By Rep. Marjorie Smith, D-Durham
The New Hampshire Legislature is not what it used to be, and some will say it never was. When I was first elected in 1996 as a Democrat to represent Durham, Lee and Madbury, I joined the NH House that had been in control of the Republican party for decade upon decade. The majority views were sometimes similar to mine, and sometimes not, but those with disparate views were treated with respect, and the legislature as an institution was treated with respect. Procedures were followed, decorum was expected, and civil discourse resulted in meaningful exchanges of ideas in committee, and on the floor of the house. Debates were encouraged and legitimate questions were asked and answered respectfully. Libertarian philosophy was in the majority.
As generally defined, in Wikipedia, “Libertarianism is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty and liberty as primary values…each individual has the right to live as they choose, as long as they do not violate the rights of others…emphasizing the principles of equality before the law and the protection of civil rights, including the rights of freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of thought and freedom of choice.”
As a liberal Democrat, I was comfortable with the libertarian philosophy. New Hampshire government stayed out of our bedrooms. Women could control their own bodies.we were the first state in which the legislature , and not the courts, made it possible for men and women to choose to love and marry whomever they chose. Local schools and local libraries were encouraged and respected, and supported by local communities.
The legislative session that just ended demonstrated that those days are gone, at least for now. Parents’ rights are trumpeted, except the right of parents to decide with medical professionals of their choosing, what medical care is best for their own child, or what books their child can read. Parents have always been free to send their children to whatever school they choose, but now every taxpayer is responsible for paying for children’s religious education, or for any non-traditional education without any standards or accountability. The state’s voucher program, referred to by its supporters as education freedom accounts, allows for 10,000 children to participate, but provides funding for 7,500. Most of the children participating have never attended a public school, punching a hole in the argument that these are children whose needs were not met in the public schools.,
On the day that the house refused to provide essential funding for a school lunch program to help those families who are unable to meet the nutritional needs of their families — knowing that hungry children have trouble learning, that vote was followed by an announcement that the house would recess so that its members could enjoy a free lunch offered by some lobbyist or another. The irony was not acknowledged in the stampede to the cafeteria.
Gambling is taking over more and more of the state. The budget allocates 31% of revenue from video lottery terminals to the state, down from the 45% the governor had requested, costing the state over $80 million. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that seeks to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people has been vilified, and legislation opposing DEI was passed without a public hearing.
At a time when the shortage of available housing, particularly for those who are in the workforce and trying to live by the rules, no new investments were made in the Affordable Housing Fund or InvestNH, each of which has helped to jumpstart housing development in NH.
The legislature has advertised that only the legislature has the authority to determine school funding, not acknowledging that since the days of the first governor Sununu the legislature has been unwilling to follow its constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education to all students and to pay for such education fairly and equitably.
And while the substantive decisions have violated those principles of libertarianism, the legislators who call themselves libertarians or free staters, or anything else, but are part of the Republican caucus, speak insultingly to and about our legislative colleagues. They dismiss and disparage other’s motives. They make ad hominem arguments and rudely dismiss any challenge to the factual inaccuracies. I have been pained to watch colleagues I have respected in the past give in to pressures from their caucus.
There is more I could say, but I return to my opening comment. The New Hampshire legislature is not what it was, and what’s more, it might never have been.
Representative Marjorie Smith, Durham, NH