We’d like to point out a website that probably doesn’t get as much use as it should: www.gencourt.state.nh.us/.
By visiting this site and checking out the State Legislature dashboard, you can find the bills a legislator is sponsoring or co-sponsoring. Simply go to “Advanced Bill Search” and enter the names of your legislators under “Sponsor.”
This will provide you with a world of interesting information. With multiple legislators for each of our towns, we can learn how each one of them is representing their constituents, where their interests lie, and on what statewide issues they are directing their focuses. Are they interested in social issues, in changing how town governments take care of business, or in directing the state to take a stance on national issues? Is your legislator really representing you? This site offers a way to find out. If you find a bill that intrigues you, upsets you, or delights you, you can attend a hearing on it and speak your mind. That puts an added meaning to the term, “citizen legislature.”
And, as always, you can call or otherwise contact your legislators and let them know how you feel about their agendas. You can use that information and their comments when the time comes for reelection.
If you have a particular interest in seeing New Hampshire’s government move in a specific direction on an issue and you don’t find a bill on that topic, that’s something to discuss with your legislators as well. Of course, all of this requires some personal involvement and action. That’s what a democracy is all about, so take some time to get to know your town’s charter as well as state RSA’s to make sure our local government is telling us the truth. Make an effort to be involved and to have your say in your state government. These days, many of us fill some of our spare time by “relaxing” at the computer and surfing various websites. We encourage you to make the General Court website one of your favorites and to check it regularly. At this newspaper, we try to bring to your attention to bills of interest in the state, but we aren’t going to be able to hit all of them.That information, however, is at your finger tips through you keyboard or touch screen.The more we know about what our legislators and local government officials are doing, the better.