This guide was originally produced by Citizens Count. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Do you have a New Year's resolution to be a more informed and engaged citizen? Citizens Count's Weekly Advocacy Toolkit gives you everything you need to get started. These simple, step-by-step guides help you answer questions like "How do I contact a legislator?" and "How do I testify at a public hearing?" In this first column we answer the question, “How do I find bills I am interested in?”
But before jumping in, let’s address a bigger question: “Why should I care?”
The New Hampshire Legislature votes on roughly 1,000 bills every year, so there’s a good chance legislators are debating an issue that impacts you directly — and we’re not just talking about the issues dominating the headlines, like energy costs.
Do you think your boss should have to pay you for unused vacation time? There’s a bill for that (HB 74).
Are you buying or selling real estate? You may have thoughts on two bills that would require notification about PFAS contamination in the groundwater (HB 205 and HB 398).
Do you have an opinion on your neighbor building a couple of small houses on their property? There’s a bill about accessory dwelling units that might interest you (HB 423).
Ever drive with a dog in your lap? There’s a bill about that this year, too (HB 260).
With all these bills to consider, you may be surprised that New Hampshire’s legislators are only paid $100 a year plus mileage. Legislators also don’t have many staff to help them research bills, compared to other states. That means your experiences and insights can be especially valuable to Granite State lawmakers who might not know much about a bill they are voting on.
One example of the power of public input can be found in last year’s bill to allow abortion after 24 weeks for fatal fetal anomaly. When asked what prompted him to change his vote, Republican Sen. John Reagan answered, “The testimony of the moms and the almost moms.”
In a perhaps less serious example, in 2018 a few citizens tormented by invading ducks and rampaging chickens persuaded lawmakers to add domestic fowl to the state’s livestock trespassing law.
We know there are many barriers to getting involved with government: busy work and family schedules, lack of transportation, and so on. These columns can’t help with those challenges, but we can give you the tools and information on many different ways to take action.
First, it helps to know what issues your legislators are debating.
1. Browse bills by topic on the Citizens Count website
Every year Citizens Count summarizes every bill in the New Hampshire Legislature and organizes them by topic on our website.
Go to citizenscount.org/bills to search and browse bills by topic.
If you click a bill number on our website, it takes you to more detailed information about that bill.
If you want to learn more about an issue in general in New Hampshire, you can also explore Citizens Count’s articles, issue briefs, and trending bills on our topic pages, at citizenscount.org/topic.
2. Find organizations that share your concerns
Many national and New Hampshire organizations will highlight bills they believe are important. Once you find an organization that shares your interests, visit their website to see if they have a page or newsletter about legislation or advocacy.
3. Follow your state and local newspapers
New Hampshire has statewide and local newspapers – like the one you are reading! – that cover many of the bills making their way through the Legislature. Citizens Count also summarizes all the daily state policy news on our website at citizenscount.org/daily-news.
4. Get involved!
Once you find a bill you care about, you can testify at a public hearing, contact elected officials, write a letter to the editor and more. Keep an eye out for more of these columns or visit citizenscount.org/how-to.
Citizens Count is a nonprofit serving the New Hampshire community by providing objective information about issues, elected officials, bills, elections and candidates. These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
