Voices of Faith at the NH State House on January 8, 2025 Maggie Fogarty
“These are the times for real choices and not false ones. We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every [person] of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits [their] convictions, but we all must protest.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
Happy new year, State House Watchers!
Our state legislators are back for the 2025 session, and so are we! Read on for news of opening day at the State House, inauguration of the new governor, a broad overview of what’s ahead, and important hearings in next week’s legislative calendar. And encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter. We’ll work hard to keep you informed and inspired for action in the months to come.
Here’s the new session by the numbers: The NH House is currently comprised of 215 Republicans, 173 Democrats and 1 Independent, with one resignation since the election and 10 people still to be sworn in. The NH Senate is comprised of 16 Republicans and 8 Democrats. The Executive Council is comprised of 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat. And the new Governor is a Republican. Nearly 1,000 bills will be considered this year. You can read their titles here, and, thanks to the hardworking staff in the Office of Legislative Services, the bill language has also been posted for most of them. We should mention that there are some bills that have not been made public yet, so there will be some surprises.
At AFSC, we’ll be tracking hundreds of bills related to justice, dignity, and the common good, including the state budget. Take a look at our 2025 legislative spreadsheet to see how many consequential matters will be up for deliberation and debate. As always, we welcome your guidance, suggestions, and updates. We remind you that this will be a budget year, and advocates for human needs are working hard behind the scenes to protect programs and ensure adequate funding. The public action on that front will begin once we see the governor’s budget in mid-February.
Voices of Faith were at the State House on Wednesday, welcoming our representatives and senators as they arrived for the first day of the 2025 legislative session. We greeted our legislators with smiles and signs that made clear our commitment to the rights and well-being of immigrants, transgender people, tenants, and workers, and our insistence on policies that ensure voting rights, economic justice, and well-funded public schools. We were glad to see that House members defeated, by a voice vote to table, a proposed amendment to the House rules that would have made it possible for committees to table bills without holding a public hearing. Read more here. You can read the current House rules here.
You’ll notice this year that there’s a standing committee for Housing, as well as two committees for Education – one for policy and the other for funding.
Governor Kelly Ayotte was inaugurated on Thursday, January 9, and spoke of “belt tightening” and cuts to government programs in her inaugural address. She also expressed her support for legislation that would turn local police into immigration agents, a bad idea that has been defeated multiple times in previous sessions but is likely to find more support in this current climate. Read more here.
Beyond the Dome
With only days remaining until the Trump Administration takes office, there is much work to be done to strengthen our capacity for care and safety in local communities, and to be ready to push back at the state and federal levels against policies that would dehumanize people, erode democracy, and undermine the common good. We are grateful for all who have stepped up to organize marches, trainings, advocacy teams, and communications networks so that we can be connected, responsive, and strategic as we face the planned chaos and harm. On January 20, we’ll be celebrating the life, legacy, and lessons of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at events throughout the state, grounding ourselves in our commitment to active nonviolence, the revolutionary power of love, and the building of Beloved Community.
Immigrant Rights are Human Rights
Racism and xenophobia were hallmarks of the most recent presidential campaign, and the plans outlined in Project 2025 predict a crusade of terror and expulsion that will separate families, return people to danger, and erode human rights. But it’s not Republicans alone who have opted for degrading narratives and anti-immigrant policies. The Biden administration has enacted harmful policies at the border and toward asylum-seekers. We’re frustrated that last week, US Representatives Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act, an anti-immigrant bill that will deny due process rights to vulnerable people, promote mass detention and deportation, and fuel dangerous narratives of immigrants as threats to community safety. Read more here. The US Senate will vote in the next few days, so please take a moment to call Senators Shaheen and Hassan. You’ll find some key messages here. Our senators must hear from us that we want them to resist anti-immigrant policies and to defend human rights. It doesn’t bode well for the years ahead if they can’t defend vulnerable people now.
We are glad to see that President Biden has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from Venezuela, Sudan, El Salvador, and Ukraine, protecting nearly a million immigrants from the immediate threat of deportation. (Read more here.) We hope to see more preemptive actions in the remaining days.
Work for Peace in the Middle East
We continue to grieve the ongoing violence in the Middle East, funded and fueled by complicity, weapons, and money from the United States government. After more than 14 months of Israeli bombardment and blocked humanitarian aid, 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced. Whole generations of families have been wiped out. People are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. Gaza lies in ruins and may take decades to rebuild. Despite all of this, the US continues to send Israel weapons and offer political support. It is time for this to end. Tell Congress to support an arms embargo and to end all military funding to Israel. Urge them to insist on humanitarian access and adherence to human rights laws. And please take a moment to thank Senator Jeanne Shaheen for her courageous vote in late November to support Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolutions of disapproval, which called for halting the delivery of US military equipment to Israel, a rare reproach of the Biden administration for its passivity with regard to reports of violations of international and US law. Read more here. We hope that the rest of our NH Congressional delegation will take courage from her example.
ACTION ALERTS
Please take action to support/oppose these key bills that are coming up soon.
Protect Public Education Funding
Oppose HB 115-FN, relative to universal eligibility for the education freedom account program. This harmful bill is scheduled for a public hearing in House Education Funding committee, LOB Room 205-207 on Thursday, January 16 at 1 PM. Please contact the committee, and sign in to oppose and share testimony.
Protect NH Workers
Oppose HB 69, requiring businesses to use the federal E-Verify system of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. This bill would require NH businesses to use the faulty E-Verify system, harming NH workers - non-citizens and citizens alike. This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services committee, LOB Room 307, on Tuesday, January 21 at 1 PM. Please contact the committee, and sign in to oppose and share testimony.
Oppose HB 238-N, prohibiting collective bargaining agreements from requiring employees join or contribute to a labor union. This year’s “Right-to-Work” (for less) bill is scheduled for a public hearing in House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee, LOB Room 210-211, on Wednesday, January 22 at 10 AM. Please contact the committee, and sign in to oppose and share testimony. Join advocates on the day of the hearing for a visibility and to give testimony. Find more information here.
Protect NH Tenants
Oppose HB 60, relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term. This “forced eviction” bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Housing committee, LOB Room 305, on Tuesday, January 21 at 10 AM. Please contact the committee, sign in to oppose and share testimony.
Support HB 351, requiring landlords to give tenants of at-will tenancies at least 60-days' notice to evict. This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Housing committee, LOB Room 305, on Tuesday, January 21 at 11 AM. Please contact the committee, sign in to support and share testimony.
Key:
LOB – Legislative Office Building (33 N. State St. Concord)
SH – State House (107 N. Main St. Concord)
OTP – “Ought to Pass,” the recommendation for approving a bill or an amendment
OTP/A – Ought to Pass with Amendment
ITL – “Inexpedient to Legislate,” the recommendation for defeating a bill or an amendment.
ITL” can also be used as a verb.
“Without Recommendation” - This indicates that the committee vote was a tie for both ITL and OTP. During the House session, these bills will be considered first as Ought to Pass.
Re-refer – When a Senate committee wishes to hold onto a bill for further consideration. The recommendation to re-refer must be approved in the full Senate. The committee will have until the end of the calendar year to meet about the bill and make a recommendation for further action.
Retain – When a House committee wishes to hold onto a bill for further consideration. The committee makes this decision for themselves; approval in the full House is not needed. The committee has until the end of the calendar year to make a recommendation for further action.
RC – Roll call vote. Each legislator’s vote is recorded and attributed to them.
VV – Voice vote
DV – Division vote
Coming Up in House Committees
You can watch the House hearings here. You can sign in for House bills here and submit testimony online as well. And you can contact House committees here.
Monday, January 13, 2025
EDUCATION FUNDING JOINT WITH EDUCATION POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, NH Department of Education, 25 Hall Street, Concord
9:00 AM Joint Education Funding and Education Policy and Administration Committees Informational Presentation by the Department of Education regarding its role and program responsibilities.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Room 307, LOB
1:15 PM HB 79, establishing a commission to study the privatization of the liquor commission.
EDUCATION FUNDING, Room 205-207, LOB
11:00 AM Presentation by University System of NH and Community College System of NH, Discussion of Higher Education.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 302-304, LOB
3:30 PM HB 106, establishing a commission to determine the monetary costs of climate damage to the state of New Hampshire and the best means of recouping such costs.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
EDUCATION POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 205-207, LOB
3:00 PM HB 184, establishing a committee to study changing school start times.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
EDUCATION FUNDING, Room 205-207, LOB
1:00 PM HB 115-FN, relative to universal eligibility for the education freedom account program. Voices of Faith will be there, in support of public schools.
Friday, January 17, 2025
STATE-FEDERAL RELATIONS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, Room 206-208, LOB
1:00 PM HB 55, repealing the Selective Service Compliance Act.
1:30 PM HB 104-FN, relative to requiring an official declaration of war for the activation of the New Hampshire national guard in a foreign state
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
HOUSING, Room 305, LOB
10:00 AM HB 60, relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term. Voices of Faith will be there, in solidarity with tenants.
11:00 AM HB 351, requiring landlords to give tenants of at-will tenancies at least 60-days notice to evict.
11:30 AM HB 65, directing landlords to offer tenants the option of reporting rental payments to consumer reporting agencies.
1:00 PM HB 309-FN, relative to making electronic rent payments optional.
LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
1:00 PM HB 69, requiring businesses to use the federal E-Verify system of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Voices of Faith will be there, in solidarity with immigrants.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 210-211, LOB
10:00 AM HB 238-FN, prohibiting collective bargaining agreements from requiring employees join or contribute to a labor union. Voices of Faith will be there, in solidarity with unions and all workers.
3:00 PM Executive session on HB 238-FN, prohibiting collective bargaining agreements from requiring employees join or contribute to a labor union.
Coming Up in Senate Committees
You can watch the Senate committee hearings here. You can sign in for Senate bills here. And you can contact Senate committees directly to share your opinion.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 103, LOB
9:30 AM SB 11, relative to the allocation of electoral college votes.
10:00 AM SB 43, removing articles of clothing from the definition of electioneering.
JUDICIARY, Room 100, SH
1:15 PM SB 14-FN, relative to the penalty for certain fentanyl-related offenses.
1:30 PM SB 15-FN, relative to establishing a mandatory minimum sentence for the crime of distribution of a controlled drug with death resulting.
Recommended Reading
Reimagining the Migrant Protection System – A publication by the Border Observatory by Hope Border Institute. Includes the essay “Guided by the River” by NH Program Coordinator, Grace Kindeke.
Donations Needed
The New Hampshire Mutual Aid Relief Fund is asking for folks to donate warm clothing, bottled water, electrolyte mix single-serve packages, clean reusable water bottles, and small towels. DM them on Instagram with any questions @nhmarf or drop off at any of the following locations:
Teatotaller (2 Capital Plaza, Concord)
The Green Beautiful (168 Wilson Street, Manchester)
Alchemy & Herbs (21 Water Street, Exeter)
Auspicious Brew (1 Washington Street Suite 1103, Dover)
Mend Acupuncture (585 Route 125 Unit 4, Barrington)
Monadnock Food Co-op (34 Cypress Street, Keene)
Brewbakers Cafe (48 Emerald Street, Keene)
Upcoming Events
MLK Day 2025 – For a longer list of events, see the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition website.
Sunday, January 19
Dover Area Religious Leaders Association (DARLA) celebration – 7 PM – St. Mary Parish of the Assumption in Dover. Program includes a reading of excerpts of Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and music from Rock My Soul.
Monday, January 20 Annual Seacoast NAACP MLK Breakfast - 8:30 AM – South Church, 292 State St. Portsmouth. Join us for a morning of food and gospel music, an inspirational talk by Richard Haynes, and a tour of the African Burying Ground at 12 noon. For more information, call 603-436-6099. This event is free to the public, but donations are appreciated.
43rd Annual MLK Community Celebration - 12 PM to 4 PM - Many Paths, One Dream: Intersectional Perspectives on MLK’s Legacy. Memorial High School, 1 Crusader Way, Manchester.
Every Third Tuesday
Protect, Resist and Build with AFSC– 8 PM to 9:30 PM. Hosted by AFSC. Monthly webinar series that brings together AFSC constituents to learn about how to protect, resist, and build just peace, just migration, and just economies.
Every Wednesday
Solemn Vigils for Ceasefire Now - 2 PM in Dover at the district offices of Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congressman Chris Pappas. The January 15 vigil will be at Pappas' office, 660 Central Avenue, Dover. The January 22 vigil will be at Shaheen's office, 340 Central Avenue, Dover. We gather at the entrance to Henry Law Park.
Every Thursday
Meeting for Worship with Attention to Peace in Palestine & Israel - 5:30 PM. Hosted by AFSC.
Solemn Vigils for Ceasefire Now – 12 noon at City Hall Plaza, in front of the State House, Concord
Every Friday
AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire – 12 noon. Hosted by AFSC. Join AFSC staff every Friday at 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us.
Saturday, January 11
Heal the World Concert – 2 PM. Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, 274 Pleasant St. Hosted by Suncook Valley Chorale. A concert featuring music that calls each of us to see the hurt and the sadness of the world and come together to make the world a better place, treat people with kindness, and reminds ourselves that we are able to rise like a phoenix and Heal the World!
Monday, January 13
Peace & Justice Conversations: Israeli Nuclear Weapons – 7 PM. Hosted by NH Peace Action. Israel is one of nine countries with nuclear weapons. Despite widespread acknowledgement by experts and former government officials of their existence, Israel and many Western governments maintain a policy of ambiguity about Israeli nuclear weapons. Nuclear disarmament is an essential component of a lasting peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, and in the region more broadly. Join us for a conversation with Alicia Sanders-Zakre author of the September 2024 report "Israeli Nuclear Weapons: Risks, Consequences and Disarmament."
Tuesday, January 14
Immigrant Solidarity Vigil – 9 AM – At the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street, Manchester. For more information, contact GSOP, gsopstaff@granitestateorganizing.org
Thursday, January 16
Collective Courage Book Study – 6 PM to 8 PM. Nashua Public Library, 2 Court Street. Join the BWINH Collective for a series of gatherings centered around Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard. Our goal is to deepen our understanding of the cooperative legacy within Black communities and to explore ways to continue this work locally. Come ready to learn, connect, and envision possibilities for collective empowerment!
Advocacy 101 Webinar – 4 PM to 5 PM. Hosted by New Futures. This webinar will provide an overview of the NH state legislature and how a bill becomes a law, and discusses when and how to get involved by participating in public hearings, reaching out to legislators, using media, and other advocacy strategies. You'll leave feeling more empowered to take action on issues you care about during the 2024 legislative session!
Friday, January 17
Community Support Gathering – 5 PM. 21 Warren Street, Concord. Hosted by Witchlight Oracle & Abbigail Faith Rollins. Join us in preparing to build resilient communities that can organize. Because there's so much worth fighting for. Come join us for tangible actions to support our local community building efforts! Start your own grassroots mutual and community aid projects or support existing efforts.
Change for Concord Membership Meeting – 6 PM. 4 Park Street. #304, Concord. Hosted by C4C. Please join us for our January Membership Meeting! There will be food and community conversations!
Saturday, January 18
People’s March Keene – 1 PM to 2:30 PM. KSC Appian Way Gate, 229 Main St, Keene. Hosted by People’s March Keene. Join us for a downtown march and rally supporting our Democracy and our Freedoms - Reproductive Freedom, Voting Rights, Civil Rights, Women's Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, and the Right to Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Livable Planet, among others.
Seacoast People’s March – 1:30 PM to 3 PM. South Church Unitarian Universalist Church, 292 State St. Portsmouth. Hosted by Occupy Seacoast. Join us for a rally in support of the National People’s March. We all march for different reasons, but we march for the same cause: to defend our rights and our future. This is our moment to remind Washington elites — and Americans everywhere — where the power truly lives: with the people.
Tuesday, January 21
Immigrant Solidarity Vigil – 12 noon – At the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street, Manchester. For more information, contact AFSC, afscnh@afsc.org
Friday, January 24
Granny D Birthday Celebration – 1 PM to 2 PM. Hosted by Open Democracy. Mason Library Archives, Keene State College.
Tuesday, January 28
Immigrant Solidarity Vigil – 9 AM – At the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street, Manchester. For more information, contact GSOP, gsopstaff@granitestateorganizing.org
Wednesday, January 29
Advocacy 101 Full Day Training – 9 AM to 4 PM. 100 N. Main Street, 4th floor, Concord. Hosted by New Futures. Join us for a full-day session in our office in Concord! Our in-person Advocacy 101 trainings provide an in-depth look into the NH state legislature and how a bill becomes a law followed by a tour of the state house! The day also includes a session on the power of a personal story and working sessions where you craft your advocacy message. Lunch is provided!
With best wishes,
Maggie Fogarty, Grace Kindeke and Kathleen Wooten
AFSC’s New Hampshire “State House Watch" newsletter is published to bring you information about matters being discussed in Concord including housing, the death penalty, immigration, education, civil liberties, and labor rights. We also follow the state budget and tax system, voting rights, corrections policy, and more.
The AFSC is a Quaker organization supported by people of many faiths who care about peace, social justice, humanitarian service, and nonviolent change. Maggie Fogarty and Grace Kindeke staff the New Hampshire Program which publishes this newsletter. Kathleen Wooten is AFSC’s State House Watch researcher and database manager.
"State House Watch" is made possible in part by a grant from the Anne Slade Frey Charitable Trust. Your donations make our work possible. Click the DONATE NOW button on our web page to send a secure donation to support the work of the AFSC’s New Hampshire Program. Thank you!