Many want to applaud Governor Chris Sununu for the record number of bills he actively vetoed over the past 3 years. And certainly, he was the firewall against increased taxes and assaults against the 2nd Amendment. However, too many bills that he signed or allowed to become law are destructive to you and your children.
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Bills I would have also vetoed as your Governor are bills that tear at the fabric of the family. Parents have a duty to guide and shepherd their offspring into responsible citizenship.
The recent legislature wants to insert themselves between you and your children. The government have been doing a slow creep to supplant your parental duties, providing meals, clothing, counseling, etc., making you more and more dependent upon those provisions that are creating more and more of a distance from your child.
When legislation interferes with those responsibilities or ignores biologic reality, responsible leadership should step in to prevent the overreach of legislators. Here are five bills that I would have vetoed.
HB 1319 – Bathroom Bill prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and reinforcing the mental confusion that allows for physical or chemical alteration of a biological reality. Boys are born boys and girls are born girls.
HB 587 – Therapy Ban punishes therapists who are treating mental illness and denies parental responsibility to seek help for their child’s mental confusion. Under this law, a child who is confused about their sexuality CANNOT be counseled even with parental consent.
SB 263 – Discrimination on gender identity in public schools opens the door for lawsuits against innocent references towards a child who today is biologically a boy and tomorrow feels like a girl. Teachers, administrators, and peers become targets for lawsuits claiming “bullying” tactics
HB608 -Gender Identity added to Unlawful Discriminatory Practices in Public Accommodations. This bill dissolves the distinction between men and women and is an attack on women. The consequences are many. Just to mention a few: Men identifying as a woman can now enter competitions against biological women. This could put an end to girls or women winning competitions specifically for them. Privacy in dressing rooms has been removed. It also allows for chemical enhancement in sports, something that has been taboo in the past.
HB 669 Adds “X” for “other” to “M” for “Male” or “F” for “Female” on Drivers’ Licenses, Identification cards, and applications issued by the Motor Vehicles Administration denying biological reality. This law defies logic. What will be next? What other identifying markers will be allowed? Change in age?
A veto pen is a powerful tool. But so is allowing bad bills to become law through signature. Leading the people of New Hampshire requires making decisions that do no harm to her citizens.
Karen Testerman is a Republican Candidate for Governor, founder of Cornerstone Policy Research, radio talk show host, founding member of National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies, Secure the Grid Coalition, VP of School District Governance Association, and 1stVP of the NH Federation of Republican Women
