and resulting deaths were rightfully described as a genocide.

Now, nearly 200 years later, a different but just as cruel, form of discrimination is taking place again in America towards people of color. People who come here for a better life for themselves and their families; people escaping war; people escaping dictatorships; people escaping drought-ridden countries (due to climate change), looking to America as their safe haven only to be cruelly treated and discriminated against. 

Hence, this call to action.

There are proposed bills at the State House targeting New Hampshire's immigrant communities.

• SB 13 would needlessly seize many undocumented immigrants who drive across state lines into NH, even if they have a valid driver's license in another state. Immigrants, like us, need to be able to drive, and if they enter NH with a valid driver's license from another state, then they deserve the ability to move freely and care for their families without fear of arrest or deportation.
• SB 62 bypasses local government by requiring a police department be the sole decision-maker on whether to take on the role of the federal government in participating in the federal 287(g) program, a program focused on immigration enforcement and detention that has a long record of racial profiling and other civil rights violations. This eliminates local government control and further bars any input or discretion, even community discussion, around the issue of police taking on federal immigration work.
• SB 71 requires police officers to essentially function as federal immigration enforcers (ICE) in local communities. This would destroy any relationship between police and the community they serve, would be a major financial burden on local law enforcement and taxpayers, and may even encourage immigration enforcement in sensitive places like schools.

 Contact your state senator. Let him or her know that anti-immigrant policies like these are cruel and insulting to all people of NH and is a waste of state resources that could be used for other, more important, issues. Takes only moments to speak in defense of a fellow human being. 

Well, they’re at it again. Pushing “Right-to-Work.” This bill concerns the collective bargaining rights of unions and was scheduled to be voted on last week right after the public hearing. But the overwhelming amount of online and in person testimony resulted in the committee Chair postponing the vote until early next week.

What this is about: HB 735-FN would require that every public sector union would need to recertify by a vote of the majority of the bargaining unit when the current members of the unit have never voted on the issue.

This legislation impacts an immense majority of the almost 700 local unions representing police officers, firefighters, municipal, county, and state employees, university faculty and staff, teachers, and school staff unions. This would create chaos as well as an unnecessary expense on public employers. It is also an unnecessary burden meant to weaken their power. This is another attempt to eliminate public sector unions in New Hampshire.  

Immediate Action Needed – Stop the Attack on Public Sector Employees

The hearing on HB 735-FN is scheduled before the House Labor, Industrial, and Rehabilitative Services Committee on Tues., Jan. 28, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. A huge in-person showing at this hearing would be helpful. However, if you can’t attend, please immediately REGISTER YOUR OPPOSITION at the following link, https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/.

Directions are as follows:

·       Fill in your Personal Information

·       Select the date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). HB 735-FN and select the date – Jan. 28th.

·       In the dropbox below "Select the Committee," select House Labor, Industrial, Rehabilitative Services

·       In the dropbox below "Choose the Bill," select the appropriate time and bill number. 3:30pm – HB 735-FN

·       Select the appropriate option for the "I am" dropbox (most 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”

 After filling in all the appropriate dropboxes, 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, 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 on the bill, email the relevant committee and upload the testimony file from your computer. Takes minutes to complete.

Thank you for standing with unions!

Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member, Rep. Julia Harvey-Bolia (R-Tilton) has sponsored a “preventative” bill, HB 71 aimed at yet another “problem” that doesn’t exist! The bill states: 

II.  As a condition on receipt of state financial assistance under any applicable program by a district public school, chartered public school, public academy, or an institution of higher learning, the facilities of the school or institution shall not (emphasis added) be used to provide shelter or housing for specified aliens.

Rep. Harvey-Bolia seeks to prevent schools (only public ones are in the bill) from closing if immigrants or refugees, here legally, are looking for emergency shelter. She claims, “The bill does not seek to ban the use of schools for immigrant housing so much if you receive state money, then your agreement is you will use schools as schools. We want to keep the schools for schools.” Are these the same schools the legislative majority wants to defund? And why are private, religious schools not included in this bill? 

Luckily, HB 71 has a “humane” exception for something like extreme weather emergencies, something we experience more and more: 
(b) “Short-term” means for a duration not to exceed 72 hours. 

According to Bill Gillett, the International Institute of New England's director of public policy and advocacy, “This bill seems to be directed at something that hasn’t been an issue and is unlikely to become an issue.” 

But that’s not the only bill looking to target immigrants. Rep. Bill Gannon (R-Sandown) has submitted proposed bill SB 13 which would invalidate out-of-state driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants. They tried this last year too and now it’s back again. People who receive these licenses from other states, including those who are undocumented, must pass road test exams, have driver identification, and often maintain car insurance. Not to different from NH requirements for drivers. Why the desire to hassle these folks?

Liberty Alliance member Rep. Tom Walsh (R-Hooksett) has introduced HB 452, a bill concerning drivers' licenses for “aliens” temporarily residing in NH. Why can’t they be as laser focused on extreme weather and climate change?

Again according to Gillett, “. . . extending (legislation) to refugees, asylees and parolees does not make any logical sense, given that they are lawfully admitted into the country and can obtain or can come with work authorization.” 

Fun fact: As of the beginning of this month, NH’s Northern Border Alliance reported law enforcement had no incidents related to illegal immigration at the New Hampshire-Canadian border in the past 6 months.

Just a few days ago, the Biden administration awarded $635 million in grants for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. What will be left undistributed is barely $700,000 of the $2.5 billion from the 2021 Infrastructure Law.

These grants from the Biden administration’s zero-emission refueling infrastructure programs will fund 49 projects which will create more than 11,500 EV charging stations and alternative fuel infrastructure. These will be in areas throughout 27 states, four federally recognized Native American tribes, and the District of Columbia area.

Of that money, $368 million will be distributed for 42 projects enlarging EV charging station infrastructure within cities and towns across the country. Seven other projects, earmarked for building out the national fast charging network along designated "Alternative Fuel Corridors", will receive $268 million.

According to the New Hampshire Dept. of Transportation (NHDOT) and New Hampshire Dept. of Environmental Services (NHDES), the state received $15 million in federal grant funding. This money is to create additional electric vehicle charging stations across NH under the Federal Highway Administration's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. These CFI grant funds will manage a program called “Next Level NH,” expanding EV charging stations in rural and urban areas, throughout the state. The grant money is designated to build another 199 charging ports, the equivalent of one gas station pump. 

That would be a huge increase as more people are wanting to turn to EV’s as one way of addressing climate change. According to the DriveElectricNH database, there are 699 public charging ports of all types available at 273 different locations in NH. But we’ve still got a long way to go before we catch up with three other New England states. Maine has 1,164 charging ports in 515 locations; Massachusetts has 8,429 charging ports in 3,461 locations and Vermont has 1,130 charging ports in 444 locations.

The goal of the Biden administration was to create 500,000 EV chargers by 2030. This $15 million in grant money will certainly help NH towards achieving that goal.

The first full week of hearings at the NH House begins with one of the most significant education bills of the year, universal school vouchers. House Bill 115-FN would expand the already unaccountable school voucher program regardless of income. Initial projections of the cost of such a program would exceed $100 million of state money which diverts public money which could be used to support our local public schools and provide property tax relief.

The legislature needs to focus on funding an adequate education for our public school students, fully fund special education, and support the more than 90% of NH students who attend these public schools. The current school voucher program has no guardrails or unaccountability. Public dollars need to be dedicated to our public schools.

ACTION REQUEST

If you agree that legislators need to support our public schools and stop this unwieldly expansion of the school voucher plan, please let the House Education Committee know that you OPPOSE HB 115.

Please use this link to register your opposition to universal vouchers.

Click on the link below to register your opposition to HB 115-FN:

link: https://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

1.   Fill in your Personal Information.

2.  Select the relevant date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar. HB 115-FN on January 16th

3.   In the dropbox below "Select the Committee," select committee. House Education Funding

4.   In the dropbox below "Choose the Bill," select the appropriate time and bill number. 1:00 PM – HB 115-FN

5.   Select the appropriate option for the "I am" dropbox (likely "Member of the Public").

6.   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."

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

8.  After filling in all the appropriate dropboxes, click “Submit.”

9.  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.

10. Press “Continue.”

11. 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.

12. If you wish to submit testimony on the bill, email the relevant committee and upload the testimony file from your computer.

Thank you for standing up for New Hampshire’s public schools.

On Sat., Jan. 18th, there is a “People’s March” planned from 1:00-2:30 in downtown Keene. This is in concert with hundreds of other marches that will take place nationally on the same day. Want more information? Click on peoplesmarch.com where you can also register. Then spread the word on your social media, and tell family and friends of this upcoming event. Signs are welcome, you could arrange a sign-making party beforehand or bring some extra signs to share. 

The goal is to connect with each other, inspiring and energizing each other to defend our freedoms, our families, and our future. American's democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. We are all in this together. We can take actions locally that will make a difference, large or small. For instance, attending school board hearings where right now, budgets are being worked on, contacting your representatives on upcoming legislation in Concord, and, very importantly, getting out to vote for local candidates in March! Local governance is just as important to every day life.

We will begin our march to Central Square from Keene State College, meeting at 1:00 at the Appian Way Gate on 229 Main St. Continuing up on Main St. to Central Square, gathering together in solidarity for democracy until 2:30. There will be music, camaraderie and incorporating ideas of what we can do to preserve our threatened democracy.

Please join us at the Keene People's March on Saturday, Jan. 18, and be sure to register at peoplesmarch.com.

“Never be discouraged from being an activist because people tell you that you'll not succeed. You have already succeeded if you're out there representing truth or justice or compassion or fairness or love.”

“Democracy is not something we have. It is something we do.”

Doris Haddock “Granny D”    Jan. 24, 1910 – March 9, 2010

On January 3 I had the pleasure of attending the reception for the swearing in of Maggie Goodlander, our new Congresswoman from New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District. 

There was a pretty good contingent of people - constituents and supporters - who had come down from NH to attend the event. Keene, in particular, was well-represented, and I also appreciate that our new Executive Councilor, Karen Liot Hill made the trip down.

The highlight was when retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Bryer had Maggie take the oath again. I tried to get a good picture, with limited success.

I later got to talk to Maggie for a little bit and, as always, I was impressed by her sincerity in wanting to serve the people she now represents.

Some thoughts on this day, the four year “anniversary” of the (alleged) attempt by a so-called president to incite an insurrection.

Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Other Rights

“Section 3 Disqualification from Holding Office:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

Ratified after the Civil War, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, sometimes referred to as the “Insurrection Clause” or “Disqualification Clause”, disqualifies any person from being a Senator, Representative, or elector of the President or Vice-President, or from holding any federal or state military or civil office, if that person has: (1) sworn to support the Constitution as a Member of Congress, officer of the United States, member of a State legislature, or state executive or judicial officer; and (2) then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution or gives aid or comfort to its enemies. Section 3 further provides that Congress may remove the bar from an otherwise disqualifed person by a two-thirds vote in each House.

Section 3 has rarely been used. In 1872, Congress removed the disqualification bar from all persons except Senators and Representatives of the 36th and 37th Congresses, officers in the judicial, military and naval services, heads of departments and foreign ministers of the US. In 1898, Congress enacted greater legislation removing the remaining Section 3 disability brought on during the Civil War. Act of June 6, 1898, ch. 389, 30 Stat. 432 (the disability imposed by section 3 . . . incurred heretofore, is hereby removed.). During the Reconstruction Era, a lower court held Congress first had to adopt legislation providing for removal from office in order to give effect to Section 3 and, without such legislation, persons in office before the 14th Amendment was put into effect, continued to lawfully exercise their positions. 

On March 4, 2024, in its only decision specifically interpreting Section 3, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Trump v. Anderson that states can’t enforce Section 3 against federal officeholders or candidates. With that ruling, the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court holding Trump to be ineligible for the office of President under Section 3 on the grounds that he engaged in insurrection, therefore, couldn’t be listed on the Colorado presidential primary ballot. 

And here we are . . . again . . .

“Do not obey in advance.” 

Timothy Snyder, historian, author