Each year we provide to you a priority list of votes so you know how Democrats in your district/county voted on key issues. This has traditionally come at the end of each session year, but there are so many votes on bad bills this year, we can publish a list now, at crossover.
2019 Crossover Report – Vote Descriptions, gives you a list of the votes we used in our report, what the motion was, how each party caucus voted, and a description of the issues in the bill.
2019 Crossover Report – Vote Detail, list each member of the Democrat caucus, and how they voted on each of these bills.
2019 Crossover Report – Participation Rate – We’ve included a list of Democrats and their participation rates and missed vote percentage.
If you have any questions about these materials the Republican Office staff is happy to help. There are several other bills we would have liked to include in this report, but there were just so many, we had to narrow the list down. If you are looking for more detailed information on a specific member, let us know.
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2019 Crossover Report
Vote Descriptions
HB 712-FN, relative to a family and medical leave insurance program.
House Roll Call Vote 54, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
100% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
98.5% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of creating a new government-run family leave program that is funded by a 0.5% tax on wages of New Hampshire citizens and will siphon $168 million out of our economy each year. Republicans supported Governor Sununu’s paid leave program that would have given employers the opportunity to opt-in to an insurance plan that included the benefit. The Democrat passed plan mandates that every public and private employer provide this benefit. This legislation is also another burden on employers that include additional payroll costs and filings. While employers may offer better coverage for FMLA, this legislation sets a minimum standard for such coverages for FMLI and offers no exemption process for employers who already have an existing plan in place.
HB 682-FN, establishing a water resources fund in the department of environmental services and charging certain application and permit fees.
House Roll Call Vote 60, Motion: Ought to Pass
98.05% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is vote in favor of over 20 new or increased fees. Some fees in this legislation were increased to over 300% of their current rate. An example of the increased fees are: right now a temporary seasonal dock is exempt from permitting requirements. It is a permit by notification. The fee is $0. Under this bill the fee will be $300. The bill proposes that the Commissioner of DES would have the ability to adjust the fees by rule and bypass the legislative process.
HB 623-FN-A, relative to the rates of the business profits tax and business enterprise tax.
House Roll Call Vote 62, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.50% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of repealing future reductions in the business profits tax and the business enterprise tax costing New Hampshire job creators over $280 million over the next 4 years. The real data doesn’t lie. Our economy is booming in part because of the lower business tax rates. The last thing we need is to take the momentum away by dismantling the progress we’ve made in our business climate. Business will have no faith in predictability of NH legislature to protect them long term, and our ability to compete regionally for growth and development will be severely diminished.
HB 686-FN-A-L, relative to calculating and funding the interim cost of an opportunity for an adequate education and extending the interest and dividends tax to capital gains.
House Roll Call Vote 64, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
97.52% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
98.5% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of taxing capital gains at the same rate as the current interest and dividends tax, which would cost taxpayers as much as $150 million per year. Imposing a capital gains tax will slow our economic growth which has resulted in huge increases in revenues to the state. To Democrats, this may seem like an easy way to increase state revenue, but in the long-run, it will result in a decline in overall revenue as a result of the economic slowdown that could result from this tax. The job of the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs, to attract entrepreneurs to NH, will be made harder if this bill passes, since they will now have to explain this 5 percent tax on risk taking and success.
HB 105, relative to domicile residency, voter registration, and investigation of voter verification letters.
House Roll Call Vote 74, Motion: Ought to Pass
99.52% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass is a vote in favor of weakening New Hampshire’s voter laws. HB105 seeks to repeal much of SB3, which was signed in to law in 2018. This repeals current law that would continue to preserve New Hampshire’s electoral integrity by making sure that the right to vote is protected for all of the eligible voters of our state while cracking down on those that look to take advantage of the voting process. This bill repeals a reasonable method of establishing domicile and requires all new registrants to produce documentary evidence substantiating that they have taken actions consistent with their intent to make the town or ward their domicile. In a state where numerous elections have been decided by just a handful of votes, it is important to make sure that every ballot cast by an eligible voter is counted, and the domicile loophole is closed.
HB 106, relative to the terms “resident,” “inhabitant,” “residence,” and “residency.”
House Roll Call Vote 75, Motion: Ought to Pass
100% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass is a vote in favor of weakening New Hampshire’s voter laws. HB106 seeks to repeal HB1264, which was signed in to law in 2018. Just this past July, the NH Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion on HB1264 stating there is nothing unconstitutional about requiring individuals to make a choice as to where they are residents. It is not unreasonable for us to require that those who participate in our elections be residents of our state. What is unreasonable is that we have had two classifications of voters in our state: those who abide by our statutes and laws as residents, and those who don’t.
HB 186, establishing a state minimum wage and providing for adjustments to the minimum wage.
House Roll Call Vote 90, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.05% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
98.6% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of forcing business to pay an unsustainable wage to their employees. A government mandated wage increase of 65% will have a profound negative impact on New Hampshire’s small and medium sized business community. It only encourages employers to cut jobs, cut hours, and pass the increase cost onto the consumer. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, and a shortage of workers. Republicans have spent the last few years focused on creating the economic conditions for business to thrive to ensure everyone has the opportunity to earn a decent wage. Our small business owners know what it takes to attract, retain, and reward employees, and government should stop interfering.
CACR 12, relating to taxes. Providing that an income tax on personal income shall be prohibited.
House Roll Call Vote 101, Motion: Inexpedient to Legislate
99.52% of House Democrats voted for Inexpedient to Legislate
100% of House Republicans opposed Inexpedient to Legislate
A vote in favor of Inexpedient to Legislate is a vote against prohibiting a personal income tax. By voting to kill this bill, Democrats are saying to their constituents they are in favor of killing the New Hampshire Advantage and want to leave the door open to imposing an income tax. We already have seen that House Democrats are ok with this after they passed their paid family leave plan that mandates a tax on wages. Since our union was formed and NH became a state, we have resisted a personal income tax (not to mention a sales tax). This approach leaves it up to the taxpayer how to spend their money, resulting in an ethos that rewards hard work, self-reliance, personal responsibility, and a spirit of freedom long lost in so many near bankrupt high income tax states where there never seems to be enough revenue.
HB 558, restricting the distribution of plastic straws.
House Roll Call Vote 108, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
97.01% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.3% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of a more stringent ban on plastic straws than California. Even California recognizes that plastic straws have a place in society, and they chose to only apply their prohibition to full-service restaurants. If this bill becomes law, and you’re driving away from receiving your drive thru milkshake or iced coffee realizing you forgot to ask for a straw, just remember that even your friends in California have more straw freedom than you do here in the Live Free or Die state.
HB 560, relative to single-use carryout bags.
House Roll Call Vote 109, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
96.62% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.3% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote for Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of a 10 cent tax on plastic bags. Businesses and consumers can currently choose to provide or use reusable or biodegradable options on their own. House Democrats aren’t satisfied with asking consumers to make better choices, they want to force businesses to provide you with a certain kind of bag, and charge you for it.
HB 109-FN, requiring background checks for commercial firearms sales.
House Roll Call Vote 116, Motion: Ought to Pass
96.67% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass
A vote for Ought to Pass is a vote in favor of severely restricting the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding citizens by requiring background checks for all commercial firearms transfers. New Hampshire is consistently ranked as one of the safest states in the nation. This legislation attempts to place huge impediments to firearms sales and training in the state of New Hampshire.
SB 1-FN, relative to family and medical leave.
House Roll Call Vote 129, Motion: Ought to Pass
99.09% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass
98.6% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass
A vote in favor of Ought to Pass is a vote in favor of creating a new government-run family leave program that is funded by a 0.5% tax on wages of New Hampshire citizens and will siphon $168 million out of our economy each year. Republicans supported Governor Sununu’s paid leave program that would have given employers the opportunity to opt-in to an insurance plan that included the benefit. The Democrat passed plan mandates that every public and private employer gives this benefit. This bill mandates that all employees participate in the program, whether they meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for participation or not. This version also mandates employers with 20 or more employees hold their positions for them, which will increase small employer overhead costs.
HB 397-FN, relative to drivers’ licenses for New Hampshire residents who do not possess a social security card.
House Roll Call Vote 140, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
97.60% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.3% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote for Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of giving Drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants. This bill would allow people here illegally to receive a license with a combination of a foreign passport, an expired alien registration card, or “Any other documentation issued by the government of the applicant’s country of birth.” A person here illegally could theoretically present their foreign passport and an arrest warrant from their home country in lieu of a social security card and then receive a Drivers’ license. Due to the high potential of fraud, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation strongly opposes this bill. Concerns were also raised that given New Hampshire’s current laws, allowing illegal immigrants to receive a Drivers’ License could it make it easier for them to participate in several other things, like voting in our elections.
HB 641-L, allowing municipalities to collect an occupancy fee from operators of local room rentals.
House Roll Call Vote 155, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
96.71% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
97.9% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote for Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of allowing municipalities to collect an occupancy fee up to $2.00 on top of the State Rooms & Meals tax, with the additional $2.00 being kept locally. The additional $2.00 is a tax that can be raised in the future.This legislation opens the door for future local fees and taxes on other types of sales by setting a dangerous precedent for other municipalities seeking to raise local taxes.
HB 2-FN-FN-A-L, relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures.
House Roll Call Vote 164, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.12% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote for Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of the House Democrats’ irresponsible budget proposal increasing government spending in New Hampshire by 13%, and creating $400 million dollars in new taxes. Some of the new or increased taxes include a capital gains tax, repeal of future business tax rate reductions, and a 0.5% tax on wages to fund the Democrats mandated paid family leave program. The House Democrats version of the budget also replaces Governor Sununu’s Capital Infrastructure Revitalization Fund that uses one-time money, for critical one-time projects around our state, and instead uses those funds to expand government with ongoing expenditures. Using that one-time revenue for ongoing projects leaves taxpayers on the hook to make up the difference when that money disappears. Among the critical projects taken out of the Governor’s budget, one was a $26 million dollar appropriation that would help build a Secure Psychiatric Unit, which would have taken Mentally ill patients out of housing in the State Prison. The Governor’s voluntary family leave plan was also removed from the budget. It was replaced with a likely-to-be-insolvent, state-run insurance program funded by a mandated 0.5% tax on wages.
HB 1-A, making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
House Roll Call Vote 167, Motion: Ought to Pass with Amendment
99.56% of House Democrats voted for Ought to Pass with Amendment
100% of House Republicans opposed Ought to Pass with Amendment
A vote for Ought to Pass with Amendment is a vote in favor of the House Democrats’ irresponsible budget proposal increasing government spending in New Hampshire by 13%, and creating $400 million dollars in new taxes. Some of the new or increased taxes include a capital gains tax, repeal of future business tax rate reductions, and a 0.5% tax on wages to fund the Democrats mandated paid family leave program. The House Democrats version of the budget also replaces Governor Sununu’s Capital Infrastructure Revitalization Fund that uses one-time money, for critical one-time projects around our state, and instead uses those funds to expand government with ongoing expenditures. Using that one-time revenue for ongoing projects leaves taxpayers on the hook to make up the difference when that money disappears. Among the critical projects taken out of the Governor’s budget, one was a $26 million dollar appropriation that would help build a Secure Psychiatric Unit, which would have taken Mentally ill patients out of housing in the State Prison. The Governor’s voluntary family leave plan was also removed from the budget. It was replaced with a likely-to-be-insolvent, state-run insurance program funded by a mandated 0.5% tax on wages.