My votes in the NH House session
of March 14, 2024

This was another day in which we just did not have the numbers to win some key votes. When I have some time, I will add text about some of the individual bills.

1276-FN

Have you been hankering to carry a blackjack, slungshot, or brass knuckles? Then you are in luck, because this bill repeals the prohibition on possessing or selling them, except to or by minors.

HB 1162

This bill would have repealed the “divisive concepts” law that was snuck into HB 2 in 2021. The Republicans have learned how to use the motion to Indefinitely Postpone, and they bludgeoned us with it to kill this bill.

HB 1311

The “Students’ Freedom to Read” bill, which requires schools to have a collection development policy and a reconsideration policy to address requests by parents to remove library materials. Enough Republicans voted with us on this one to pass it.

HB 1512

If a Republican member of the New Hampshire House ever claims that the Republicans are more fiscally responsible than the Democrats, there are three bills from today’s session you can throw in their face. HB 1512 is one of them. It simply would limit the amount spent on Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs—vouchers for private, religious, and home schools) to the amount set in the state budget. You would think that a party preaching fiscal responsibility would be all over that, but no. The bill was Indefinitely Postponed by a margin of two votes.

HB 1594-FN

You might also think that, since EFAs are means tested when a student enters the program, the means testing would occur annually, like every other means-tested program. This bill would have required just that. And of course the Republicans, the fiscally irresponsible party, Indefinitely Postponed it by a margin of five votes.

CACR 19

Gee, why is it that more Democratic votes (303,223) were cast for the Executive Council than Republican votes (301,723), yet the Executive Council is 4-1 Republican? Or that more Democratic votes (299,382) were cast for the State Senate than Republican votes (293,299), yet the State Senate is 14-10 Republican? Yes, it’s because of gerrymandering. After the Republicans took the House and Senate in 2020, they got to draw up the districts, and they did a superb job of gerrymandering the Executive Council and State Senate districts. Lots of packin’ and crackin’. CACR 19, if passed by the voters, would have amended the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission to draw the boundaries for state offices and the congressional districts. It needed a 3/5 majority to go to the Senate, but it didn’t even get a simple majority.

HB 1364

You know how election officials are intimidated in some other states? The Republicans appear to be just fine with that, because they Indefinitely Postponed this bill, which would have made threatening or harming an election worker a felony, doxxing one a misdemeanor, and tampering with electronic voting systems a misdemeanor.

HB 1370-FN

Not the most consequential election-related bill, but I had a really hard time deciding how to vote. It requires the Secretary of State to replace cardboard boxes holding ballots by more durable containers. There really hasn’t been a problem with the cardboard boxes, but durable containers will last longer and provide more of an appearance of being tamper-resistant. It was when about 5 seconds were left in our 30-second voting period that I pressed the green button to vote for the bill.

HB 1557-FN

You would think that the Republicans who press on about election integrity would want to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which helps to identify voters who have moved and therefore prevents someone from voting in two states. And you would be mistaken. This bill, which would have directed the Secretary of State to enter us into ERIC, was Indefinitely Postponed by a margin of four votes.

HB 1569-FN

A really bad bill, so of course it passed, again by four votes. It eliminates a voter affirming their eligibility by affadavit. Yet anyone can challenger a voter’s eligibility by affadavit.

HCR 9

This resolution rescinds the state’s application to Congress for an Article V Constitutional Convention. I received several emails about this one, but not from my district. Supposedly, the convention would be to draft an amendment overturning Citizens United. But the convention could draw up whatever amendments they wanted to. I feel that in the current political climate, now is not the time to open up the U.S. Constitution to wholesale changes.

HB 1244

This bill, which would prohibit smoking in a vehicle when children are aboard, was on the calendar for last week. Last week, I would have voted against the bill, as I decided that what you do in your car is your business. (Not that I am any sort of fan of smoking.) But we didn’t get to HB 1244 last week, and in the intervening week, I thought about it more. We prohibit other behaviors in cars. You aren’t allowed to text while driving, for example. The behaviors we prohibit endanger others—but they tend to be as the result of driving. Smoking endangers others in the car, but not as the result of driving. I decided that doesn’t matter, and I voted for the bill.

HB 1332-FN

Republicans do not like electric vehicles. This bill would prohibit EVs from parking in parking garages, ostensibly because they are heavy (and a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado isn’t?) and they catch on fire (not really). Amazingly, this bill failed.

CACR 15

Susan Almy, ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, called this bill the most fiscally irresponsible bill you will ever see. This constitutional amendment would require a 2/3 vote to pass new or increased taxes or license fees or to issue state bonds. Taxes and fees could still be cut with a simple majority. The bill failed to even get a simple majority, but there were 183 votes for it.