House Committee Tries to Bury the Proposed Bill

This morning the New Hampshire House Legislative Administration Committee voted for “interim study” on SB 136 – a bill in support of a constitutional amendment to overturn decisions like Citizens United and allow lawmakers to set reasonable limits on money in elections – which serves to delay the bill in moving forward. Despite this disappointing committee action, the bill, which already passed unanimously in the state Senate, will be considered by the full House at the beginning of January.

“Citizens United has wreaked havoc on our political process,” said People For the American Way New Hampshire Campaign Organizer Lindsay Jakows. “Granite Staters have made clear again and again that getting big money out of politics is a top priority. By using this delay tactic rather than supporting the bill outright, committee members have ignored the voices of their constituents on this issue. But rest assured, grassroots activists across the state will continue the push to reclaim our democracy from wealthy special interests.”

Sixteen other states have called for a constitutional amendment to get big money out of elections. People For the American Way has been on the ground in New Hampshire working with allied organizations to support the groundswell of organizing in the state around this issue. Local activism has pushed 69 towns to pass resolutions in support of an amendment, more than a dozen of which have passed this year alone.

In New Hampshire and across the country, reversing Citizens United is supported by a strong majority of Americans. A national Bloomberg Politics poll found that 78 percent of Americans believe the decision should be overturned.

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