Extreme legislation this session showcased how out of touch New Hampshire Republicans have become and reaffirmed the DLCC’s focused on breaking the GOP’s trifecta in 2024
WASHINGTON — The New Hampshire legislative session ended, and instead of a record of making progress on real challenges facing their constituents, GOP majorities spent the session advancing extreme legislation that is out of step with their communities. New Hampshire Republicans veered into new, far-right territory for the state, pushing a 15-day abortion ban, numerous attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, blocking gun safety measures, and even advocating for a first-in-the-nation proposal to loosen common-sense vaccine requirements that would threaten the health of their communities.
Once thought of as moderate, the New Hampshire Republican majorities of today are dangerous and wildly out of step with the needs of their communities, which is why the stakes of the legislative elections in November are so high. Breaking the GOP trifecta in New Hampshire is a top priority for the DLCC and we are targeting both chambers in 2024, where the margins are razor thin.
Some of the most extreme GOP priorities from the 2024 legislative session include:
- Introducing a 15- day abortion ban: At the beginning of the legislative session, New Hampshire Republicans filed legislation to ban abortion after 15 days. That’s on top of the abortion ban that Republicans already instituted nearly two years ago. In a state where nearly 70% of Granite Staters support reproductive freedom, Republicans flew in the face of the will of the public and worked overtime to place absurd and dangerous restrictions on abortion access.
- Attacking LGBTQ+ people: New Hampshire Republicans passed three toxic anti-LGBTQ+ bills, weaponizing their majorities to fan the flames of an unpopular culture war. An anti-trans sports ban, a bill that would ban hospitals from providing and families from seeking gender-affirming care, and a bill that would lead to classroom censorship on topics of gender and sexuality were passed.
- Blocking gun safety: New Hampshire Republicans blocked common sense gun safety bills, including a red flag bill that would have made firearms harder for potentially dangerous individuals to access, and a bill that would have expanded background checks. State legislators have the power to pass preventative solutions to gun violence but the New Hampshire GOP refused this session.
- Restricting access to the ballot box: Both chambers of the legislature passed an anti-democratic bill that would eliminate exceptions to the state’s voter ID requirement and force people to provide proof of citizenship to vote, burdening voters who are low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, elderly, and people with disabilities.
- Loosening vax requirements: GOP legislators in New Hampshire advanced a first-of-its-kind bill that loosens vaccine requirements for children. The Republican legislation would loosen requirements around polio and measles vaccinations for parents enrolling their kids in childcare, making New Hampshire the first state in the country to pass such legislation.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee National Press Secretary Sam Paisley the following statement:
“As the New Hampshire legislative session ends, it’s obvious that state Republicans are out of step and too extreme to represent their communities across the state. At this critical juncture for fundamental freedoms where state legislatures have the power to make a true impact on improving the lives of their constituents, New Hampshire Republicans have tried to make life harder – harder to get reproductive care, harder for LGBTQ+ people to be themselves, harder to avoid the ever-present threat of gun violence, and harder for people to protect their health.
“The MAGA New Hampshire GOP is a hotbed of dangerous extremism, and the stakes for November’s legislative session couldn’t be more crystal clear. Democrats in the state legislature are committed to safeguarding fundamental rights that keep their communities healthy and protected. The DLCC is committed to electing champions of fundamental freedoms and ensuring Granite Staters have trustworthy leadership in the state legislature.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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