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The AFL-CIO of New Hampshire holds an annual labor day breakfast in Manchester at the Holiday Inn conference center. It is an early morning, but entirely worth it. Bringing together all the union members, elected officials, and citizens in support of labor rights for our working people in the State. The Unions are unafraid to hold the fire to the feet of those elected saying they will support the workers. It is not always politically popular to support the unions and it requires strong elected officials to stand with the unions when the State tries to use it’s power to break them up. Workers rights to collectively bargain are critical to business giving back to the employees which aid in creating all this productivity. The working conditions, pay, and pensions of working people did not come from a stark flying through the clouds. It was fought for, with the blood, sweat and tears of the laborers who refused to accept a reality where they couldn’t afford to live. It is the power of workers coming together which got us the weekend, pensions, pay, and a lot of the parts to our economy which we take for granted. It is the power of workers which will expand on that work and bring us to a world where you don’t have to work three jobs just to barely get by.
After the breakfast, we went to Milford to march in their labor day parade. It was a scorching hot, but energizing day. New Hampshire has a long tradition of working people fighting to get more than scraps. We continue that tradition by honoring our unions and working people this month of September.
The subcommittee on the bail system met five times throughout the month. For a total of fourteen hours of testimony. We heard testimony from the Manchester Chief of Police, who spoke to us on his first hand experience with the current bail system, and relayed stories from his department on what they are seeing in Manchester. He told us about the way they approach mental health incidents and what treatments are available for them.
We heard from University of New Hampshire law professor, and Portsmouth Police Commissioner, Buzz Shear. Who spoke to the work he did in crafting the 2018 bail reform law which has become the point of contention for several years, leading to the bills proposed this session and ultimately this subcommittee. He spoke to the ways we could patch the system to strengthen the changes made to the 2018 law, without throwing the entire thing out the window. Frank Knack, the lobbyist of the ACLU, spoke to a similar point.
We heard from the bail commissioners on their experience of being underpaid, the county prosecutors, and others intimately involved in the system. The committee was unafraid to ask the necessary probing questions to all. Everyone on the committee feels we are doing the work which should have been done several years ago to give the legislature a full understanding of such a complex issue.
My Father shadowed me on one of our bail hearing days. I was able to take him on the tour of the House for the first time. We then drove to Portsmouth where I spoke at the Black Heritage Trail at their summer tea series of events. It was a warm introduction to the fall with community events, actions, and speeches. Good work done on a subcommittee and a fantastic tour of the State House with my Father. I don’t think I have truly had the time yet to reflect on the last year of the whirlwind, but as the anniversary of my primary victory passes I find myself with a strong sense of gratitude for the responsibility I’ve been entrusted with for this biennium.
Thank you.
