Opioid Epidemic
Opioid abuse has swept our state into crisis and affected New Hampshire citizens from all walks of life. District 19 is especially affected considering it's proximity to Interstate 93 and the border of Massachusetts. As your Senator, I served on the Joint Legislative Drug Taskforce and I have supported legislation that will provide the necessary funds to equip our communities, police departments and prosecutors with the tools necessary to combat this epidemic.
As your Senator I have supported:
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Doubling the funding to the Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Prevention Treatment, and Recovery and increased funding to $73.5 million in total funds towards combating substance abuse.
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Enacting policies allowing cross border drug interdiction, adding state troopers to the border, preventing drugs from entering and being distributed in New Hampshire.
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Providing $1 million grant supporting businesses to create recovery friendly workplaces.
Economic Development
Job creators can count on me to support policies that will enable businesses to grow and provide New Hampshire families with good jobs and benefits. Our state is constantly competing, both regionally and nationally, with other states and it is imperative we adopt policies that will make New Hampshire an attractive state to start or relocate a business to. As your Senator, I have visited businesses across the district, listened to their concerns and have been a strong advocate of pro-business policies in the Senate. I helped lead the effort to cut taxes for our businesses, and as a result I earned a 100% rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, a and have been named a "Champion of Business" by the NH Business and Industry Association. I believe I am the candidate who will best serve District 19’s economic interests.
Fiscal responsibility - NO Sales Tax or Income Tax.
The taxpayers should not serve as Concord’s ATM and I have a flawless record, as a Senator and a House member, of voting against higher taxes. I am adamantly opposed to a broad based sales or income tax and voted against a gas tax increase. Government should be run efficiently and be mindful of its taxpayers’ hard earned dollars. I am proud to have supported a balanced budget that meets New Hampshire’s needs without spending outside of New Hampshire’s means.
Second Amendment
I will keep it simple. I strongly support the Second Amendment, have never voted to infringe upon it, and will be a voice for the responsible users of firearms in our state. In all 3 of my elections for State Senate I have been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
Education
New Hampshire’s public education system is one of the best in the country and our schools constantly rank in the top ten nationally. I will advocate to ensure the public school districts in Derry, Hampstead, and Windham receive adequate education funding from the state. I also fully understand that public school may not be the best fit for every student and am an advocate for families who may pursue other options for their children.
It is important to note our state must maintain its high standards and local control without being burdened by intrusive federal overreach. For this reason, I oppose Common Core and the federal government’s obsession with standardized tests. I support local control in our school districts and I believe we should keep communities empowered to meet their students’ needs and full potential rather than handing their educations to Washington DC.
Energy
New Hampshire’s families and businesses have some of the highest electric rates in the country. Families are paying 53% more than the national average and our industrial sized consumers are paying almost 200% more- this number is shocking and is largely due to poor planning and adaptation to today’s energy market. New Hampshire and New England have neglected the ratepayers by failing to respond to the region’s changing energy landscape.
Being pro-business means being pro-energy. If New Hampshire wants to remain an attractive place to raise a family, find employment or start a business, we need to address our energy rates. This means we have to be open to responsibly updating or adding to our region’s energy infrastructure. We need to ensure our grid can provide reliable and affordable energy to our homes and businesses. When it comes to lowering electric bills, no option is off the table which includes the use of efficient renewable energy projects alongside procurement of other affordable and reliable sources of energy.
Transportation
Interstate 93's expansion has taken too long, and one reason is the misappropriation of gas tax money. By law, gas tax revenue must go toward infrastructure, but much of it gets diverted for other reasons. I will fight to make sure the money we spend on gas taxes goes toward finishing 93, as well as improving routes such as 28, 102, 111, and 121.
As the former Chairman of the Senate Transportation committee, I worked closely with the stakeholders to craft and edit our 10 year highway plan, helped defeat a 50% increase in our tolls, and am always advocating for infrastructure investment in our district.