by Bob Hatcher | Jun 10, 2022 | OldNews
HB-1431 – Parents’ Bill of Rights was defeated on May 26, 2022. (The link includes the text of the bill.)
The following 13 Republicans voted against the bill, and one other was present but did not vote.
- Joe Alexander
- James Allard
- Mike Bordes
- Joe Depalma – Grafton County
- Debra DeSimone
- Ned Gordon – Grafton County
- John Graham
- Joseph Guthrie
- Bonnie Ham – Grafton County
- James Mason
- Kim Rice
- Claire Rouillard
- John Sytek
- Dan Wolf
- Jodi Nelson did not vote.
Among other things, the Bill provided that parents had…
(a) The right to direct the education and care of his or her minor child.
b) The right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child.
(c) The right to apply to enroll his or her minor child in a public school or, as an alternative to public education, a private school, including a religious school, a home education program, or other available options, as authorized by law.
(d) The right to access and review all school records relating to his or her minor child, pursuant to RSA 189:66, IV.
(e) The right to be notified promptly if an employee of the state, any of its political subdivisions, or any other governmental entity has a reasonable basis to believe that a criminal offense has been committed against his or her minor child, unless the incident has first been reported to law enforcement or the bureau of child protective services and notifying the parent would impede the investigation.
by Bob Hatcher | May 31, 2022 | OldNews
As we approach election season in the fall, with the primary on September 13 and the general election on November 8, 2022, we will have several meetings devoted to hearing from and asking questions to candidates running for office. Note that it is PARC’s position not to endorse any candidate prior to the primary election. We want a fair and balanced process.
So, on June 9, 2022, we are pleased to hear from two candidates. Vikram Mansharamani is a candidate for the United States Senate trying to unseat Maggie Hassan. Jeffrey Greason is a current New Hampshire state rep and is running for re-election.
Each candidate will have 30 minutes to tell us why they’re the best person for the job. There will be time for questions.
Ashland American Legion.
6:30 refreshments and networking.
7:00 presentations start.
by Bob Hatcher | Apr 29, 2022 | OldNews
As we approach election season in the fall, with the primary on September 13 and the general election on November 8, 2022, we will have several meetings devoted to hearing from and asking questions to candidates running for office. Note that it is PARC’s position not to endorse any candidate prior to the primary election. We want a fair and balanced process.
So, on May 12, 2022, we are pleased to hear from two candidates for the U.S. Senate from the great state of New Hampshire: Kevin Smith and General Don Bolduc. Each candidate will have 30 minutes to tell us why they’re the best person for the job. There will be time for questions.
Ashland American Legion.
6:30 refreshments and networking.
7:00 presentations start.
by Bob Hatcher | Mar 25, 2022 | OldNews
The House was in session for three days the week of March 12, 2022 – it was grueling! In the end, we got a lot of good things accomplished, and I am delighted to rattle off some of those victories.
1) We voted to repeal HB-1165 – the Granite State Family Leave Plan – by a vote of 172-164. This was the program that got stuffed into the budget trailer bill last year that would provide a tax-payer paid-for benefit to the 11,000 state employees at a cost that is still unknown.
2) We passed (179-153) HB-1337, relative to the duration of time a person can draw unemployment benefits. This bill ties the maximum duration for drawing unemployment benefits to the unemployment rate. This would encourage people to get back into the workforce quicker and thereby also help reduce businesses unemployment insurance costs.
3) We passed HB-1194 (183-146) to make it more difficult for municipalities to override tax caps. This bill would require a 2/3 majority instead of a simple majority.
4) We also passed HB-1667 (205-127) to expand the definition of a veteran to include National Guardsmen and Reservists for the purposes of obtaining veterans tax credits.
5) We voted to protect NH residents who work remotely for out-of-state companies from having to pay taxes on their income by passing HB-1221 (177-141).
6) We passed HB-1459 (167-145) to begin establishing the proper mechanism for the recycling of solar panels.
7) We defeated multiple efforts to eliminate or gut Education Freedom Accounts – HB-1669, HB-1672, HB-1683). I think the key take-away is that Democrats HATE the idea of parents being able to make choices regarding their children’s education.
8) We passed several bills that regard parents’ rights. HB-1434 (availability of curricula materials), HB-1431 (Parents Bill of Rights), HB-1280 (vaccine freedom), and many others.
9) We passed several bills related to professional licensing. HB-1171 exempts certain niche beauty services from license requirements; HB-1330 relative to the board of registration of medical technicians; HB-1560 relative to non-resident licensure by the board of barbering, cosmetology, and esthetics. These are all designed to help people get going in their chosen professions. These unnecessary licensing requirements have proven to be great hindrances to the job market for many people.
10) We passed HB-1022 (183-159) permitting pharmacists to dispense Ivermectin via a standing order.
11) We passed HB-1439 so people will not be left alone to die in hospitals.
12) We passed several other bills related to medical freedom.
13) We passed a repeal of the “buffer zone law”.
14) And one of the most important victories – despite a ferocious attempt to completely repeal of dismantle the Fetal Life Protection Act, we passed on a voice vote to pass HB-1673 with an amendment that keeps the Act in place and clarifies the language pertaining to the ultrasound provision.
by Bob Hatcher | Mar 25, 2022 | OldNews
As we approach election season in the fall, with the primary on September 13 and the general election on November 8, 2022, we will have several meetings devoted to hearing from and asking questions to candidates running for office. Note that it is PARC’s position not to endorse any candidate prior to the primary election. We want a fair and balanced process.
So, on April 14, 2022, we are pleased to hear from two candidates for Governor of New Hampshire: Thad Riley and Karen Testerman. Each candidate will have 30 minutes to tell us why they’re the best person for the job. There will be time for questions.
Ashland American Legion.
6:30 refreshments and networking.
7:00 presentations start.
by Bob Hatcher | Feb 15, 2022 | OldNews
Who to believe about Covid? The CDC says one thing, the White House says another and the internet is ripe with information and who knows what’ true or not.
At our next Dessert With Friends, Dr. David Strang will present from his popular talk on “Reassuring Truths About Covid”. He’ll take you through a fact based approach to understanding what COVID really is and how we can treat it as well as what the vaccines are and are not. Come ready with questions for this popular speaker.
Dr. Strang is an emergency medicine physician in central New Hampshire and is licensed in three states. He received his medical degree from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and has been in practice for over 32 years.
