Non-germane: not relevant or related to the subject being discussed.

Thursday, May 14th was a rather long day at the State House. We had about thirty bills to vote on, some having ridiculous, non-germane, floor amendments attached to them. Those are the ones to be reviewed here because “one of these things is not like the other”!

SB 498 establishes the NH Children’s Behavioral Health Association authorized to collect required assessments from insurers and health plans to fund children’s behavioral health services. There was support for the bill outright and support for sending it for further study. There were five Floor Amendments waiting in the wings to be brought forward by Republican Free Staters. One of whom was Rep. Sam Farrington whose bill HB 1793, the infamous “guns on campus,” passed in the House in Feb. and went on to the Senate. Where the Senate amended it to study whether the idea of allowing full-time employees (i.e. professors), to carry weapons is a practical one or not. 

SB 498 was voted on to go to Interim Study, 188Y-164N, effectively cutting off the waiting floor amendments. 

But wait, Farrington was ready in case he didn’t get what he wanted. 

SB 408 was a bipartisan Senate bill requiring “health insurance policies to provide coverage for adult prosthetics, including activity-specific prosthetic devices.  The law currently requires such coverage for children's prosthetics.” 

Not happy with how the Senate amended his bill, Farrington again attached his original bill (HB 1793) onto a bill providing health coverage for adult PROSTHETICS! His floor amendment failed 159Y-177N. Republican Free Stater Joe Sweeney made a motion to table the bill, which also failed, 148Y-189N. SB 408 then passed by voice vote.

One of these things is not like the other.

Republican Free Stater Yury Polozov was a co-sponsor of HB 1811 earlier this year. The aim was to repeal children’s immunization requirements for diseases such as diptheria, mumps, polio and Hepatitis B (to name a few). During a Session day in mid-Feb., the House killed the bill by voice vote. 

Rep. Polozov also had a floor amendment waiting to be brought forward on SB 498. For reasons known only to Free Staters, this amendment was to remove only the Hepatitis B vaccine from the required immunizations for children. And he attached it to the bill establishing a Children’s Behavioral Health Association. 

One of these things is not like the other.

Here’s a bill (SB 625) that came out of the Senate with the recommendation of “Inexpedient to Legislate” (kill the bill). That failed by four votes by the way, 146Y-150N.

Now, ride along to the following nuttiness . . .

SB 625permits family members of intentional homicide victims to seek an evidentiary hearing in cases where the Dept. of Justice does not file charges in the case or seek retrial following a hung jury. 

In one floor amendment brought by Republican Free Stater Jason Osborne and having nothing to do with this bill, was removal of the Hepatitis B vaccine again. The amendment passed, 157Y-138N. 

Osborne and fellow Free Staters Berry, Ammon, Sweeney and Drago added another floor amendment which repeals the refugee resettlement program in the Dept. of Health and Human Services and prohibits expending state funds on settlements. No swarthy foreigners welcome here! And because the majority party is just that, unwelcoming, the amendment passed, 155Y-140N. 

Now we all get to vote on the bill again, freshly amended to hurt fellow human beings, including children. It passed, 156Y-139N.

Two of these things are not like the other.

We did manage to keep CACR 12 from landing on everyone’s ballot in Nov. This was basically a constitutional amendment to ban the implementation of any future taxes. It failed to get 2/3 majority.

SB 416 is a Republican bill replacing NH’s restriction on tip pooling with the rules of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act governing the pooling and sharing of tips. It failed, 151Y-176N. Instead, the bill goes to Interim Study.

SB 439 would authorize cities and towns to regulate data centers in commercial and industrial zones. Republican Free Staters Ammon and Pauer included an amendment adding “mixed use” zones. Gee, what could possibly go wrong in a “mixed use” zone? Perhaps reading the room, Ammon motioned to table this bill, which passed, 304Y-11N.

A long day with the people of NH taking mostly hits, but we got some “wins” in, too! 

Last night I went to an informational talk given by former State Senator Jeanne Dietsch, on the history of the Free Staters in New Hampshire. It was very well attended with people rightly concerned about what is happening in our state and how we can activate to take our state back. 

Jeanne presented this excellent video (about 21 mins. long) explaining how far back in our nation’s history people like the Koch brothers, billionaires such as Peter Thiel, the Sununu's and others have been diligently and for decades, working to destroy not just public education, but in NH they are slowly taking away our local control, have repealed sources of revenue, have killed all bills designed to promote clean energy while embracing fossil fuels and have enacted bills to suppress people’s ability to vote. 

Over and over again, Republican Free Staters have passed legislation that is meant to hurt the everyday citizen in our state. We all have the opportunity in Nov. to take a stand against this extremism by voting them out of office. In the meantime, Jeanne will be speaking at various locations, perhaps there’s one near you. If not, scroll down for how to schedule a presentation for your town.

 

Free Stater Awareness Presentation Schedule

Thu May 21 DERRY, 7pm, Rodgers Memorial Library, 194 Derry Rd.

Sat May 30 NASHUA 10am, Unitarian Universalist Church, 58 Lowell St.

Mon Jun 1 HOPKINTON 6:30pm, Hopkinton Town Library, 61 Houston Dr.

Wed Jun 10 PLAINFIELD 6:45pm, Village Town Hall, 1079 Rt.12a

Request info on how to order yard signs or

Schedule a presentation & Yard signs for Your Town

Click here to see if your representative aligns with Liberty Alliance and against democracy.

We can’t afford to do nothing. We all must do something! 

Sowing hate and fear: yes, the Republican Free Stater majority have proposed bills to do just that.
In 2024 a bill was introduced giving NH the right to invalidate out-of-state drivers licenses of immigrants. By two votes, the bill failed.

In 2025 HB 452 took away the right to renew a driver's license for any person who is not a US citizen and can’t prove they are a lawful permanent resident of the US. When it ended up in the Senate, it was referred to Interim Study. 

This year, the Free Staters want to make renting an apartment a crime for undocumented immigrants. HB 1709 passed in the House, now we’ll see what the Senate does with it. But wait, there’s more cruelty. HB 1499“adds new grounds for termination of tenancy based on a tenant’s immigration status, certain criminal convictions, or status as a registered sexual offender.” They have lumped immigrants in with sex offenders and criminals. Immigrants have families too, wanting only to make a life for themselves by working and going to school. Both bills are sponsored by Republican Free Stater Joe Alexander, whose ancestry somewhere doesn’t include an immigrant or two?

Republican Free Stater Travis Corcoran sponsored a bill calling for the repeal of NH’s refugee resettlement program which is run by NH’s Dept. of Health and Human Services, funded by the federal government. "Granite staters are suffering from a plague of illegal aliens and fraudulent asylum seekers who put a drain on our resources, thus I look forward to permanently abolishing the NH office of refugee resettlement via HB 1706, and I extend my warmest welcome to ICE as it ramps up operations in NH.” The bill passed in the House, but died in the Senate.

Fun fact: As of 2022, NH had about 82,000 foreign-born residents, comprising 6% of the population. Hardly a “plague.”

Corcoran recently came under fire for his social media remarks directed towards a House colleague about needing “a final solution for theater kids in politics.” This colleague happens to be Jewish and anyone who knows history understands what the words “final solution” mean. But he didn’t stop there. He had contacted the Dept. of Homeland Security requesting the deportation of another House colleague, who happens to be a naturalized citizen. The following is from about three years ago, posted on his Twitter account: “We must all say or type the word’ n*gger’ in a public place, as a declaration that the progs can’t control our thoughts or our behaviors — EVEN IF WE DISLIKE THE WORD.” There’s more just as ugly, meaning there’s no need to continue. The Legislative Administration Committee voted (scroll to 21:00 min. mark) to recommend censure for Corcoran, so we’ll see how the full House votes on this in a few weeks.

Not to be outdone is Free Stater Rep. Matt Sabourin dit Choinière who in Jan., brought three people, including Germar Rudolf to testify before the New Hampshire Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education. Rudolf, a German chemist has called the Holocaust a “gigantic con.”  The others were also Holocaust deniers.

Republican Free Stater and House Majority Leader Jason Osborne apparently couldn’t wait to get in on what he anticipated to be a good time in Merrimack once the human warehouse detention center was completed.

 
Curses! Foiled again. No human warehouse will be forthcoming.

Ignoring the Courts: yes, the Republican Free Staters have been doing just that since moving to NH in the early 2000’s.

These are the court decisions going back more than 30 years:

~Claremont School District v. Gov. (Claremont I) Decided: 1993 
The court held that education is a fundamental right under the NH Constitution and NH has a duty to provide it. 

~Claremont School District v. Gov. (Claremont II) Decided: 1997
The court ruled the existing system unconstitutional, requiring NH to define an adequate education, funding it with proportional and reasonable taxes. 

~ Londonderry School District v. State Decided: 1999 
Reinforced the state must fund an adequate education with constitutional taxes, striking down reliance on local property taxes that created disparities.

~ConVal v. State Decided: 2019 Superior Court Judge David Ruoff found the adequacy statute unconstitutional as applied to ConVal leaving the legislature to define the amount. The NH Supreme Court in 2021 reversed, saying the statute was clear and the legislature must determine the cost of an adequate education.

~Rand v. State of NH Decided: 2024 (currently under appeal) The court ruled that the statewide property tax system violates constitutional requirements for uniform taxation. In Aug. 2025, Judge Ruoff found the current adequacy funding and special education aid insufficient, ruling the model unconstitutional and allowing the legislature to respond.

~Contoocook Valley School District v. State Decided: 2025 The court found the state’s base adequacy amount, $4,300 per pupil, unconstitutionally low, setting a guideline closer to $7,300+ per student.

As an aside, in June, 2024, then gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte participated in a candidate forum stating she hoped the US Supreme Court would reverse Ruoff’s decision. Claiming, “When it comes to education funding, I personally think that that Superior Court decision was wrong. I’m glad that the governor (Sununu) has appealed that to the Supreme Court.” Her Atty. General John Formella filed a mandatory appeal earlier this year to have the two Claremont case rulings overturned, stating they are an incorrect interpretation of NH’s constitution. 
 
This year Republican Free Staters sponsored HB 1815 reducing state responsibility (ignoring court orders) and defunding public schools even further. The governor signed the bill at the end of March. They also voted down HB 1799, a Democrat sponsored bill addressing the required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education. 

So much for court orders with this crew.

Fascism: A mass political movement that emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism and supremacy of the nation over the individual. This is in contrast to liberal democracies that support individual rights, competitive elections, and political dissent.

Sound familiar?

 

We have all watched in horror the rapid descent into fascism in this country, but do we really know what it is? A local activist group, Monadnock Women for Action have been peacefully and visually showing people. They’ve been holding “Pop Up Signs of Fascism” events in the Monadnock region. These are individual signs verbalizing what fascism is and does. I joined the group one recent day in Troy and was given the sign “Banning Books. This is a sign of fascism.” As I stood on the main road in Troy along with about fifteen other people holding individual "fascism" signs, I began to wonder if this is what has been slowly, insidiously happening in New Hampshire.

What are the signs of fascism?
~Rewriting history

~Glorifying war

~Demanding absolute loyalty

~Threatening political opponents

~Suppressing the vote

~Ignoring the courts

~Prosecuting personal enemies

~Inciting violence

~Undermining elections

~Banning books 

~Ignoring science

~Threatening other countries

~Sowing hate & fear

So, let’s explore this possibility with a few of these “signs.”

Banning Books: yes, the Republican Free Stater majority have proposed bills to do just that. 
Examples; In 2023 HB 514 was a book banning bill that would also increase the Commissioner of Education’s (Edleblut) power to ban books and other materials. 
Last year’s HB 324 was another effort at banning books in school libraries. It’s already illegal to give obscene or harmful sexual materials to minors and schools already have steps in place to address complaints. The bill did pass, but to her credit, the governor vetoed it.
This year it’s the Senate’s turn. SB 434 will allow one parent with a complaint about any book in a public school, have it removed.

Ignoring Science: yes, the Republican Free Stater majority have proposed bills to do just that.
Examples; In 2025, the Republican majority introduced a bill to repeal the NH Vaccine Association. 
That same year, Free Stater Rep. Kelley Potenza sponsored a bill to end the requirement of children receiving vaccinations before entering public schools, such as diphtheria, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, rubeola and tetanus. 
Again in 2025 a Free Stater bill meant to phase out required childhood vaccinations for chicken pox, Hepatitis B and influenza type B passed in the House but died in the Senate. When a Senate bill having to do with horse racing came before the House for a vote, Free Stater Rep. Matt Drew added a floor amendment, word for word to the original bill. An amendment to get rid of childhood vaccinations, added to a horse betting bill, got passed again. Those vaccines now come to an end in June.
Last year there were Democrat sponsored bills for creating commissions, one to study the short and long-term impacts of national and regional carbon pricing systems on NH’s citizens, businesses, institutions and environment and one to ascertain the financial costs of climate damage to the state and the best way to recover such costs. Another bill was to establish a climate change and damage division in the Dept. of Environmental Services. All were voted down by the majority party. Even the Chairman of the Science, Technology and Energy Committee, Republican Free Stater Michael Vose spoke against the bills. From a Citizens Count 2024 survey, he wrote, “Should NH government do more to address climate change? NH can do nothing to address climate change, which needs worldwide attention." 
In other words, why bother?
This year? Any bill for off shore wind projects was voted down.

Suppressing the vote: yes, the Republican Free Stater majority have proposed bills to do just that.
As far back as 2018, Free Staters have made it harder for out of state college students to vote here by amending the definition of the words “resident” and “residency.” 
In 2024, the biggest advocate for voter suppression, Rep. Bob Lynn, proposed a bill requiring a photo ID at the polling place, no exceptions. At that time, a first time voter could confirm identity and residence by filling out an affidavit and had a week to mail the proper documents to the Secretary of State’s office. Failure to do so simply meant their ballot was disqualified from the final count. NH law already exists for voting with a false address or identity and being investigated by the Atty. General’s office. As of this writing, HB 1569 is still being heard in the courts thanks to the ACLU and other voting rights groups. 
Last year Free Stater Potenza sponsored a bill to make it harder for students to vote, which did not pass. She wanted to get rid of college ID’s as an acceptable form of identification. Free Staters persevered and this year got HB 323 passed and signed by the governor. College and high school ID’s are now not an acceptable form of identification for students. 

To be continued . . .

Republican Free Staters are still targeting immigrants, this time those who are undocumented. It’s estimated there are about 9,500 undocumented immigrants in New Hampshire, 0.7% of the state’s total population. Some 86.5% of them are of working age. 

HB 1709, a bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Alexander (who scores A+ with Liberty Alliance) will make it a crime for undocumented immigrants to rent an apartment, unfortunately passed in the House and comes up for a vote in the full Senate on May 14. It will then go to the governor if passed.

Let’s all speak up and stand up for our immigrant neighbors and friends.

Please take a few minutes to send ONE email to all members of the State Senate, urging them to oppose this bill. In the “subject line” put HB 1709. Copy and paste the following message (or write your own).

I am writing to request that you oppose HB 1709 when it comes up for a vote in the full Senate on May 14. Here are a few key issues:

1.  The bill, while presented as a "housing" bill, will have no meaningful impact on the housing crisis.

2.  The bill is unnecessary as any immigrant residing in NH who is completely undocumented and has committed a serious crime is likely qualified for deportation already.

3.  Criminalizing renting an apartment could adversely affect innocent children who are living in that household.

4.  This bill would put an undue burden on County Sheriff's offices throughout NH by requiring them to enforce federal immigration law.

5.  This bill, if it becomes law, will signal that NH does not welcome immigrants. The positive impact of immigrants as it relates to workforce shortage, has been well documented.

Thank you for your consideration.

david.rochefort@gc.nh.gov

Timothy.Lang@gc.nh.gov

mark.mcconkey@gc.nh.gov

James.Gray@gc.nh.gov

Daniel.Innis@gc.nh.gov

Ruth.Ward@gc.nh.gov

Denise.Ricciardi@gc.nh.gov

Tim.McGough@gc.nh.gov

Kevin.Avard@gc.nh.gov

Sharon.Carson@gc.nh.gov

Keith.Murphy@gc.nh.gov

Howard.Pearl@gc.nh.gov

victoria.sullivan@gc.nh.gov

Regina.Birdsell@gc.nh.gov

Daryl.Abbas@gc.nh.gov

William.Gannon@gc.nh.gov

Debra.Altschiller@gc.nh.gov

Rebecca.PerkinsKwoka@gc.nh.gov

pat.long@gc.nh.gov

Tara.Reardon@gc.nh.gov

Cindy.Rosenwald@gc.nh.gov

Donovan.Fenton@gc.nh.gov

Suzanne.Prentiss@gc.nh.gov

David.Watters@gc.nh.gov

Thank you for coming to the defense of others!

Now we have the Senate’s version of book banning in public schools. SB 434 will “require local school districts to adopt and publicly post policies describing materials authorized for use by students in the district and outlining procedures to address complaints alleging that material is harmful or age-inappropriate for use in the district's schools.” Brought to us by nearly a dozen Republican Senators and four representatives, one who would like to bring segregated schools to New Hampshire, this bill would allow one parent (or guardian) with a complaint about any particular book, have it removed.

One parent (or guardian) gets to decide for everyone else’s children. Like it or not . . .

This bill would mandate every school district in the state to design a complaint system for “materials" that certain parents don't like. Because of the use of the word “materials,” this could also mean artwork, classroom materials, health curriculum, plays, textbooks, and any visual or printed content in a school. There is no definition for the vague terms like “age-inappropriate” or “otherwise offensive”, which leaves school districts ripe for abuse. 

How about flags? Could that be considered “materials”? HB 1132, a Republican Free Stater bill, passed the House in March and is now making its way through the State Senate. The bill will prohibit the display of “certain” flags in public schools and public charter schools and authorizes the state board of education to issue monetary penalties for a third or subsequent violation of the act, not to exceed $1,000 per violation.

SB 434 will not only add extra burdens to district administrations already struggling with retaining staff and rising costs, but will also take away more local control. This bill adds the unnecessary burden of possible lawsuits against school districts who are already struggling to fund their schools. 

Last year, a similar bill was passed but vetoed by the governor. HB 324 (where we were all treated to a reading of porn on the chamber floor), the governor noted there is already a law (RSA 186:11:IX-c) requiring school districts to adopt a policy allowing exceptions to certain class materials if a parent, notified two weeks in advance, finds it objectionable. This law already requires for different materials mutually agreed upon by the parent and school district. So why the need for this year’s proposed book banning Senate bill? 

There isn’t any.

SB 434 will be coming up before the full House for a vote in a few weeks. Please take a moment to contact your representative urging them to vote NO on this latest attempt at banning books. 

And this, being a very important election year, if you need to confirm that you are STILL currently on your town’s voter checklist click here to verify.

Democracy dies when good people stay silent! This is not the time to invoke our right to remain silent!

On Thurs., April 23rd, the House heard debate on the bill that had been on everyone’s minds, SB 101 or “open enrollment.” This was a terrible Republican Free Stater bill that would have allowed parents to enroll their child(ren) in any public school anywhere in the state. 

First, the potential bad results:
~Taxpayers would be responsible for the majority of costs to “receiving” schools
~Hurts poor, smaller districts
~More chipping away of local control (is there any still left?)
~Increases problems for accessibility, athletics, district budgeting, funding, special education, student capacity, and transportation

Now the potential good results:

Online testimony registered 2,174 people who opposed this latest attempt to destroy public schools, with only 75 in support. An amendment by Republican Free Staters Reps. Kristin Noble and Katy Peternel “directs the governing body of each school district to establish an open enrollment policy to allow pupils to transfer among schools within the district and from another district in the state. Each school would be required to provide notice of its capacity to accept open enrollment pupils and would require selection by lottery in the event applications exceed capacity. The bill also establishes a funding formula for payments by the department of education from the education trust fund for open enrollment pupils.”

The amendment passed by roll call vote, 182Y-172N. Ten votes! (Never think your singular vote doesn’t matter much. Every. Vote Counts!)

The next amendment sponsored by Democrats sought to establish a commission to study public school open enrollment. Rep. Peter Petrigno spoke of how his town, Milford and about 100 other towns recently voted to put limits on “open enrollment”. He worried that passing this bill would override the will of the people. Rep. Hope Damon concurred that yes, this is the way the bill is written up, to mandate the towns to accept open enrollment, overriding local control. Naturally, that second amendment failed, 184N-169Y. 

When the bill finally came up for a vote, it failed, by 16 votes! 184N-168Y. Despite thousands of people registering their online opposition to this bill and about 100 towns basically voting to not be a part of this, Republican Free Staters thought they could ram it down the state’s throat anyway. To see how your representative voted on this terrible but important bill, click here.

Almost immediately Republican Free Stater Rep. Joe Sweeney made a motion to table the bill, which did pass, 320Y-32N. So, it could still rear its ugly head and make another appearance. Stay vigilant!

SB 482 was the bill to protect consumers from being scammed through crypto kiosks. An amendment, added by Republican Free Stater Rep. Keith Ammon, would weaken those consumer protections and thus failed, 220N-135Y. The House then went to a roll call for the original bill, which passed, 214Y-140N. There will now be some fraud protections for consumers. To see how your representative voted on this important bill, click here.To listen to some of the floor speeches, click here. Scroll to the 24:18 mark for a few of the floor speeches.

But it now seems as if SB 482 might be revived. Rep. Jennifer Rhodes, R-Winchester, (scores B+ with Liberty Alliance) has “served notice of reconsideration” for this bill. The House will vote on this at the next Session, May 7th, as the majority party probably wants to overturn it. Again, let’s stay vigilant.

At least the public schools will now have trauma kits placed in them. The bipartisan SB 429 passed by a voice vote!

Here we are. Set to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country (such as it was, all those years ago.) 

Did you know New Hampshire was the first state to adopt its own constitution and form its own government? In 1776, months before the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress, the town of Exeter was declaring its right to self-govern. This occurred on Jan. 4th, thus laying the groundwork for other states to adopt their own constitutions while showing colonial determination to break away from British rule.

In the meantime, as one of the original thirteen colonies, NH provided troops and resources to the Continental Army, supporting and becoming involved in the Patriot cause throughout the Revolutionary War. 

But let’s back up a bit . . .

On Dec. 13, 1774, (four months before his famous “midnight ride” in April, 1775) Paul Revere made a warning ride to NH locals that the fort in New Castle was expecting British troops from Boston. The next day, the only battle to be fought in NH was at Fort William and Mary, (now Fort Constitution) where the colonists seized large quantities of cannons, gunpowder, and small arms. 

On May 22, 1775, the NH Provincial Congress voted to raise a volunteer force to join the patriot army at Boston, organizing three regiments for the Continental Army. Militia units from NH fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Bennington, Saratoga Campaign and the Battle of Rhode Island. 

On Aug. 2, 1776, three NH delegates, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, and Josiah Bartlett, signed the Declaration of Independence, marking the state's commitment to the revolutionary cause. This act reinforced the state's role in the founding of the United States.

While New Hampshire’s Constitution of 1776 was the first state constitution in America, it remained in effect throughout the Revolutionary War, becoming a model for the other colonies. Then in 1784, a more permanent constitution and a Bill of Rights, replaced it.

Today, visitors can explore historical sites in NH commemorating these events, including the American Independence Museum in Exeter, which houses many artifacts.

Visit NH | A Timeline Tour of New Hampshire

Visit NH 250th Anniversary | Visit NH 250th Anniversary

Two hundred and fifty years ago, NH joined in the battle for freedom from British rule. Today the state is in a battle for freedom from Free Stater rule. A bill targeting freedom of speech in public schools only, passed the House in March and is now making its way through the State Senate. HB 1132 will prohibit the display of “certain” flags in public schools and public charter schools. The bill also authorizes the state board of education to issue monetary penalties for a third or subsequent violation of the act, not to exceed $1,000 per violation.

What can you do? Email your state senator and tell them to oppose this effort to ban nearly all flags and banners in public schools. 

Democracy dies when good people stay silent. Then and now.

Show of hands if you’ve heard of “Crypto Kiosk Fraud.” If not, here we go. 

Crypto kiosks are similar to bank ATMs, allowing people to manage legal cryptocurrency transactions, such as sending money to digital wallets. (I have no idea what that is, but bear with me.) These kiosks, also known as “crypto ATMs,” “BTMs,” or “virtual currency kiosks,” can be found in bars, convenience and grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. Currently, there are more than 45,000 crypto ATMs nationwide. However, because crypto ATMs are largely unregulated at the state level compared to traditional banks or other money service businesses, there’s no fraud protections. This enables criminals to use crypto ATMs to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans each year through fraudulent purchase schemes. Naturally this fraudulent activity targets older folks. 

In 2024, the FBI received nearly 1100 complaints involving crypto kiosks with reports of over $246.7 million in stolen funds. More than 85% of these thefts happened to adults over 60 years old, with the average amount stolen more than $40,000.

The scammers often impersonate government officials or businesses, usually convincing their target that in order to deal with a serious financial issue, they need to withdraw large amounts of cash and put that money into a crypto ATM. It is then transferred to a digital wallet controlled by these criminals.

“A digital wallet, also known as an electronic wallet, is a software application that stores your payment details and passwords, enabling seamless transactions on connected devices, chiefly mobile phones. By securely holding your financial data, digital wallets remove the necessity for physical wallets. You simply load your credit, debit, or bank account information into the application, allowing you to conduct purchases directly via your device without the need to carry physical cards.”

No thanks.

Anyway, cryptocurrency kiosks are not currently regulated here in New Hampshire. So, earlier this year SB 482 was passed in the State Senate. This bill is supported by NH Assoc. of Chiefs of Police, NH Atty. General’s Office, NH Legal Assistance, NH Commission on Aging and AARP (American Association of Retired People.) 

What this bill does: 
~Sets a $2,000 daily transaction limit.
~STOPS NH from being a TARGET for scammers. NH has seen hundreds of cases in recent years because there has been no limit on transactions.
~Allows victims 14 days to request a refund from the crypto ATM operator.
~Does not obstruct local control, nor is there a “safe harbor” clause.

The bill comes up for a vote in the House soon but with an added amendment by Republican Free Stater Rep. Keith Ammon. What does the amendment do? 

Weakens the bill by stripping protections.

A few examples: 
~There is no transaction limit after the “new customer” period has passed. (72 hours)
~No refunds on transactions made after “new customer” period has passed. 
~ Unlike the original bill the amendment provides safe harbor for “compliant” operators from enforcement actions from NH Atty. General’s Office.
~ Explicitly prohibits cities and towns from passing more restrictive safeguards. More taking away of local control. However, the amendment does allow operators to enact their own stricter rules.

According to the NH Atty. General’s Office these kiosk scams are becoming widespread in NH. So rather than protect their constituents, the Republican Free Staters have opted to leave the door slightly open for scammers to continue to victimize the people of NH!

More here; As scammers use kiosks to strip NH residents of their savings, lawmakers tangle over safeguards • New Hampshire Bulletin

Last week I attended an all day Democratic caucus retreat in Concord. There were many workshops to choose from; housing, child care, training in social media, energy policy and education funding. That last one I chose to attend and would like to share some of what I’ve learned here.

In New Hampshire there’s about 160,000 kids (90%) who attend public schools and we rank 9th nationally in per-pupil spending. However, we rank last in the state’s share of funding our public schools. We also rely heavily on local property taxes, creating a substantial inequality between communities. The tax rate difference is upwards of 5–10 times, resulting in differing student outcomes.

What I learned is public schools are strong, despite a fractured funding system. This underfunding by the state is what causes high property taxes which the courts have ruled unconstitutional.

These are the court decisions going back more than 30 years:
~Claremont School District v. Gov. (Claremont I) Decided: 1993 
The court held that education is a fundamental right under the NH Constitution and the state has a duty to provide it. 
~Claremont School District v. Gov. (Claremont II) Decided: 1997 
The court ruled the existing system unconstitutional, requiring the state to define an adequate education and fund it with proportional and reasonable taxes.
~ Londonderry School District v. State Decided: 1999 
Reinforced that the state must fund an adequate education with constitutional taxes, striking down reliance on local property taxes that created disparities. 
~Contoocook Valley School District v. State (ConVal) Decided: 2025 The court found the state’s base adequacy amount ($4,100 per pupil) unconstitutionally low, setting a guideline closer to $7,300+ per student. 
~Rand v. State of NH Decided: 2024 (trial court and currently under appeal) The court ruled that the statewide property tax system violates constitutional requirements for uniform taxation, especially due to varying local tax rates.

 

How did we get here? Well, the hated school vouchers haven’t helped the average property owner . . .

School vouchers (Education Freedom Account), were touted in 2021 as income limited, but in four short years have expanded to no income cap. The vast majority of this funding (> 94%) goes to students already in private/religious schools. This takes money and resources away from public schools (in violation of Articles 6 and 83 in the NH Constitution). This program is projected to cost $100 million annually!

What brought us here? Republican Free Stater legislation: 
HB 1815 reduces state responsibility (ignoring court orders) and defunds public schools.
SB 101 destabilizes districts.
HB 1121 lowers standards.
HB 675 State imposed budget caps, taking away local control.
Things that make you go Hmmm . . . In June, 2024, then gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte (R-Nashua) took part in a candidate forum stating she hoped the US Supreme Court would reverse Ruoff’s decision. Claiming, “When it comes to education funding, I personally think that that Superior Court decision was wrong. I’m glad that the governor (Sununu) has appealed that to the Supreme Court.”
Now the Attorney General has moved to overturn the Claremont decision(s). Hmmm . . .

FYI, since 2016, Republican Free Staters have enacted cuts at the state level.
Business taxes have been SLASHED by $1.4 billion. 
Interest and Dividends taxes ELIMINATED $0.4 billion. 
This results in higher property taxes at the local level, which have INCREASED by $1.8 billion. 
Republican Free Staters have prioritized great deals for Apple, Amazon, Walmart and big investors over the rest of us. 

Republican Free Staters have also made sure any Democrat legislation aimed at helping property owners and school children are voted down, tabled or referred for interim study. Examples;
HB 1799: Addresses CONVAL decision
HB 1648: property tax exemption for qualifying residences 
HB 734: SWEPT reform and property tax relief  
HB 1578: transparency for public funds used in school vouchers
HB 1212: Free and reduced cost school lunches. They won’t do it! 

The ways in which our cities and towns are now impacted:
~Higher property taxes 
~Widening inequality between school districts 
~Unnecessary strains on special education and high need students 
~School budgeting is now more challenging

Apparently the Republican Free Staters have decided they are not done messing with the state Constitution! CACR 12 is a Republican sponsored Constitutional amendment. I am quoting from Andru Volinsky’s article (which is entirely linked above), “A similar amendment that originated in the House failed a few weeks ago but Speaker Packard is awarding the Free Staters a do-over. The Senate’s amendment resolution changes the NH Constitution to require a super-majority of two-thirds in the House and Senate to pass any “new tax on personal income, earned or unearned, sales or use, capital gains, inheritance, estate, or death, or any similar broad-based tax scheme….” 

This cannot stand. Should this amendment make it to our ballots in Nov., it must be heavily voted down! And while we’re at it, Free Staters need to be voted out, too.