Midweek update

TWO additional topics requiring quick action

HB254 - The End of Life Freedom Act

One of our members asked that I share information on HB254 - The End of Life Freedom Act, which the House Judiciary Committee voted to send to the full House. HB254 has bi-partisan support and would allow NH citizens who meet the criteria outlined in the bill access to medical aid in dying.

The House vote is scheduled for TOMORROW. The New Hampshire Alliance for End of Life Options is a longtime proponent of the measure and has created a petition for those who support the bill to sign. This is a very personal topic and MV Dems has not taken a formal position, but several members have already signed the petition.

There is an FAQ article in the Concord Monitor that offers pros and cons on the bill that you may find helpful.

Federal Anti Library Executive Order

There has been plenty of bad library legislation proposed in NH this year, but this week the issue is at the federal level. Last Friday, President Trump issued an Executive Order intended to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as well as six other agencies. The IMLS is the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services.

The American Library Association (ALA) has put together an FAQs page to help you understand the national impact.

The NH Library Association (NHLA) notes that The New Hampshire State Library uses $1.5 million of IMLS money to fund its interlibrary loan program (ILL) and to fund Libby - the eBook, eAudio and digital magazine platform.

There are several things you can do to help:

Sign up to be a public supporter for ALA. ALA now has a program that allows supporters to easily give directly to ALA;Sign the EveryLibrary petition;You can then fill out EveryLibrary's form that will come up after you sign the petition to automatically send a message to our Governor and our congressional delegation;OR use ALA's Show Up for Libraries form to send a tailored message focusing on the IMLS - if you use this form, tailor the language to tell your story. All of our MV book clubs rely on ILL to allow everyone to read the same book at the same time. Libby is huge for anyone who loves audiobooks. I checked and learned that I've listened to 924 audiobooks. 924! Imagine what that would cost without Libby. EEK. Keep an eye on Bonnie's FB posts for local specifics.

Call our representatives to remind them that vibrant libraries are essential to rural NH. You will often get voicemail or a staffer who is there to record your opinions.

  • Senator Shaheen (202) 224-2841

  • Senator Hassan (202) 224-3324

  • Representative Goodlander (202) 225-5206

  • Representative Pappas (202) 225-5456

  • Say something like:
    Hi, my name is _____ and I’m a resident of _________.  I’m calling to request that ________ oppose any efforts by the Executive Branch to abolish the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is essential to preserve IMLS services and funding which supports summer reading, workforce readiness, early childhood development & literacy, services to Veterans, the blind, rural and Tribal libraries, access to ebooks, and more. It also supports community grants to address local needs. This funding is critical to meet the mission and needs of our NH communities. Thank you for your time and consideration.

The EO includes a Friday deadline on key decisions so reaching out today or tomorrow is important

MVDC Actions - Week of 03/16/2025

Thank you all for your Town Voting/Meeting support last week!

Mont Vernon voters preserved Town Meeting, supported good leaders and rational public education funding & pushed back on anti-democratic and anti-immigrant petition warrant articles.

Several actions this week:

This week’s sign in opportunities…

The NH House and Senate are both in session this week.

There are two House Bills we oppose this week, one targeting renewable energy and one targeting the NH Vaccine Association. Sign in at the Tuesday links below to OPPOSE them.

There are two Senate Bills that we support asking that reports be compiled to help NH Voters understand them impacts of recent federal policy changes on our State. Sign in at the Wednesday links below to SUPPORT them.

NH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

If you need further directions for the House Remote Testimony tool, click HERE. 

TUESDAY - OPPOSE

OPPOSE THESE TWO:

HB224 -  relative to rebates to ratepayers from the renewable energy fund.

HB524 - repealing the New Hampshire vaccine association.

1. Sign into the House Remote Testimony tool to voice your opposition.

2. Enter your personal information.

3. Select:

    • Tuesday, March 18th on the calendar

    • HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

    • 10:00 AM - HB224

    • I am a member of the public.

    • I am representing myself.

4. Click: "I oppose this bill", then hit the submit button at the bottom of the form. Adding remote testimony can help make your case, but just sharing your opinion is also useful.

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for HB 524 @ 10:30 AM,

NH SENATE

If you need further directions for the Senate Remote Testimony tool, click HERE. 

WEDNESDAY - SUPPORT

SUPPORT THESE TWO:

SB303 - directing the commissioner of the department of education to compile a report on the effects of the dissolution of the United States Department of Education on New Hampshire and its residents

SB304 - directing the commissioner of the department of business and economic affairs to assemble a report on the effects of tariffs on Canada and New Hampshire residents

1. Sign into the Senate Remote Testimony tool to voice your support.

2. Select:

  • Wednesday, March 19th on the calendar

  • SENATE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

  • 9:45 AM - SB303

  • I am a member of the public.

  • I am representing myself.

3. Click: "I support this bill", then click the continue at the bottom of the form.

4. Enter your personal information and click continue.

5. Review your info, check the checkbox and click continue.

6. Repeat steps 2 thru 5 for SB304 @ 10:00 AM

STATE BUDGET INPUT SESSIONS

The NH House GOP is working to force through a budget that hurts working people.

They’ve scheduled just one last-minute hearing on the state budget this week—in the middle of the workday—on a plan that raises health care costs, forces Medicaid cuts, and raises taxes on working families while giving massive tax cuts to corporations and the ultra-wealthy.

NHDP is hosting an additional public info session on the budget at the Manchester Public Library Auditorium on Saturday March 22nd from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at 405 Pine St, Manchester

RSVP HERE

Or sign up for budget updates HERE

Many bills are being discussed in executive sessions this week. You can’t weigh in using the online tool, but you can send emails.

By TUESDAY email our representatives in Concord and let them know you SUPPORT these key bills…

SUBJECT LINE: Constituent Requests Support for CACR5, HB136, HB344, HB385 and HB199

Dear Rep/Sen ???

I am one of your constituents and I’ll be considering your voting record next election. I am a registered voter in your district, living in Mont Vernon. I’m asking you to support four bills that make voting in NH a little less onerous. Voting is important to me and these bills are being considered in executive session this week.

They include:

  • CACR5, relating to absentee ballots. Like 29 other states, the bill would allow a registered voter the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot without providing any excuse.

  • HB136, extending the time period for delivery of an absentee ballot from 5:00 p.m. to the close of the polls. This bill would clear up confusion for voters delivering their completed absentee ballots to their local polling location on the day of the election.

  • HB344, enables the processing of absentee ballots before election day. This bill would allow cities and towns that choose to do so to open absentee ballot outer envelopes up to one week prior to the election to identify problems with absentee ballots in order to notify the voter who may be able to cure the deficiency.

  • HB385, reestablishing voter identification exceptions.

I am also asking for your support for  HB199-FN, extending the statute of limitation on civil actions relative to damage caused by per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). By extending the statute of limitations to 20 years, individuals and entities have ample time to discover potential claims and have a fair and reasonable time to seek justice.

Sincerely,

Your name

Tweak the words to make them your own. Add a story if you have one. Some legislators will discount written input if they see that it is a simple copy/paste…

Also by TUESDAY email our representatives in Concord and let them know you OPPOSE these key bills…

SUBJECT LINE: Constituent OPPOSES HB323, HB289, HB418, HB217, HB686, HB618, and HB684.

Dear Rep/Sen ???

I am one of your constituents and I’ll be considering your voting record next election. I am a registered voter in your district, living in Mont Vernon. I’m asking you to OPPOSE these bills that make voting in NH even more difficult. These bills are important to me and are being considered in executive session this week. They include:

  • HB323 - requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote.

  • HB289 - regarding domicile qualifications for voting.

  • HB418 - relative to eligibility for absentee voting.

  • HB217 - relative to absentee ballots.

  • HB686 - requiring a voter to provide identification when requesting an absentee ballot.

  • HB618 - enables election officials to verify the single use of an out-of-state driver's license presented when a person votes by using the centralized voter registration database.

  • HB684 - preventing the use of student identification cards as a means to obtain a ballot.

  • SB287 - requiring applicants for absentee ballots to present a copy of their photo identification with their application.

Voting is already difficult in NH and voter fraud is all but nonexistent. None of these bills solve real problems for NH residents. Please oppose them all.

Sincerely,

Your name

One last fun one if you’ve made it this far…

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him this week in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.

Frome his website at this LINK:

“The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has issued an injunction commanding DOGE to comply with citizen requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This law encompasses the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, which entitles any citizen to access personal information held in any U.S. government records system. Please find a fillable Privacy Act request form HERE.

Citizens need only fill out the form and mail it in to DOGE.  This newly recognized federal agency, which has been systematically accessing government computer data systems, now has an obligation to respond to specific information demands from any of the 340 million U.S. citizens who exercise their legal right to defend their privacy and establish the security of their private information.

Once you have mailed a Privacy Act Request to DOGE, please fill out the form HEREand we will stay in touch with additional details and updates as they become available.”

Our voices make a difference!