Last year HB 1580 was 3 votes short in committee and 16 votes short on the floor in a Democratic House and if this is the best the Republicans can do for us, retain our bills in committee, then parents are ready to vote them out. Seriously. Something has to give.
This is where every parent comes in, frankly regardless of which side of the fence you're sitting on. We can unite on this issue.
Now to the practical details. HB 301-FN has a fiscal note and a deadline to be acted upon by Thursday February 24th in order to go to a second committee. HB 595 does not have to be acted upon until March 17th. The committee can still continue to work resolving these issues using HB 595 for three more weeks!
In order to remedy this problem, parents need to:
1) Ask these members of the House to address this problem and restore the sub-committee.
Education Chairman Balboni home 598-38 51 michael.balboni@leg.state.nh.us
Majority Leader DJ Bettencourt home 898-4653 DJ.Bettencourt@leg.state.nh.us
House Speaker O'Brien work 271-3661 william.obrien@leg.state.nh.us
2) Contact members of the House Education Committee and ask them to restore the sub-committee.
Use NH Parents First's House Education Committee contact list.
3) Attend the Executive session at 1:00 PM in LOB 207.
Karen Testerman, former GOP gubernatorial candidate, has offered to help lead this effort with press releases and letters to our GOP House leadership and House Education Committee. She will attend the House Education Committee's Executive Session on Thursday, February 24th at 1:00 PM in the LOB Room 207.
Please get behind this effort to restore the natural rights of parents in New Hampshire!!!
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Dear Mr. Speaker, Mr. Bettencourt and Mr. Balboni,
I am writing to you to ask you to assist in resolving the opposing home school legislation currently before the House. Specifically, the scheduled sub-committee meetings to address HB 301 and HB 595 have been canceled. I am asking you to reinstate these sub-committee meetings so this issue can be resolved.
The laws governing home schooling in NH are among the most restrictive in the nation. May I remind you that repeatedly the Supreme Court of the United States has issued opinions regarding parental rights. "the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children--is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court." "In Troxel v. Granville (2000), the Supreme Court confirmed the fundamental right of parents to the care, custody, and control of their children. The Court included a parent's fundamental right to educate his or her child in those fundamental rights, which encompasses the right to choose private or home schooling."
It is in the best interests of the state to resolve and remove the unconstitutional restrictive elements of our statutes to protect the fundamental liberties interests of parents. Protecting, not restricting, our liberties is the fundamental purpose of government. Resolving the conflict in laws restricting our fundamental liberties to oversee and provide for the education of our children must be addressed. Please restore the sub-committee meetings and allow the process to work.
Sincerely,
Karen
Franklin, NH
karen@karentesterman.net
"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to The Republican Citizens of Washington County, Maryland, 1809
