RLCNH URGES N.H. LEGISLATURE TO PASS BILL ADOPTED BY COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO STOP OBAMACARE

A State Insurance Exchange Would Voluntarily Accept Obamacare and Send State Taxpayers the Bill

CONCORD, N.H.—The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire applauds the 10-6 vote of the N.H. House Commerce Committee to pass HB 1297, which would prohibit the state from establishing a state health insurance exchange under the terms of Obamacare, and the RLCNH also urges the full House and Senate to pass this health care freedom bill for the good of all U.S. citizens.

“By passing this bill, the State of New Hampshire will be standing with the majority of states opposing Obamacare, which is an unconstitutional power grab that will ironically raise the cost of health care, decrease the quality and accessibility of care and destroy the liberties of people to control their own lives,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “Due to a flaw in the federal law, the more states that opt not to create a state health insurance exchange, the more necessary it will be for Congress to reopen the law for amendment, and that gives liberty-minded Republicans the opportunity they’ll need to remove unconstitutional elements of the law and draft free market solutions for reducing the cost of health insurance.”

So far, 28 states are suing the federal government to prevent Obamacare’s implementation, and the courts have said these states would strengthen their case if they refused to implement a state exchange. The Supreme Court is due to rule on Obamacare’s constitutionality this Spring. So far, New Hampshire has not joined the lawsuit opposing Obamacare because Attorney General Michael Delaney brazenly said he would refuse such an order from the Legislature. However, by passing HB 1297, the New Hampshire Legislature would be doing more to repeal Obamacare than the lawsuit could ever do.

In fact, the fate of the Obamacare lawsuit may actually be irrelevant to the act’s repeal. If enough states refuse to create a state health insurance exchange, the Congress will be forced to reopen the law. Obamacare currently says states that do not create a state insurance exchange will default to a federal exchange. And here’s the rub: the law provides subsidies for insurance companies involved in a state exchange, but not in a federal exchange. Thus, to make the law work without putting the gigantic price tag for insurers on the law like everyone feared, it would have to be reopened and amended. That process would invite many more changes than a simple fix, and the law would likely be repealed and replaced, a resolution that Republicans and 63 percent of the population supports.

“Doing everything we can in New Hampshire to repeal Obamacare remains a top priority of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and passing HB 1297 will absolutely help us achieve this end,” McKinney said. “Obamacare is at the heart of an incredible assault on liberty by the current Administration. Our health care touches every part of who we are and the decisions we make. If we allow the government to control to this extent such an intimate, integral part of our lives, we have totally succumbed to tyranny.”

Ultimately, implementing a state health insurance exchange in New Hampshire would voluntarily bind the state under the control of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department while sending New Hampshire taxpayers the bill.

Contrary to arguments from some insurance regulators, insurance companies and industry groups, creating a state exchange will remove New Hampshire’s local control and ensure Obamacare is fully enacted in New Hampshire, whether the federal law is repealed or not. In addition, establishing a state insurance exchange under Obamacare requires the state to pay for the full cost of implementation starting in 2015, which could cost New Hampshire taxpayers anywhere from $10 million to $47 million a year, according to HTMS, a North Dakota health care consulting company.

“If Republicans act now to definitively reject a state exchange, the Republican Legislature stands a great chance of fulfilling the mandate of New Hampshire voters and leading the way toward true health insurance reform,” McKinney said.

For more information on why state exchanges are a bad idea, please read the following reports from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Studies, the Cato Institute, the Goldwater Institute and the Idaho Freedom Foundation.

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About The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire
RLCNH, a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as low taxes and spending, limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.

RLCNH REBUKES CALLS FOR A STATE HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE UNDER OBAMACARE

A State Insurance Exchange Would Voluntarily Accept Obamacare and Send State Taxpayers the Bill

CONCORD, N.H.—The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire rebukes the idea that Republicans should remove uncertainty by establishing a state health insurance exchange under the terms of Obamacare, as such a move would voluntarily bind the state under the control of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department while sending New Hampshire taxpayers the bill.

Contrary to arguments from some insurance regulators, insurance companies and industry groups, creating a state exchange will remove New Hampshire’s local control and ensure Obamacare is fully enacted in New Hampshire, whether the federal law is repealed or not. In addition, establishing a state insurance exchange under Obamacare requires the state to pay for the full cost of implementation starting in 2015, which could cost New Hampshire taxpayers anywhere from $10 million to $47 million a year, according to HTMS, a North Dakota health care consulting company.

“The bottom line is that the federal government has created uncertainty by passing an unworkable federal law that depends on states to put in the time and money to fix all of its faults,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “The cloud of uncertainty created by President Obama and the Democratic Congress won’t go away just because we accept Obamacare by creating a state health insurance exchange. In fact, these exchanges will distort the market, which will make for even more uncertainty.”

Those arguing for a state insurance exchange have clamored for predictability, but by establishing a state insurance exchange, the only predictable outcome will be that the state will be voluntarily implementing the terms of the Obamacare law that voters soundly rejected in 2010. The mammoth state bureaucracy created would only serve as a nominal state organization, but it would take all of its orders from Washington bureaucrats, who would set the rules for selling insurance plans within the state, thus reducing real competition and increasing the costs of providing health insurance.

What makes matters worse, under SB 163, the N.H. Senate bill that establishes a state exchange, “poison pill” language would eliminate only those sections found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or repealed by the Congress, but it would leave everything else in place. If the bill passes, it would keep a state health insurance exchange in place even if the federal government fully rejects New Hampshire’s proposal, thus leaving us with a federal exchange plan funded by New Hampshire taxpayers.

The better approach is HB 1297, which would prohibit the state from enacting an exchange and make it harder for the federal government to implement the law. In fact, the more states that opt not to create a health insurance exchange will then send the federal bureaucrats scrambling to come up with one, without the time or funding to create one that will work. If New Hampshire and other states around the country say no to a state health insurance exchange, it all but guarantees that Congress will have to repeal or replace Obamacare, which is what the people want.

“Creating a state exchange voluntarily accepts Obamacare in New Hampshire,” McKinney said. “If we do that, this Republican Legislature will be directly opposing the voters who sent them to Concord to stand up against this federal overreach. These Republicans, and not the Obama Democrats, would be responsible for the consequences of Obamacare in New Hampshire.

“If Republicans act now to definitively reject a state exchange, however; the Republican Legislature stands a better chance of fulfilling the mandate of New Hampshire voters and leading the way toward true health insurance reform,” McKinney said.

For more information about the conclusions reached by RLCNH about state health insurance exchanges under Obamacare, please refer to these studies by the Cato Institute, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and the Goldwater Institute.

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About The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire
RLCNH, a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as low taxes and spending, limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.

RLCNH APPLAUDS HOUSE FOR PASSING TSA ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BILL

RLCNH APPLAUDS HOUSE FOR PASSING TSA ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BILL
TSA Bill, HB 628, will create public database of complaints against the TSA

CONCORD, N.H.—The people of New Hampshire have hope that abusive Transportation Security Administration agents may soon be held accountable for their actions thanks to an amended bill that passed the New Hampshire House today, according to the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, which endorsed HB 628.

HB 628, relative to searches conducted for purposes of transportation-related security, will require law enforcement officers employed by the state, a county or a local community to log complaints by citizens in New Hampshire who believe they were abused by a TSA official at the airport, at a bus or train station or on a roadway. The public log will be held by state police and will allow the press, the public and the legislature to track patterns of abuse by TSA officials. The bill also requires law enforcement officials to support citizens who choose to audio or video tape their encounter with a TSA agent.

“I would like to thank the members of the House who supported this bill for understanding the need to protect passengers and transportation vehicles while also respecting basic civil rights and decency,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “With the database created by this bill, the State of New Hampshire will be shining the light of public scrutiny on TSA officials, which will hopefully lead to their more respectful behavior toward citizens in New Hampshire—perhaps even across the country.”

TSA officials have been in the news for conducting strip searches against Americans randomly, without any reasonable suspicion, which has led to the complete erosion of civil liberties in the name of security, leaving many passengers literally in tears. Some of the things TSA officials have done to women, men, the elderly and children would be called sexual assault if it was in any other venue. Yet, TSA officials have largely gotten away with their abusive searches, with TSA officials claiming they were just “following procedures.”

“HB 628 would put TSA agents on notice that New Hampshire will be watching what they do, and it will also hold state and local law enforcement officers accountable to their duty to protect the rights of citizens,” McKinney said. “This is a bill that will give citizens a place to turn within the state when they feel they’ve been abused that is not the same agency as the one allegedly doing the abusing.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire extends its gratitude to Rep. George Lambert of Litchfield, the sponsor of this bill, and Rep. Andrew J. Manuse of Derry, a co-sponsor, who both worked tirelessly to ensure this bill passed through the House. Reps. Laura Jones of Rochester, Dan Itse of Fremont and Frank Sapareto of Derry were also co-sponsors on the bill.

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About The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire
RLCNH, a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as low taxes and spending, limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.

RLCNH will target Right to Work opponents for defeat

A Right to Work law is fundamental to the freedom to associate

CONCORD, N.H.—Because the right to freely associate is fundamental to liberty in a free market economy, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire has decided to use the Right to Work override vote as a litmus test for candidates running for reelection in 2012.

To be clear: any representative or senator who votes to sustain the governor's veto of the Right to Work bill, HB 474, will not receive an endorsement or assistance of any kind from the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire during the 2012 election cycle. In some cases, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will actively support these incumbents' opponents in their primary elections, especially if those opponents pledge to support a Right to Work law.

"Right to Work is a watershed issue when it comes to a legislator's commitment to limited government and individual liberty,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “People have a natural freedom to associate with whom they please, and in this country, the freedom of association is even protected by the constitution, but this right is being regularly denied by unions in the workplace.

“Especially in these hard economic times when so many families are struggling, people should never be forced to hand over their hard-earned money to a third party just so they can hold a job and provide for their families,” McKinney added. “Clearly, people will voluntarily choose to join a union if they believe the costs are worth the benefits. But unions given unchecked power—as they have had for so many decades—have shown they will not always support the best long-term interests of their members. Right to Work would fix this by ensuring that unions will have to compete for members by actually serving them.”

The Right to Work veto override vote may come up as soon as tomorrow, but the Speaker of the House has the authority to call the vote at any time prior to the beginning of the 2012 House Session. The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire supports any effort by the Speaker to call the vote when he knows it will be successful.

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About The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire
RLCNH , a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as low taxes and spending, limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.

Hemingway Takes Leave As RLCNH Chairman: Carolyn McKinney Will Serve As Acting Chairman of RLCNH

State Caucus Will Not Endorse Presidential Candidate to Ensure Focus on State Political Action

CONCORD, N.H.—Carolyn McKinney will serve as acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire and strengthen the organization's focus on a common sense State House agenda as RLCNH Chairman Andrew Hemingway leaves his post to work on a presidential political campaign.



“While we wish Andrew Hemingway the best in his new job opportunity, it is important to note that the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will not endorse a candidate for president,” said Carolyn McKinney, acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. "His decision to join a particular presidential campaign was his own and does not reflect the opinion of the organization. We at the RLCNH will remain highly focused on the issues affecting the citizens of New Hampshire as well as the important goal of advancing Common Sense within New Hampshire state government.



“The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will continue to support the positive changes the Republican majority has made in the State Legislature to reduce spending, reduce taxes, reduce business regulations and foster a job-creating environment by restoring individual liberty, personal responsibility and the state constitution,” McKinney added. “Right now, our main focus is on making sure the Legislature overrides the governor's several vetoes and then continues to advance a responsible, liberty agenda in Concord. Next, we will turn to candidate recruitment and preparation for the 2012 state primary elections.”



McKinney, a resident of Amherst, has been intricately involved with the behind-the-scenes work of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire for several years as the organization's executive secretary. Her promotion to acting chairman will be second nature to her. For instance, McKinney was instrumental in the organization's success in getting 107 endorsed candidates elected to state offices in November 2010; that's 70 percent of the candidates originally endorsed by the organization.

"The courage of these liberty-minded elected officials under the leadership of House Speaker Bill O'Brien advanced a 10 percent state budget reduction, a fiscally responsible move during hard economic times,” McKinney said. “And now we are seeing the fruits of principled Republican leadership as Moody's Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's recently decided to maintain the state's high AA+ bond rating. Surely, the jobs will follow, particularly if these Republicans continue to push for strong regulatory reform and tax cuts.”

Before joining the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, McKinney worked for the Heritage Foundation as an outreach coordinator motivating groups of activists nationwide. She also served as a Witherspoon Fellow at the Family Research Council working in government affairs.

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About The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire
RLCNH, a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as low taxes and spending, limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.