Wave of Pro-Liberty Victories Across New Hampshire!

New Hampshire grassroots activists, American Action Fund, and liberty legislators, are on a roll, crushing tyrannical bills and advancing legislation that keeps the Live Free or Die state in the lead nationally in terms of protecting freedom. 

A team of leftist Republicans and Democrats attempted to undermine parental rights with House Bill 553. House Bill 553 proposes changes to the definitions of child abuse and neglect, expanding them to include ambiguous terms like “emotional or psychological welfare.” The question is – what does that mean?  It’s so vague that it leaves the door wide open for government agencies to intrude into your home based on subjective interpretations. Imagine disciplining your child with a timeout or limiting screen time, only to have it twisted into “emotional abuse” by an overzealous bureaucrat. This isn’t just hypothetical; it’s a real possibility under the broad language of this bill. ​

Traditionally, to remove a child from their home, there needs to be clear and convincing evidence of harm. But HB 553 seeks to lower this standard to a mere “preponderance of evidence.” In layman’s terms, if there’s just a 51% chance—or even less—that abuse or neglect occurred, the state can take your child away. This flimsy threshold is an open invitation for mistakes and misuse of power, putting countless innocent families at risk.

The bill also introduces a “rebuttable presumption of harm,” essentially presuming parents guilty until they can prove their innocence. This flips our justice system on its head and undermines the fundamental principle of due process. Parents could find themselves in prolonged legal battles, draining their resources and spirits, all because of an unfounded accusation. ​

American Action Fund alerted liberty legislators and mobilized the grassroots to demand lawmakers oppose this horrible proposal. In response, the House of Representatives tabled the bill, killing it for the year. 

At the beginning of this year, three New Hampshire House Democrats filed House Bill 549 to “prohibit the use of education freedom account funds at religious schools, education, or training”. New Hampshire House Bill 549 is a blatant attempt to strip parents of their right to choose the best education for their children. This disastrous piece of legislation sought to prohibit the use of Education Freedom Account funds at religious schools or for any religious education or training. It’s a direct assault on school choice and religious liberty, aiming to force families into government-approved education systems.

This is clearly unconstitutional. In a recent Montana Supreme Court decision from 2020, it was found that, “Disqualifying otherwise eligible recipients from a public benefit solely because of their religious character imposes a penalty on the free exercise of religion that triggers the most exacting scrutiny.”  Thanks to your constant contact with your legislators and the principled steadfastness of liberty legislators, we killed that bill as well.

Last, but certainly not least, Liberty Champion State Representative Kristin Noble’s House Bill 361 to ban mask mandates in New Hampshire public schools has passed the New Hampshire House! If passed by the Senate and signed into law by the Governor, House Bill 361 will effectively prohibit the creation and implementation of mandatory mask policies in public schools across the state. Since the 2020 COVID-era tyranny, kids are learning at lower levels, mental illness has skyrocketed in young people, and children are much less social. Never again should our government shut down our economy, compel vaccination, or institute mask mandates. The bill will now be heard by the Senate Education Committee before reaching the Senate floor.

American Action Fund is leading the charge for liberty in New Hampshire, working to establish the Granite State as a beacon of liberty for the rest of the nation to follow. These  efforts are just a few examples of what American Action Fund and liberty legislators are doing to transform New Hampshire into a Liberty Lighthouse State.

Whether it’s the training and resources we provide to pro-liberty legislators, or the grassroots mobilization we do to back them up, American Action Fund will be there to expand individual freedom and limit government involvement in our lives.