Locals Are Asked to 'Address the Everyday Needs' Thursday

Members of Hampton’s state legislative delegation are planning to meet with members of the public to obtain input on new legislation that the legislature should consider next year. 

The session will be held on Thursday August 29, 2013 between 7 and 9 p.m. in the selectman’s meeting room at Town Hall on Winnacunnet Road. Members of the public are encouraged to attend in person.  The session will also be broadcast live on Channel 22 in Hampton and viewers at home will be able to call into the session with questions.  The call-in number is (603) 758-1524.

Members of the delegation scheduled to participate in this session are State Senator Nancy Stiles and Representatives Robert “Renny” Cushing, Tracy Emerick, Chris Muns and Fred Rice. Representative Elaine Ahearn, who represents Hampton Falls and Seabrook as well as Hampton will be unable to attend due to a prior family commitment. 

The New Hampshire House of Representatives and State Senate have each established “windows” of time during which requests for new legislation to be considered by the legislature when it meets in January 2014 can be submitted.   For the house, this window is between September 9 and September 29, 2013 and for the senate it is between September 30 and October 25, 2013. 

“This is the only time between now and December of 2014 when new legislation can be submitted for consideration, so it is important that if there are important issues that need to be addressed we do so now” said Senator Stiles. “Hampton’s legislative delegation has a tradition of working together – across party lines – to address the common needs of our constituents” added Representative Cushing “and this meeting is very much in the spirit of that.”

Representative Rice agrees. “Much of the work that we do in Concord is non-partisan and meant to address the everyday needs that our towns and cities and fellow citizens are trying to address.”  

Members of the public who have a particular concern are encouraged to attend this session and share their ideas with their representatives. “We hope people with specific concerns will take the time to meet with us in person on August 29 between 7:00 and 9:00 PM” said Representative Emerick.  “But if they are unable to attend, we hope that as many people as possible will tune and watch the session on Channel 22.”

“One of the great things about New Hampshire and the New Hampshire legislature is the opportunity for people to participate in the democratic process” said Representative Muns.  “Transparency is also important and I hope that this meeting will provide the citizens of Hampton with another opportunity to participate more directly in the process”.

“This is a great opportunity for ‘us’ legislators to hear directly from our constituents about what is important to them and I am sorry that I will not be able to participate” said Representative Ahearn. “But I plan to watch the tape and if anyone would like to contact me directly, please do so at pitlochryfarm@comcast.net.”

More information about the New Hampshire House of Representatives and State Senate, including the voting records of each legislator, can be found at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us


Submitted by the Hampton Legislative Delegation