Board Positions

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Liberty Dinner Recap

The 2010 NHLA Liberty Dinner at The Chateau Restaurant in Manchester, N.H. was a huge success.  There were approximately 150 people in attendance between the VIP Reception and the dinner.

This year’s Legislator of the Year award went to Rep. Carol McGuire of Epsom.  Her unwavering support and continuous push for more liberty, demonstrated by her impeccable voting and attendance record, earned her the highest score and this most prestigious award.  Congratulations!  The runner-up was Rep. Calvin Pratt of Goffstown.

Along with presenting the award, we unveiled NHLA’s 2010 Liberty Rating.  To see how lawmakers scored on this year’s liberty report card, visit http://www.nhliberty.org/2010_liberty_rating.  Please share this with your friends and encourage them to use it as a voter’s guide.

Liberty Dinner

This year’s Liberty Dinner will be held on Sunday, July 11 at The Chateau Restaurant, 201 Hanover Street, Manchester, N.H. (map)

We will be presenting the Legislator of the Year and Activist of the Year awards, as well as unveiling our annual Liberty Rating legislative scorecard. There will be a silent auction fund-raiser, and more.

Dinner is from 6:00 – 8:00 pm and the keynote speaker will be Harvard economist and author Jeffrey Miron. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. His area of expertise is the economics of libertarianism, and has recently published a book entitled “Libertarianism from A to Z.” To learn more, visit his website at http://jeffreymiron.com/.

The VIP Reception will be from 5:00 – 6:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to chat with some of our liberty loving Reps, while enjoying appetizers and a cash bar.

NHLA “Don’t Touch” Policy

In May 2010, the NHLA Board of Directors sat with members to hear thoughts and concerns regarding the informal “Don’t Touch Issues” policy. There were over 30 people in attendance with many having traveled great distances to be heard. The level of respect and professionalism displayed was impressive.

Feedback on this matter was also solicited via email input from the membership for 2½ months. Over 35 members wrote in expressing their thoughts, all of which were reviewed by the Board. Many of those who were unable to attend the meeting had their comments read aloud by a Board member. The Board would like to thank all of the members who took time to provide input on this matter.

After reviewing all of the comments offered by members and spending a great deal of time deliberating, the Board has come to the conclusion that taking the pro-liberty position on pending legislation where a controversial topic might be involved is in line with our mission statement of “A non-partisan coalition working to increase individual freedom in New Hampshire.” By stating the pro-liberty position clearly and consistently, even on issues that may be uncomfortable to some (as demonstrated with medical marijuana), the NHLA will stand as a beacon for the principled reduction of government and for the growth of freedom in New Hampshire.

NHLA Policy Discussion

On Saturday, May 8^th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, the NHLA will hold a special meeting to give all members an opportunity to express their support or objection to the NHLA’s long-standing, informal policy of “Don’t Touch” issues. The criteria for each issue’s inclusion on an official “Don’t Touch” policy list are that valid, principled-based, pro-liberty positions can be made on both sides of the issue. This event will be held at Murphy’s Taproom in Manchester, N.H. Details of the event are listed below.

NHLA Policy Discussion

Last month, the House voted on legislation that was aimed at amending the NH Constitution regarding marriage. Although the Board was inclined to include our objection to this bill on the weekly Gold Standard, it was argued by some members that we should remain silent on this legislation since the NHLA had not taken a position on the issue in the past.

On Saturday, May 8^th, the Board will be holding a special meeting to give members an opportunity to express their support or objection to the NHLA’s long-standing, informal policy of “don’t touch” issues (marriage, immigration, beginning of life, end of life). Location and format of this event will be announced in the next newsletter.

All NHLA members are welcome to attend to observe and/or provide open or written testimony. After comments have been collected, the Board will review the information and consider a formal policy.

Any member who wishes to offer input and suggestions on this matter should email us at dti@nhliberty.org by May 5th.

Meet-the-Reps Event

The NHLA Meet the Reps event on March 16^th in Concord was a huge success. There were 20 state legislators in attendance, along with 20 other members and guests. The food was great, the conversations lively, and everyone had a fabulous time. The event netted over $230 in PAC money to support pro-liberty candidates running this November.

Thank you to all who attended and supported this event.

State Senate Victory

The board is proud to announce that NHLA-endorsed Rep. David Boutin won the February 16th special election for State Senate. We extend our congratulations to Senator Boutin on his victory and look forward to working with him.

This victory may indicate that the electorate is dissatisfied with tax-and-spend legislators. The NHLA Political Action Committee will play a part in advancing liberty in this year’s elections. You can help by donating to our PAC Fund http://www.nhliberty.org/donate, so that in November, we can celebrate victories by more pro-liberty candidates.

Special Election Victories

The board is proud to announce that the three candidates endorsed by the NHLA won in each of their special elections. We extend our congratulations to:

• Kenneth Weyler in Rockingham District 8 who defeated Norman Hurley in the general election for State Representative by a vote count of 1,005 to 287;
• Steve Cunningham in Sullivan District 2 who defeated Arthur Jillette in the general election for State Representative by a vote count of 616 to 319; and
• Representative David Boutin in State Senate District 16 who defeated Terry Pfaff in the primary election by a vote count of 1,670 to 857. The general election for this race is February 16^th when Rep. Boutin will face Representative Jeff Goley to determine who will fill Ted Gatsas’s senate seat. Joseph “JR” Hoell, who was running as an independent in this race and who scored a 100% score on the NHLA candidate survey, was unable to fulfill the required number of signatures to be on the ballot.

Bill Review System and Training

Thank you to all who attended the first two Bill Review training sessions this month. There were over 35 people who participated—our volunteer base, and your influence in Concord, are growing!

There are two more Bill Review training events currently scheduled. The next training/refresher session will be on Sunday, December 27 in Epsom at the home of Dan and Carol McGuire, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Denis Goddard will host a training session in Hopkinton on Sunday, January 10 at 1:00 p.m.

Veteran reviewers and first-timers alike are encouraged to attend. It is advisable to attend more than one class if possible. Email chair@nhliberty.org for more details or to sign up for one of these (free) training sessions.

More classes may be added; check the NHLA calendar periodically (http://calendar.nhliberty.org/).

Kudos and thanks to Jeremy Olson for his efforts in updating the Bill Review System on our website.

Countdown to Bill Review Season

The date has been set for the release of the 2010 House bills. Over 680 bills will be available for viewing beginning Thursday, Dec 10. A copy of the new proposed legislation will be on the NHLA website as part of the Bill Review program.

Bill reviewing is an integral part of the NHLA activism and we are encouraging members to take part in the Bill Review process to help identify pro- and anti-liberty bills that need our attention.

We have made bill reviewing easy with the Bill Review checklist provided on the website. Best of all, you can do it anytime, anywhere. If you’ve never done this, but believe that you are a principled supporter of liberty and would like to have something to say about proposed legislation, this is your chance!

If you would like to know more about this process or want to volunteer as a reviewer, please email Jeremy at research@nhliberty.org.