RAYMOND —Below are two more categories of good legislation that the Republicans were able to get passed and was put into law during this current two year term.
Increasing Personal Freedoms:
HB-542 - Ensures that students are not forced to attend schools teaching material that parents find objectionable.
HB-623 - Outlaws preferences in hiring or promotion in state agencies based on race, sex, religion or sexual preferences, leveling the playing field for all individuals to succeed based on merit.
HB-1417 - Protects a student's freedom of association.
HB-1537 - Expands the violation of privacy law.
HB-1555 - Decriminalizes firearm possession in Fish and Game refuges.
HB-1246 - Allows sheriffs to issue weapon carry permits in un-incorporated places, or in towns with no police chief, if designated by the selectmen.
HB-1332 - Requires probable cause for Fish and Game officers to make an arrest.
HB-1419 - Protects parental rights of deployed military personnel.
HB-1701 - Blocks the state from sharing personal information with other states to deny rights because of not paying taxes.
Increasing Accountability:
HB-344 - Establishes a citizen's commission to conduct performance reviews for judges.
HB-102 - Increases communications between state agencies, including Banking and Insurance, as well as the Bureau of Security Regulations, to help head off any future investment and Ponzi schemes aimed at stealing people's money and life savings like the Financial Resources Management (FRM) scandal.
HB-146 - Requires courts in criminal proceedings to allow the defense to inform juries of their right to judge the facts and the application of the law.
HB-222 - Limits the rule-making authority of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES).
HB-256 - Expands citizens administrative appeals rights at the NHDES.
HB-1297 - Blocks the State from implementing ObamaCare exchanges.
HB-1274 - Privatizes the McAuliffe-Shepard Center, removing use of tax dollars.
HB-1487 - Blocks the State's participation in the Low Carbon Fuel Standards Program (liquid RGGI) without prior legislative approval, which will save citizens on the costs of gas and oil.
HB-1490 - Reforms the State's participation in the Regional Green House Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap and trade program, returning money to ratepayers by lowering electric rates.
HB-329 - Restores parental notification before abortions may be performed on minors.
HB-1679 - Establishes a ban on partical-birth abortion.
HB-1510 - Restores the rights of individual taxpayers, of a community, to seek legal recluse against local government decisions.
HB-1579 - Allows state to garnish wages of those who received overpayment of unemployment.
HB-1535 - Requires police to provide the name of an arresting officer on arrest records.
HB-1658 - Requires welfare applicants to have their identity and financial information verified before receiving payments.
SB-218 - Reduces subsidies to renewable energy producers, saving ratepayers millions of dollars.
SB-289 - This one is the voter photo ID bill, which will ensure integrity at the ballot box.
SB-318 - Changes back the law which requires voter registration forms to include state laws about responsibility.
SB-406 - Creates a new law that allows early offers for medical injury claims, saving time and money for claimant.
CACR-26 - Creates a constitutional amendment, which will go on the November ballot, "to provide legislative oversight of court rules".
I will continue with other lists of new laws next week. There was a lot of good legislation passed, and I am happy to tell you about them. Enjoy the weekend.
(Editor's Note: NH State Representative Mike Kappler can be reached at l.mikekappler@comcast.net.)
