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.

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. Use the link above for information about the ST&E Committee.

Why did your electric rates skyrocket, and what can you do about it?

The current makeup of the House is 199 Republicans, 197 Democrats, 2 independents (one who left the Democratic party and one who left the Republicans), and two seats unfilled. One of the unfilled seats was vacated when Josh Adjutant (D-Enfield) resigned. Enfield will hold a special election to fill that seat later this year. The second unfilled seat became vacant when a Republican resigned; it will be filled by a special election at a date to be announced. There is also one Democrat whose seat is not vacant but has not been sworn in because of health issues. As you can see, 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. 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.