About Me Part Two: Legislative Work

Meeting with residents and DOT about traffic signal

This is a sampling of my work in the state legislature:

First, an accomplishment of which I am very proud. After two years of work, and help from Senator Jack Barnes and Epsom reps Carole Brown and Charlie Yeaton, I was able to get the DOT to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 107 and 4 in Epson. This was a particularly dangerous intersection and at the time Deerfield students often drove to Concord High School as there was no bus transportation. 

I was also instrumental, again working with Senator Barnes, in getting road signs honoring Bob Johnson of Northwood and Joe Stone of Deerfield installed in their communities. Both were Republicans.

I have sponsored or co-sponsored bills at the request of each of the communities I represented.

I have sponsored several bills seeking to give communities [Nottingham and Northwood locally as involved in USA Springs] control of their own resources, and relative to large groundwater withdrawals. While local control has never been achieved, at least the permit granting period has been reduced to five years rather than 10 if a town is stuck with a company which does not complete construction during that time. Also, more local input has been granted in some instances.

I have sponsored bills:

Permitting abutters control of a dam at Jenness Pond in Northwood    

Classifying Pleasant Lake in Deerfield a Class A Lake; usable for town drinking water in emergency                                                                                                                                                 

Relative to municipal lease agreements for certain equipment.

Relative to the composition of public agency boards concerning housing standards.

Establishing a canine veterans day--deals with service dogs such as military, search and rescue, fish and game dogs.

Relative to the neglect of elderly, disabled, or impaired adults and relative to financial exploitation--stiff penalties for financial or physical abuse.

Requiring state police to wear a camera when interacting with the public.

Decriminalization of marijuana

Repeal of the Death Penalty

Home wine making 

Promoting of NH-made products

Town control over energy projects they chose to support

Signing town manifest--dealing with glitch affecting only 7 NH towns including Deerfield

Requiring collision insurance for motor vehicles

I have also sponsored two bills to prevent ALEC and similar out-of-state groups [left or right leaning] from writing legislation which is not acknowledged by the sponsors to be model legislation from special interest groups.

I have co-sponsored two bills dealing with transparency in campaign contributions and expenditures, and relative to reporting of campaign expenditures.  

Study committee on DOT policies on mitigating highway noise 

I was the prime sponsor of HB660 requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods and agricultural commodities. In 2014 I was the recipient of the NOFA-NH Policy Maker of the Year award for my work on this bill.

I have also been the legislative liaison to UNH Co-operation Extension.