I am a Democrat in my first term in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Grafton District 15, also known as Lebanon Ward 3.

I am running for re-election in 2024! Please consider donating to the Lebanon Democrats by pressing the Donate button above. I am recommended by NEA-NH, and I’m endorsed by AFT-NH, 3.14 Action, and Sierra Club New Hampshire.

My page on the NH House website. I’m on the Science, Technology and Energy Committee. Based on the bills before us, a more accurate name would be the Energy, Energy and Energy Committee.

I worked on three bills related to artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, all of which have been signed into law:

• Prime sponsor for HB 1688-FN, a bipartisan bill limiting what New Hampshire state agencies are allowed to do with AI.
• HB 1432-FN, allowing for criminal and civil actions for damaging deepfakes.
• Co-sponsor for HB 1596-FN, a bipartisan bill allowing for injunctive relief for deceptive deepfakes during elections.

I helped the committees that these bills went to coordinate their definitions of AI and deepfakes. Although I was not the prime sponsor for HB 1432 and HB 1596, I helped to shepherd them through the House and Senate (and the House again for HB 1596). Here’s the signing ceremony for HB 1432, with me, Representative Zoe Manos (D-Stratham), and Governor Chris Sununu.

The current makeup of the House gives a slight edge to the Republicans. Attendance is key. Depending on who is in the room and who is not, the minority party can temporarily become the majority party, and it has happened.

In the New Hampshire House, every bill gets a hearing in at least one committee. Committees do not have the power to kill bills; they can recommend that a bill pass or not, or if the vote in a committee is tied, then the bill comes out of the committee with no recommendation. Since committees can only recommend, every bill goes to the floor of the House.

Although I am a Democrat, I try to have good relationships with legislators from both parties. I am on the steering committee of the Granite Bridge Legislative Alliance, which uses the Braver Angels model to get people from opposing parties to see each other as just that—people. Not only does that make me a more effective legislator, but it also makes my own experience more pleasant. I also bear in mind that (so far) none of the distasteful moves that I’ve seen are personal—it’s just politics. If Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan could hang out together, I can keep things in perspective as well.