Beto’s out. Warren’s up. Between hedging bets on Biden or Sanders or wondering at Andrew Yang’s rise in the polls, let’s not forget that there’s another big political event kicking off shortly here in New Hampshire: the next legislative session. Your elected officials haven’t forgotten it. They’ve filed requests for 799 bills.
Want to know where the debate over marijuana legalization will go next year? Or how the state might decide to fund much-needed repairs to our roads and bridges? It’s all there, tantalizing policy nerds like myself from behind intriguing titles like “establishing a safari hunting license for hunting certain exotic game” or “relative to roadable aircraft.” That’s because right now, these are just LSRs – legislative service requests. They’re requests by a legislator (or legislators) that a bill be written up.
Each of us has an issue we’re passionate about or particularly impacted by. Those LSRs are your clue as to what 2020 might have in store for your issue. Browse the list on the General Court website (there’s a link on the homepage) or check out our analysis of some highlights at CitizensCount.org. If one of those titles (“relative to OHRV speed limits on roads,” “prohibiting price gouging in the sale of prescription drugs”) sounds like it could change the landscape of something you care about, it’s time to start paying attention. Contact the sponsor and ask for more details about what the bill will say. If you like the sound of it, ask how you can help. If you don’t, make suggestions for changes. A bill’s sponsor can show up at its first hearing with a suggested amendment based on feedback they received about it during LSR season.
New Hampshire’s next legislative session kicks off in early January, several weeks before we’ll queue up to cast our votes in the primary. Let’s not let the race for the White House distract us from what’s happening right here in the Granite State.
JACQUELYN BENSON
Kensington
(The writer is editor of the nonprofit Citizens Count.)