Legislative Search Engine
HB1528
relative to reporting by the northern border alliance program.
HB1305
relative to freedom of speech and association at public institutions of higher education.
Passed the House
Passed the Senate
Committee of Conference
On the Governors Desk
Prime Sponsored Bills
HB508-FN
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB1289
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB1169-FN
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB1539-FN
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB1583-FN-A
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB282
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
HB505
relative to comprehensive mental health education in schools.
HB73
relative to the repair of home appliances.
SB217
establishing a rural and underserved area educator incentive program for higher education and making an appropriation therefor.
HB1281
relative to zoning restrictions on residential rental property.
HB1231
permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.
HB1278
relative to qualifying medical conditions for purposes of therapeutic cannabis; and relative to the summer EBT program, the SNAP elderly simplified application and the school lunch program and making appropriations therefor.
HR22
urging Congress to remove the exception from the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: "except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."
HB1242
relative to the establishment of county-wide communication districts.
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HB1305
relative to freedom of speech and association at public institutions of higher education.
HB1540
relative to the definitions of full course meals and full service restaurant for purposes of alcohol licensing.
HB1233
relative to animal chiropractors.
HB1544
relative to indemnification for municipalities adopting policies to address homelessness.
HB1237
relative to the use of unmarked or stealth police vehicles for traffic enforcement.
HB1666
relative to income reporting requirements for lobbyists.
HB1054
relative to the Northern Border Alliance Program fund.
HB1500
relative to prohibiting the unlawful distribution of misleading synthetic media.
HB1528
relative to reporting by the northern border alliance program.
HB1633
relative to the legalization and regulation of cannabis and making appropriations therefor.
HR26
urging Congress to adopt a constitutional amendment to distinguish between corporate and individual rights.
SB420
relative to requiring an additional report from the legislative study committee concerning the long-term impact of the New Hampshire adult parole system.
HB1214
relative to establishing a committee to study best practices for the development of a restorative justice model for misdemeanor-level behavior and hate crimes committed by juveniles under the age of eighteen.
In New Hampshire there are children and pregnant women who are lawfully residing immigrants to this country, eligible for medicaid services but unable to get them because of the red tape of the federal bureaucracy. In 1996, Bill Clinton passed what is commonly known as the welfare reform act. Which locked many hard working American citizens, from the welfare benefits that could have got them out of the never ending loop of poverty. In 2009 the federal government passed a law saying that states could opt out of the provision of the 1996 welfare reform act which made it so lawfully residing immigrants; pregnant women and their children, were locked out of the Medicaid benefits they were eligible for. New Hampshire remains the only state in the northeast not to opt out of this ridiculous red tape imposed on States' medicaid programs. HB282 would have done just that for New Hampshire. Coming out of the Health and Human Services committee on a bipartisan 12-8 vote, it went to the floor with an Ought to Pass motion. It passed the full house 186-170 and was referred to the House Finance committee. During the budget process, HB282 was put into the budget. Ensuring this small but significant population the necessary medical services they need. It was an honor to help this legislation through the body, and a huge thank you to Representative Joe Shapiro from Keene must be extended for his hard work on this meaningful legislation.
“Right to repair” stops manufacturers from preventing consumers from repairing the product said consumer purchased. Big manufacturers are building Representative Eric Gallagher of Concord proposed this legislation which would take a step forward in dealing with big manufacturers using what is colloquially known as planned obsolesce. In other words, building products to fail and refusing to allow the consumer to fix them. Corporate America needs to be reigned in and this is but one small step towards doing just that. This bill was voted interim study in the House committee.
The students of New Hampshire, and the United States more broadly are going through an unprecedented mental health crisis. New Hampshire schools do not currently require mental health education in their health and wellness curriculum. The kids who are going through depression or dealing with the anxieties of the world mixed with the anxiety of being a teenager, unable to put their feelings into words; would greatly benifit from having education on mental health. Knowing why and how one is feeling why they are opens up an avenue for that individual to feel better. The bill was retained by the committee for further study. Going through the subcommittee process in the fall of 2023 and coming out of the committee with a 10-10 vote. Going to the floor in January without recomendation. I will continue to be an advocate for mental health education in our schools, as one avenue of many to address the crisis of depression in our youth. Ultimately this bill was laid on the table. Where it died until next year.
There are currently 104 rural schools. Those schools are having a hard time retaining and recruiting teachers. This idea originated from a commission and was mirrored off a program in Idaho. The incentive would include the repayment of all the teachers school loans if they chose to stay in district. Every child deserves a good education and this legislation would take the State of New Hampshire a step further in recognizing that by incentivizing good teachers to stay in district. This bill passed the Senate, and was killed the House floor 194-179.
There is a severe rental unit shortage. This is bottlenecking our New Hampshire tenants from participating in the housing market. Keeping young people from staying, pricing existing tenants out of their home, and overall diminishing our communities. Some municipalities that have enacted policies that arbitrarily limit the amount of unrelated occupants who can be in a dwelling. Stopping landlords in these towns from renting out their properties which are built to accommodate that number of individuals. These ordinances also hurt a tenants ability to live with a significant others. The core of this legislation is to allow property owners to use, according to the rules and regulations of the town, their property to it’s full advantage. The bill prohibits municipalities from enacting any local law which restricts the number of occupants of a residential rental property to less than two unrelated renters per bedroom. This bill guards against unfair and discriminatory rental practices, and will increase our preexisting housing supply.
The issue of cannabis legalization is unfortunately a recurring one. I have voted for the legalization of cannabis whenever I have had the opportunity, and there have been many. I have also voted to legalize home cultivation of cannabis for all of age citizens of New Hampshire. Throughout all the riggermarole about legalization for all, the patients who use cannabis for medical use and pain management are left by the wayside. That's why I joined Representative Wendy Thomas, a champion on this and many other issues, to pass HB431. Which would legalize home cultivation for medical cannabis users. Many patients are people without means to be able to purchase cannabis from the medical retail market here in New Hampshire, and insurance does not cover cannabis. Leaving many patients without the medicine they need. Growing at ones place of residence would be a cheaper, more holistic alternative to having to give an arm and a leg to reduce daily pain. The legislation was adopted by the House Health and Human Services committee on a 19-1 vote, going through the full House unanimously. Unfortunately, as happens with many of the good cannabis bills that get through the House, was tabled in the Senate. A nice way to kill the bill on the part of Senate leadership. Representative Thomas has reintroduced the bill for the 2024 session, and I have again signed on as a cosponsor. I will continue to be an advocate to end the drug war and allow people to use methods of medication that work for them.
The legislature over the course of the biennium since the therapeutic cannabis system was implemented has continued to update the conditions allowed under the program. Many people would like to participate in the program but their affliction is not covered under the current patient model. Cases that should be covered but aren’t are, recovering from surgery, pain from churns disease, menstrual function and many other afflictions which are serious; but again not covered. Chronically ill patients are not interested in vegging out on a couch, they are interested in getting to a place in which their pain is managed.
Free speech is a founding principle of the United States of America. You need look no further than the civil rights movement or the Vietnam war protests, and how students were treated on campus to see the importance of ensuring every citizens right to free speech and freedom of association. The first amendment is there to protect the minority view, and whether it be a left wing minority view or a right wing view; that view deserves as much a right to be heard as any other. This legislation ensures that no campus shall enforce a so-called free speech zone. These free speech zones have been used to relegate people expressing a view to a place in which no one will hear it. This legislation ensures all students get equal protection under the law. The bill passed the committee with a tied recommendation. It passed the floor with an bipartisan vote of 206-169. In the Senate, it passed committee and the floor unanimously. It was brought to a committee of conference and finally, the House concurred with the Senate on a vote of 201-160 going to the Governors desk. I will always fight to protect free speech, freedom of association for all people.
The thirteenth amendment was ratified in 1865. Emancipating the slaves, and saving The United States from collapse. That amendment was passed because of some incredible political maneuvering on the part of President Lincoln. He was trying to free the slaves, but his main goal was to save the Union from tearing itself apart. Very powerful forces ran the slave trade. They had a lot of political and economic power, even after the war. Long story short, they used that power to ensure a clause in the thirteenth amendment which would allow them to continue to run their industry with cheap, if not, free labor. The thirteenth amendment as passed read: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Those fourteen words, allowing slavery as a punishment for a crime has led to a hundred and fifty years of prison slave labor. It is the reason the United States is the worlds largest penal colony. To this day, prisoners, people incarcerated for misdemeanor charges, build roads and pick cotton. They labor for little or no money at the behest of private, and public corrections facilities who use the protection of the thirteenth amendment as justification. HR22 is a resolution to call on Congress to repeal the thirteenth amendment. End slavery once and for all, to live up to the words written in our declaration of independence. This legislation passed unanimously on consent.
The bill changes what restaurants have to provide, adding a new definition for the types of meals that can be provided. Reducing the number of tables required. The bill alllows for less requirements for serving alcohol in bars. Currently bars are required to essentially be restaurants. There is good reason for requiring bars to provide food, but we don’t want these rules to regulate the industry out of existence. Extensive subcommittee, ultimately passing House Commerce Committee unanimously, the House on consent. Going to the Senate and passing unanimously as well.
This legislation allows for certified animal chiropractors to be exempt from veterinary licensure requirements so that they may work on animals. These chiropractors are trained by an agency that is licensed by the state and a subcommittee formed out of the Executive Departments and Administration committee brought all the stakeholders together to craft language that worked for everyone. Chiropractors are currently preforming these procedures but it is currently in a grey area in which they don’t hold veterinary licenses, and may need to under current statute. The bill passed the Executive Departments and Administration committee unanimously, the House unanimously, and the Senate committee unanimously. Being passed on the Senate floor by a voice vote only to be vetoed by the Governor. We will fight hard to get this common sense legislation through on veto day.
Everyone knows there is a homelessness crisis in our State right now. This legislation would have enabled municipalities to enact policies to adopt policies addressing homelessness. Currently municipalities are in fear of litigation, stopping them from addressing this crisis. The bill was unfortunately referred to interim study, where will the committee will come together in the fall to research it.
The practice of using unmarked vehicles for routine traffic patrols has helped contribute to the erosion in the police relationship with the broader public. These kind of stops lead to fear for the citizen driver. The Criminal Justice commitee heard testimony from women who had been stopped on the road by a car impersonating an undercover vehicle doing a traffic stop. These are incredibly dangerous situations, and the tradeoff of more tickets is not worth the risk. Eleven states have passed legislation similar to this one. There are studys that show that marked vehicles being visable on the road makes drivers drive safer. The presence of police on the roads is an important part to traffic policing. The more we rely on the undercover cars to preform traffic stops, the more we risk the erosion of our road safety. This legislation did not ban departments from using undercover vehicles for undercover or dectective business. It also had an exemption for undercover vehicles which observe a DUI, reckless driving, or an immiediate threat to safety. The bill was voted ITL by 12-8 in committee. That ITL recommendation was overturned on the House floor by a vote of 162 in favor of ITL, and 213 against. The Ought to Pass motion was a voice vote.
Transparent income reporting for lobbyists is essential for the sanctity of the legislative process. It helps prevent corruption, opens up transparency. Additionally it enables regulatory bodies to monitor this information to prosecute corruption when found. HB1666 required lobbyists to preform income reports similar to how the legislators do. Currently lobbyists do not have to report this information. This leaves legislators, and the public unaware of who is funding these very large organizations that lobby the legislature. This legislation passed the House on consent, the Senate on consent, and is currently on the Governors desk.
This legislation would move the Northern Border program to the general fund, allowing the legislature to adjust those funds during the regular budgeting process.
Our world is entering a new paradigm in the tech world. With AI, the possibilities are endless. We saw the effects it can have on elections this past primary election. Where a robocall with an AI voice of Joe Biden saying that people’s vote would count, was blasted out right before the election. Luckily, this attack was not significant enough to cause damage, but imagine the possibilities during the general election. You could blast absolutely false information into the body politic. Throwing the whole system into chaos. Legislation such as this are steps into unknown territory. There absolutely needs to be regulations in place regarding the use of synthetic materials. These regulations will have to start in State Governments, to push the Federal government and to test run these new policies before being broadly applied. Lawmakers are the tortoise, to the tech industries hare. We will never catch up, but we can win if we keep walking. We must not throw our hands up saying we don’t know and not address this issue. This legislation requires AI be watermarked for the viewer to know AI is being used. It mandates that the consent of the person involved in the video must be attained before the AI image can be used, similar to the whistleblower laws in place here in NH. The bill protects free speech, while taking our first step as the tortoise in this race. Ultimately the committee moved to study the bill.
In 2023 an appropriation was passed by the legislature through the budget which allocated one million dollars for an ambiguous program which charged the State Police with patrolling our Northern Border with Canada. This legislation would lapse any funds not spent back into the general fund. It passed the Criminal Justice committee 19-1, the House on a voice vote, only to die in the Senate on a party vote of 14-10.
Cannabis legalization is a policy that the people of the State of New Hampshire have been asking for. It is a common sense policy which every state around us has adopted. This has left us in awkward situation where we are still using state resources to prosecute people for a drug people are buying, using, and selling in every state bordering us. We also have an extensive medical program which people use. In 2023 around a thousand people were arrested for cannabis possession in New Hampshire. This is a ridiculous situation and HB1633 would have resolved that. After extensive back and forth in the House committees, and in the Senate. Then a back and forth between both bodies. It was tabled on the floor of the House by five votes. Killing legalization until next biennium. I will continue to fight to end the ridiculousness of New Hampshire being an island of illegality.
This resolution was aimed at urging Congress do to whats in its power to override the ‘Citizens United’ Supreme Court decision. This horrible decision has led to elections becoming billion dollar industries. Where only the rich have a chance at winning. If we are to address this, Congress, the legislative branch of the United States Government needs to take matters into its own hands. One way they could do that is by adopting a constitutional amendment distinguishing between corporate and individual rights. Unfortunately this bill was killed on the House floor 194-179.
This bill reauthorized a study committee which I served on that comprehensively looked at New Hampshires parole system. We are seeing statistics that show that an overwhelming 60% of admissions to our State Prison are parole violations. This can mean be caused by a variety of different occurrences, but it is clear the system is broken. With the work on the bail subcommittee and the work done in this study committee, we were able to craft a compromise bail package to address some systemic problems in the bail system. Ensuring we aren’t incareating people for being poor, and also that our streets our safe. I am ready to come back in the fall to continue the work on the subcommittee. This legislation passed both chambers unanimously and was signed by the Governor.
Written by Representative Loren Selig, this bill would create a study committee to study best practices for restorative model in dealing with misdemeanor level behavior. We are seeing a rise in misdemeanor, and hate crime level behavior throughout the state. Obviously there must be consequences for peoples actions, but is incarceration the best path forward for minors who engage in this behavior? Ending up in the system can be, and often is, detrimental to and individuals ability to move forward in life. It can mean they have a higher chance of recidivism. This study committee will look at the best practices available to the state, and recommended legislation for 2025-2026. The bill passed the House and the Senate unanimously, and is on the Governors desk.
Sponsored Legislation 2024
Sponsored Legislation 2023
CACR 2
relating to reproductive freedom. Providing that all persons have the right to make their own reproductive decisions.
This legislation would have put the question of reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy to the voters. The people of New Hampshire have been polled for decades, and they overwhelmingly support bodily autonomy. Turns out most people don't want the government making critical life decisions for them. Shocking. Unfortunately consitutional amendments require 2/3rds of the legislature, and 2/3rds of the voting population to pass. Despite the clear evidence showing the people are behind reproductive freedom for all, and bodily autonomy, the legislators did not want them to have the choice. Only three Republicans voted to allow this to be on the ballot. I will always stand for bodily autonomy, and I was proud to be a sponsor of this bill. This verison of the bill may have died but the fight does not end here. The final vote on the bill was 193-190.
HB282-FN-A
relative to including certain children and pregnant women in Medicaid and the children's health insurance program.
In New Hampshire there are children and pregnant women who are lawfully residing immigrants to this country, eligible for medicaid services but unable to get them because of the red tape of the federal bureaucracy. In 1996, Bill Clinton passed what is commonly known as the welfare reform act. Which locked many hard working American citizens, from the welfare benifits that could have got them out of the never ending loop of poverty. In 2009 the federal government passed a law saying that states could opt out of the provision of the 1996 welfare reform act which made it so lawfully residing immigrants; pregnant women and their children, were locked out of the medicaid benifits they were eligible for. New Hampshire remains the only state in the northeast not to opt out of this ridiculous red tape imposed on States' medicaid programs. HB282 would have done just that for New Hampshire. Coming out of the Health and Human Services committee on a bipartisan 12-8 vote, it went to the floor with an Ought to Pass motion. It passed the full house 186-170 and was referred to the House Finance committee. During the budget process, HB282 was put into the budget. Ensuring this small but signifigant population the necessary medical services they need. It was an honor to help this legislation through the body, and a huge thank you to Representative Joe Shapiro from Keene must be extended for his hard work on this meaningful legislation.
HB359
relative to legal holidays.
20-0 itl
HB188
relative to the duration of physical therapy.
Very simply, this bill gives physical therapists the discretion to refer their patient to the appropriate medical provider at the time they deem necessary. Striking the arbitrary mandatory 25 day reporting period. This bill unanimously came out of both chambers, and was signed by Governor Sununu into law. I was proud to be a small part in this small change getting rid of unnecessary laws.
HB287-FN
removing fentanyl and xylazine testing equipment from the definition of drug paraphernalia in the controlled drug act.
The unfortunate reality is people use drugs. Our society is such that people are driven into such a dark place that they use something such as heroin to relieve the seemingly neverending pain. It is easy for us, who may not suffer from that extreme an example of addiction, to say that it is the fault of the addict. To say they deserve what they get. However, to say that would be to ignore the humanity of that person. This legislation would remove testing strips from the definition of drug paraphenelia in New Hampshire's controlled drug act. Legalizing the use of testing strips. The drugs people are using are white powders, and not even a well trained chemist could eyeball whether or not the powder includes fentanyl. If we can save even one life with the use of testing, this small change in the law will be worth it. Representative Jodi Newell of Keene fought incredibly hard to pass this legislation, alongside advocates and stakeholders in the addiction advocacy space. Their work paid off and this legislation got a unanimous approval from the Criminal Justice committee, and both bodies in the legislature. Being signed into law by the Governor on August 4th, and coming into effect on October 3rd of 2023.
HB431
permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.
HB505
relative to comprehensive mental health education in schools.
The students of New Hampshire, and the United States more broadly are going through an unprecedented mental health crisis. New Hampshire schools do not currently require mental health education in their health and wellness curriculum. The kids who are going through depression or dealing with the anxieties of the world mixed with the anxiety of being a teenager, unable to put their feelings into words; would greatly benifit from having education on mental health. Knowing why and how one is feeling why they are opens up an avenue for that individual to feel better. The bill was retained by the committee for further study. Going through the subcommittee process in the fall of 2023 and coming out of the committee with a 10-10 vote. Going to the floor in January without recomendation. I will continue to be an advocate for mental health education in our schools, as one avenue of many to address the crisis of depression in our youth.
The issue of cannabis legalization is unfortunately a recurring one. I have voted for the legalization of cannabis whenever I have had the opportunity, and there have been many. I have also voted to legalize home cultivation of cannabis for all of age citizens of New Hampshire. Throughout all the riggermarole about legalization for all, the patients who use cannabis for medical use and pain management are left by the wayside. That's why I joined Representative Wendy Thomas, a champion on this and many other issues, to pass HB431. Which would legalize home cultivation for medical cannabis users. Many patients are people without means to be able to purchase cannabis from the medical retail market here in New Hampshire, and insurance does not cover cannabis. Leaving many patients without the medicine they need. Growing at ones place of residence would be a cheaper, more holistic alternative to having to give an arm and a leg to reduce daily pain. The legislation was adopted by the House Health and Human Services committee on a 19-1 vote, going through the full House unanimously. Unfortunately, as happens with many of the good cannabis bills that get through the House, was tabled in the Senate. A nice way to kill the bill on the part of Senate leadership. Representative Thomas has reintroduced the bill for the 2024 session, and I have again signed on as a cosponsor. I will continue to be an advocate to end the drug war and allow people to use methods of medication that work for them.
HB508
relative to the payment of postage on absentee ballot return envelopes.
HB555
appropriating state general fund surplus toward the retirement system unfunded accrued liability.
The legislature made an incredible mistake in 2010. Leaving thousands of public employees who were employed with a promise of a solid pension, suddenly finding out it wasn't solid at all. This has left the state with a massive accrued liability to our public employees. Governor Sununu ran around this state in multiple elections touting his 400 million dollar surplus. All while this debt to our public employees sat unaddressed. This legislation used money from that surplus to pay that accrued liability. Municipalities are the ones most impacted by this as the rates are downshifted to them. Paying this is a step towards relieving the tax burden on our towns and subsequently the taxpayers. Despite passing the House finance committee, and the full House unanimously, and passing through the Senate finance committee on a 5-2 OTP vote. Senator Gray moved to table the bill and that motion was passed, without debate, on the Senate floor May 11th of 2023.
The current statute is such that when a voter utilizes the absentee system here in New Hampshire, they have to pay for the postage to mail out their ballot and complete their civic duty. I introduced HB508 because this seemingly small and insignifigant obstacle is anything but for the disability community or any of the any other kinds of voters who vote absentee. The price of a stamp may not be much for most people, but there are people in our community for whom it is. This legislation, which would have cost the state a hundred thousand dollars over the course of four years would have been a step towards ensuring the process of completing ones civic duty is as easy as can be. Sadly, the election law committee voted 11-9 against the bill and the House voted it down on a margin of 189-172.
HB575
relative to pharmaceutical products purchased, promoted, or distributed by the state and its political subdivisions.
HB633
relative to electric distribution company market share, prohibiting certain electric rate increases, and requiring enforcement against Eversource.
HB575, is a bill which says that no pharmaceutical product or immunization shall be distributed by the state or it's politicial subdivisions, if said product had not gone through voluntary human clinical trials. A simple regulation which puts an industry which has time and time again proven it's proclivity for negligence, at best; criminality at worst. This is not a bill which bans the distribution of any product of the private market. All products will still be available at your local drug store. This is a bill which says that those products, to receive the stamp of approval by our state, must have gone through rigorous trials to ensure safety and efficacy of the products distributed.
Eversource has a monopoly on the electric market here in New Hampshire, and we have seen the effects of monopoly over the course of these last few winters. Winter 2022-23 saw a 50% rise in electric rates.