New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
| Mission | A non-partisan coalition working to increase individual freedom in New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Focus | Civil Liberties & Civil Rights |
| Chairman | Paul Best |
| Political Director | Kevin Bloom |
| Location | Manchester, NH, Manchester, New Hampshire |
| Address | PO Box 4241, Manchester, NH 03108-4241 |
| Website | New Hampshire Liberty Alliance |
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) is a nonpartisan, libertarian coalition in New Hampshire. The organization encourages private charity, a civil society, and citizen involvement in government, and it does so by supporting libertarian candidates for state and local offices, and other libertarian 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]
Departments
Political action
NHLA volunteers testify at the legislature on bills of interest to them.
Research
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 capitol.
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.
Membership
The NHLA offers free basic memberships as well as two-year full memberships for $20, and lifetime memberships for $100.
Liberty Dinner
The NHLA hosts an annual Liberty Dinner at which awards for Activist of the Year and Legislator 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 the following:
- Healing Our World author and 2008 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Dr. Mary Ruwart[5] in 2015
- Lee McGrath, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice Minnesota Chapter gave the keynote address in 2014[6]
- Jason Bedrick, former NH State Representative and research fellow at the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy spoke in 2013.[7]
- 2008 and 2012 Presidential Candidate Ron Paul
- Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Board Chair Jack Cole
- New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid,[8]
- Common Man restaurant chain owner Alex Ray,[9]
- NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner,[10]
- 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate John Stephen
- 2010 Republican U.S. Senate candidates Jim Bender and Ovide Lamontagne
- Republican congressman Frank Guinta.[11]
- Harvard University economics professor and Cato Institute policy analyst Jeffrey Miron
- Cato Institute policy analyst Jason Bedrick
Legislator and Activist of the Year Award Winners
Legislator of the Year
Dan Itse, 2015 Carol McGuire, 2014 Mark Warden, 2013 Paul Brown, 2012 Mark Warden, 2011 Carol McGuire, 2010 Edith “Dee” Hogan, 2009 Jason Bedrick, 2008 Richard Barry, 2007 James Wheeler, 2006 Cliff Newton, 2005 Michael Harrington, 2004
Activist of the Year
Bill Alleman, 2015 Michelle Levell, 2014 Kirk McNeil, 2013 Doris Hohensee, 2012 Kevin Bloom, 2011 Matt Simon, 2010 Keith Carlsen, 2009 Tom Hudson, 2008 Tyler Stearns, 2007 Joel Winters, 2006
See also
References
- ↑ About Us | New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Issue and Issue Group Ratings
- ↑ Editor (November 06, 2006), "EDITORIAL: Tobacco and firearms: Preserving liberty in NH," New Hampshire Union Leader.
- ↑ FSP News - June 2011 - Liberty in Our Lifetime
- ↑ "July 2015 Newsletter". nhliberty.org. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.nhliberty.org/node/444
- ↑ http://www.nhliberty.org/node/401
- ↑ NH INSIDER- Your Source for NH Politics - Press Releases - 2006 NH Liberty Dinner this Friday
- ↑ Liberty Dinner 6/12 | New Hampshire Liberty Alliance
- ↑ NH INSIDER- Your Source for NH Politics - Press Releases - Bill Gardner to Speak at NHLA Liberty Dinner
- ↑ Jim Fennell (July 11, 2010), "Liberty Dinner Attracts Candidates," New Hampshire Union Leader.