This week Maggie and Grace from American Friends' Service Committee's New Hamphsire Program interview New Future's Kate Frey, about the state budget process and priorities, and Louise Spencer from the Kent St. Coalition about the legislative process and how, and why people can become part of that process.  The two featured musical breaks are Abba's "Money Money Money" and Janelle Monáe's "Turntables".

For the February 15 edition the 350NH crew returns with a focus on local food systems and the confluence of agriculture and solar power. You'll hear Jennifer Dube, Peg Breault, Carolyn Nevin, Alyssa Riley, and Joe Feole of 350NH, Mike Zimmer of Bluewave Solar, Hannah Flanders of the Kearsarge Food Hub, and Senator Rebecca Whitley of the NH State Senate.

Maggie Fogarty and Grace Kindeke from the American Friends' Service Committee, New Hampshire Program interview two New Hampshire activists on immigration issues: Asma Elhuni, a Libyan-American from the Upper Valley, and Bruno Soares, a native of Brazil, now of Nashua. They also talk with their AFSC colleague Adriana Jasso from the San Diego, California border region.
Just some of the topics are:
HB20 - defunding public schools
HB328 - driver's licensing and privacy
HB587 - whether citizenship is conflated with driving
HB266 - prohibiting sanctuary cities, allowing local police to assist Immigration agents.
HB579 - checkpoints
The California Values Act (SB 54)
Secure Communities 287G>>>deportations
Asylum
Detention

Emmett Soldati's debut appearance on State House Watch features guests  City Counselors Palana Belken and ​Crystal Paradis talking about citizen participation in government.
What is it like to testify at the legislature....in person vs. remote.....
Counselor Belken
SB61 right to work
      affirmative gender care
      transgender athletes
HB68 child abuse bill
HB198 school sports

Counselor Paradis
"Coffee with the Counselor"
Accessibility is both improved and lost with virtual governing.
Structures of advocacy: state vs. local.
Public transportation
Keep zoom as an option in future.... and email ....

Maggie Fogarty and Grace Kindeke of the American Friends Service Committee return this week along with Rep. David Meuse and Joseph Lascaze of the ACLU.
Some of the topics are:
The Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
​Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability   Community  and Transparency 

SB40 informed consent
SB41 police disciplinary hearings, private or public?
the Aaron Brown situation
SB39 files disclosure re:right to know law
HB237, 629, cannabis
HB615 reduced sentences vs. treatment
HB598  mass incarceration
covid-19 in jails and prison
HB86 voter suppression  
SB61 right to work for less
HB563 living wage 
HB112 deportation study

​For this Martin Luther King Jr. Day edition of State House Watch, Jennifer Dube and her colleagues from 350NH interview two specialists on green buildings. Experts from Emerald Builders and ReVision Energy look at building design, for best thermal efficiency, and the heating/cooling design for best energy efficiency. They tie the discussion into the climate crisis and what programs and incentives are available to help homeowners minimize their carbon footprint.

For this opening State House Watch show of 2021, Maggie Fogarty and Grace Kindeke introduce the team of co-hosts who will be doing the show this year, and then they interview NH House Minority Leader Rennie Cushing about how the legislature is managing to meet in this time of pandemic, and about some of the issues and legislation to be watching this session.

Today’s show featured a close look at Governor Sununu’s “Stay-at-Home 2.0” directive, with clips from a news conference delivered by the governor and the state chief epidemiologist last Friday. Look here for links to the “guidance” documents for re-opening various economic sectors. Arnie and Maggie also discussed the latest phase in the power struggle between Democratic leaders of the legislature and the Republican governor over authority to spend federal Covid relief funds.  They also touched on the Secretary of State’s new select committee to advise him on absentee ballots.  Maggie gave an update on the ACLU lawsuit for release of immigrants from detention in Dover.

Organized in 1975, the Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH) was the second organization formed in the United States by unions, health and legal professionals that focused on health and safety issues faced by workers and their unions. Barbara Rahke was their director until her recent retirement; that’s why we called on her to speak a bit about what workers need to know to stay safe on the job.

Arnie brought his recorder to Never Again’s third “car rally” at Strafford Corrections on Sunday, where activists called for release of immigrants from detention. We’ve got the voices of Eva Castillo, Isaac Grimm, Sebastian Fuentes, Laura Aronson, and Josie Pinto in the story, plus songs and chants.  Next week’s rally will be on Saturday, not Sunday.

This week’s music included Anne Feeney, singing the labor classic, “We Just Come to Work Here, We Don’t Come to Die,” and Ben Grosscup’s story about Nancy the Med Surge nurse, to the tune of “Charlie and the MTA.” We also played the haunting, “Sunset on Louisiane” by Hart Rouge and the song/chant, “Circle Round for Freedom.”

This week’s episode featured an interview with Representative Mary Jane Wallner, who chairs the Legislative Fiscal Committee and the House Finance Committee; Kile Adumene, Coordinator of the Manchester Inclusivity & Equity Committee; and Erin Hale of the NH Food Alliance.

With Rep. Wallner, we discussed the ongoing power struggle between the legislature and the governor over authority to accept and spend federal funds.  Last week, Judge David Anderson threw out a legislative lawsuit on procedural grounds. Kile Adumene discussed how the coronavirus pandemic has affected people of color and placed stress on workers and people who are homeless.  Erin Hale described efforts to address food insecurity, including efforts to bolster local food production.  Visit NH Food Alliance’s resources on Covid-19 and the state’s food system here.

Musical selections included two versions of “There’s a Bright Side, Somewhere,” performed by Rev. Gary Davis and Ry Cooder.

This week’s program looks at the impact of the pandemic on workers in three key sectors.  First, Maggie talks with Janice Kelble, a long-time New Hampshire leader of the American Postal Workers Union, who describes challenges that must be overcome for the postal service to continue to function as a provider of needed services and a source of decent jobs.  Next, she interviews Jennie Marshall, an experienced teacher and administrator in the Salem School District, who talks about the challenges of teaching without classrooms and the disruption to school communities brought on by ending the school year without traditional rituals.  The show ends with Arnie’s interview with Adam Kaczynski, president of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, MA, where workers are organizing for safety in a large-scale industrial workplace and demanding that their employer, General Electric, shift to production of ventilators.

Janice called attention to a petition posted at https://usmailnotforsale.org/.  Adam talked about two online petitions, one calling on President Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act and order GE to produce ventilators, the other calling on General Electric to implement measures to protect the health of its workforce.

Arnie and Maggie also provided brief updates on voting rights, the power struggle between the governor and the legislature over pandemic relief spending, and the recent lawsuit calling for release of immigrants from detention at the county jail in Dover.

Our musical selections for the week were “When I Get to Heaven” from John Prine, “Julian of Norwich” performed by Ann Mayo Muir, Ed Trickett, and Gordon Bok, and “Mister Lonely” from Bobbie Vinton.