Dear Friend,
This coming Thursday, February 15th at 10:00AM, Governor Sununu will deliver his annual State of the State address to the New Hampshire House and Senate. In his speech, Sununu will likely continue his pattern of spouting empty rhetoric and making useless promises, while completely ignoring the fact that his leadership led New Hampshire to lose jobs for the first time since the Recession.
In 2017, New Hampshire was one of only two states in the entire country that lost jobs. This job loss came after Sununu passed a budget that included an $100 million tax cut for the wealthiest 3% of corporations at the expense of funding workforce development or job training.
During his speech, help us hold Sununu accountable. Follow, share, and retweet @NHDems and @SununuRealityCheck, who will be fact-checking Sununu’s claims live. Let’s make sure Sununu can’t hide from the real impact he’s had on our state. Please continue to use this regular newsletter as a tool for your local committee meetings or as a supplement to your own regular newsletter.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.
|
|
Action Alert
Volunteer for Phil Spagnuolo for State Rep!
Help us kick off 2018 with another Special Election win by volunteering for Phil Spagnuolo in Laconia!
Phil Spagnuolo has been involved in Laconia’s community since moving there in 1979 with his family. He is a founding member of Navigating Recovery, working as part of the grassroots community group since March 2016, and has been a full time Recovery Support Worker since January 2017. Phil is passionate about being an advocate for those suffering from substance use disorder and uses his own journey of recovery to help others.
Election day is February 27th and we need YOUR help to get out the vote!
We’re canvassing every Saturday at 10 am at 345 South Main St., Laconia. Click HERE to sign up to help out by knocking doors or making calls. Email McKenzie St. Germain at mstgermain@nhdp.org with any questions.
|
|
|
On the Floor
The RESCUE Act
Thursday, February 15th / Senate / Floor Vote
SENATE – SB 542, allocating funds from the Rainy Day Fund to the opioid epidemic
Why this matters: Senate Democrats introduced this legislation that would allocate 10% of the $100 million Rainy Day Fund to fight the opioid crisis. In the face of President Trump and Governor Sununu’s failure to deliver on their promises, this legislation would help those suffering from Substance Use Disorder by providing additional funding for treatment and recovery centers, hospitals, and our first responders.
Fully Fund the Alcohol Fund
Thursday, February 15th / Senate / Floor Vote
SENATE – CACR 21, constitutionally require a 5% fully funded alcohol fund
Why this matters: New Hampshire has the third highest overdose death rate in the entire country, and yet Governor Sununu failed to fully fund the alcohol fund in last year’s budget. This bill would make it a constitutional requirement to provide full funding for the alcohol fund, ensuring that our government devotes its full capacity towards combatting this crisis.
Withdrawal from the Voter Crosscheck Program
Thursday, February 15th / Senate / Floor Vote
SENATE – SB 439, relative to repealing the authority to share voter information or data with other states
Why this matters: This bill seeks to end New Hampshire’s involvement in the faulty Crosscheck Program, founded by voter fraud conspiracy theorist and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and established in New Hampshire by Secretary of State Bill Gardner. This program’s stated purpose is to work with states to find voters registered in multiple states. However, this crosscheck program has leaked people’s voter information, has a 99% false positive rate, and even Kobach’s state of Kansas has decided not to use the program any longer. Instead of relying on this faulty program, New Hampshire should instead adopt a more reliable program like ERIC, which safely guards voter files and makes sure election results are fair and accurate.
Presidential Tax Returns
Thursday, February 15th / SENATE / Floor Vote
SENATE – SB 362, requiring Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates to release their tax returns
Why this matters: This Democrat-sponsored bill would require all candidates for President and Vice President to release their federal income taxes. As the First in the Nation primary state, New Hampshire has always taken the election of presidential candidates seriously. With this bill, Granite Staters would continue this tradition by requiring candidates to be transparent and to allow voters to see and understand the financial ties and obligations of anyone running for President.
To receive status updates for these bills or to learn when the House will next be in session, email Sue Ford ( sueford06@gmail.com)
|
|
|
Priority Hearings
Transgender Civil Rights
Tuesday, February 13th, 10:00AM / Judiciary / Representative’s Hall
HOUSE – Judiciary – HB 1319, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity
Why this matters: After hundreds of activists attended the preliminary hearing two weeks ago to support HB 1319, which seeks to ban transgender discrimination, the final hearing will be held this Tuesday so those who weren’t able to present testimony have a second chance to do so. This is the second bill in two years that seeks to preventing transgender discrimination. Last year, Republicans tabled this bill, keeping it from even coming up for a vote. Governor Sununu’s sole response was that he had “no personal opinion” on the matter. Now, this Democrat-supported legislation has another chance to pass, which would secure transgender civil rights under the law.
Commuter Rail
Tuesday, February 13th, 10:00AM / Public Works and Highways / Room 201, Legislative Office Building
HOUSE – Public Works and Highways – HB 2018, relative to the state 10-year transportation improvement program
Why this matters: The Public Works and Highways committee will have a final public hearing on HB 2018, which will decide the fate of commuter rail, at 10:00AM before transitioning to a work session at 11:00AM. After reversing his prior opposition to commuter rail in an attempt to woo Amazon, Governor Sununu included a study for the train system in New Hampshire’s 10-year transportation improvement program. Now that his bid failed, he’s once more abandoned his support, saying it’s up to the legislature. This plan will be debated at this meeting where the Committee will ultimately decide whether to include the rail study in the final proposal.
Be sure to call your State Representative and Governor Sununu’s office (603-271-2121) directly, to register your opinions on these important issues. If you’d like to attend one of these hearings or find out when the next session will take place, email Sue Ford (sueford06@gmail.com)
|
|
|
Legislative Review
Last Thursday, Democrats in the New Hampshire House led the effort to pass a ban on conversion therapy. The measure, HB 587, passed 179-171 with Democrats voting unanimously in support of the ban while 171 Republicans (90% of all Republicans voting on the bill) voted to continue the abusive practice. This vote brings us one step closer to ensuring that the state recognizes children for who they are rather than discouraging them from embracing their identity. HB 587 now heads to the House Committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs.
The House of Representatives also voted last week to move forward with HB 628, which would establish a Paid Family and Medical Leave program in the state of New Hampshire. This bill aims to provide families with the opportunity to seek medical treatment for themselves and their families without fear of losing their jobs. It now heads to the House Finance Committee for further hearings.
Finally, on Thursday the Republican-controlled New Hampshire House voted to send HB 1811 to Interim Study, effectively killing the House proposal to reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Program, the state’s version of Medicaid Expansion. This result is disappointing but we’re hopeful the State Legislature will come to a bipartisan agreement on an issue that affects more than 50,000 Granite Staters and serves as a crucial tool to combat the opioid crisis. |
|
|
Upcoming Events
This winter and upcoming spring, the NHDP staff is hitting the road for thirteen County Summits that will be packed with trainings and discussions relevant to strategic planning for 2018 elections! With more than 50% of statewide local committee officers being new members this year we are traveling the state to provide the training and organizing skills that will lay the foundation for success in 2018. We have the momentum, we are fine tuning our skills, and we are building our capacity in every town and county. Please add the following dates to your calendar and RSVP to join us at your county summit!
Grafton (Upper Valley/Mascoma) – March 10
Click HERE to RSVP
Nashua – March 17
Click HERE to RSVP
Sullivan County – April 14
Click HERE to RSVP
Merrimack County – April 21
Click HERE to RSVP
Locations and times to follow.
|
|
|
|
Sununu Reality Check
It’s been 226 days since New Hampshire state employees had a contract. On Day 1, Governor Sununu gave himself a $22,000 raise. Just last week, he gave a $6,000 raise to Frank Edelblut, the unqualified Department of Education Commissioner. Contact Governor Sununu and tell him come to the table and invest in his workforce: https://www.governor.nh.gov/contact/
.
Follow Sununu Reality Check on Twitter, Facebook, and check out our website (SununuRealityCheck.com) to get updates on how we’re holding Sununu accountable.
|
|
|
|
Social Media Buzz
Click on the Tweet to View it on Twitter
Share on Facebook
|
|
In the News
Protecting transgender citizens strengthens New Hampshire
By: Doug Marino (Stratham)
Please support HB 587
By: Zachary Koehler (Dover)
Foster’s Daily Democrat: READ HERE
Keep Medicaid Expansion
By: Jedidiah Crook (Nashua)
Union Leader: READ HERE
SB 193 is a new tax
By: Cindy White (Hopkinton)
|
|
Get Involved
We are going to need all hands-on-deck in 2018. If you’d like to get involved, please let us know. There are many ways to help out! You can volunteer to write letters to your local paper, call your local representatives, testify at hearings, or share posts on social media.
SIGN UP HERE |
|
|
