| New Hampshire Liberty Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Mission | A non-partisan coalition working to increase individual freedom in New Hampshire |
| Focus | Civil Liberties & Civil Rights |
| Chairman | Eileen Landies |
| Political Director | Joel Winters |
| Location | Manchester, NH |
| Address | PO Box 4241, Manchester, NH 03108-4241 |
| Website | New Hampshire Liberty Alliance |
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) website states that it is a nonpartisan coalition working to increase individual political freedom in New Hampshire. The organization encourages private charity, a civil society, and citizen involvement in government, and it does so by supporting pro-liberty candidates for state and local offices, and other pro-liberty causes and organizations.[1]
Project Vote Smart classifies the NHLA as a "civil liberties and civil rights" organization.[2]
Just before the November elections in 2006, the New Hampshire Union Leader editor wrote, "if New Hampshire is to remain the live free or die state, we have to continue voting for freedom and against government coercion." The editor wrote, "we are not with the Alliance on every single issue, but their scorecard is a good proxy for determining who is a friend or foe of personal freedoms" about the NHLA in the same editorial.[3]
The July 2011 edition of the FSP News, the newsletter of the Free State Project, listed the NHLA's facebook page as the Facebook Page of Month.[4]
Contents |
NHLA volunteers testify at the legislature on bills of interest to them. Joel Winters, former Democratic state representative from Manchester, New Hampshire, is the current Director of Political Action.
Each year, NHLA volunteers review the hundreds of bills submitted by state legislators to determine how each bill would affect individual rights and liberties. Bills are reviewed and rated for impact according to a standardized questionnaire. When the state legislature meets on a particular day, the bills under consideration are compiled on an "NHLA Gold Standard" (typically printed on goldenrod-colored paper). A Gold Standard summarizes the major points of a bill and recommends a vote. Then, NHLA volunteers pass these printed Gold Standards (typically 1-2 pages long) to legislators as the legislators arrive at the state capital building.
As the legislative session winds down, the NHLA publishes an annual “Liberty Rating” for New Hampshire’s state representatives and state senators, based on legislative roll-call votes of particular interest to the organization. Grades range from A+ (the highest) through F, including one even lower grade "CT". The lowest grade, "CT", indicates that a legislator is a "Constitutional Threat", typically earned for continual support or advocacy for new laws that directly conflict with the New Hampshire State Constitution or are extremely burdensome to New Hampshire citizens.
The NHLA allows free basic memberships, offers “full” memberships for $20, and “lifetime” memberships for $100. Keith Ammon is the current Director of Membership.
The NHLA produces an annual Liberty Dinner where awards for Activist of the Year and Legislature of the Year are given. Additionally, the yearly Liberty Rating, a report card based on votes by legislators and the impact of the votes on New Hampshire, is unveiled at the Liberty Dinner. Past speakers at the Liberty Dinner include Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Board Chair Jack Cole,[5] New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid,[6] Common Man restaurant chain owner Alex Ray,[7] NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner,[8] 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate John Stephen, 2010 Republican U.S. Senate candidates Jim Bender and Ovide Lamontagne, and Republican congressman Frank Guinta.[9]