Wednesday • February 18 • 2026
Vol.XVIII • No.VIII
Manchester, N.H.
Robert’s Rules, Mason’s Rules, and Moderator Gary Matteson’s own rules, I won’t get into the weeds or nuts and bolts of operations. Let’s just say that there’s a common structural design to maintain order. Maintaining order is vital to avoiding CHAOS, something that a lone wolf dissenting alderman was recently accused of being an agent ... Read more
The post SMITH: People Not Being Heard; A Disturbing Trend appeared first on Granite Grok.
Welcome to the first installment in a series covering the articles and history of the New Hampshire Constitution. The class features Local Constitutional “scholar” Dan Itse, with Deb Hobson and Carol Petrusewicz. The discussion covers articles one through five of the New Hampshire Constitution, with the last ten minutes devoted to being in the NH ... Read more
The post New Hampshire Constitution Class: Episode 1 appeared first on Granite Grok.
Today, we will undertake an explanatory study into the methods, purpose, and origins of Social Emotional Learning. This was instigated by the proclamation by the Governor of New Hampshire celebrating SEL organization ChooSELove, otherwise known as the “Choose Love Movement,” which is deeply embedded in not just New Hampshire public schools, but also in the ... Read more
The post BELCHER: SEL – Revelation of The[ir] Method appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you watch the likes of Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) or Maggie Hassan (D-NH) deliver their staff-written orations in committee rooms or on the Senate floor, you would realize that they have zero grasp of history, nor any sense of self-blame and accountability. As far as these two go, and you can lump the other Democratic ... Read more
The post CARDELLO: Lie as They May, The Democrats “Own” Illegal Immigration and Inflation appeared first on Granite Grok.
This week, the New Hampshire House Education Policy and Administration Committee heard testimony on whether the state should withdraw from the Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavior. Some school staff showed up to oppose this legislation and explained how these mental health practices are working well in their schools. But this legislation wouldn’t end that ... Read more
The post BANFIELD: School Based Mental Health Clinics are not Working in NH appeared first on Granite Grok.
February 22, 2026, marks the 294th anniversary of the birth of George Washington, who, in this writer’s opinion, was the greatest man born in America. He is rightfully known as the “Father of His Country.” At his funeral, Major General Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee said that Washington was “first in war, first in peace and first in ... Read more
The post SHURTLEFF: Honoring the Memory of George Washington appeared first on Granite Grok.
Of the 60 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 12 and opposition of 4 with 5 being of interest.
Of the 40 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 8 and opposition of 3 with 3 being of interest.
| Position | Bill | Title | Committee | Day | Time | Room | State Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | HB206 | relative to government agent entries into secured premises. | Judiciary | Tue 2/17 | 2:10 PM | SH Room 100 | This bill establishes requirements for when a government agent may enter a secured premises without a warrant. |
| Support | HB1039 | relative to the contents of parenting plans. | Children and Family Law | Tue 2/17 | 10:00 AM | GP Room 230 | This bill enables a parenting plan to include provisions relative to the sharing of a child’s image on social media. |
| Support | HB1206 | clarifying the equity jurisdiction of the judicial branch family division. | Children and Family Law | Tue 2/17 | 10:30 AM | GP Room 230 | This bill clarifies the equity jurisdiction of the judicial branch family division (now the circuit court, family division). |
| Support | HB1643 | relative to the report of a guardian ad litem. | Children and Family Law | Tue 2/17 | 1:30 PM | GP Room 230 | This bill removes the authority of the court to request that the guardian ad litem’s report propose an allocation of decision-making responsibility; a parenting plan; or a specific parenting schedule. |
| Support | HB1687 | removing the power of courts within the judicial branch family division to issue criminal determinations, judgments, and penalties. | Children and Family Law | Tue 2/17 | 2:00 PM | GP Room 230 | This bill restricts the jurisdiction of courts within the judicial branch family division to not be able to issue any criminal determinations, judgments, or penalties relative to matters which they may preside over. |
| Support | HB1770 | relative to the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities and establishing a presumption of equal parenting time. | Children and Family Law | Tue 2/17 | 2:30 PM | GP Room 230 | This bill: I. Replaces the discretionary best-interest standard in RSA 461-A:2 with a constitutional presumption of equal parenting time. II. Defines equal parenting as a 50/50 overnight split with limited deviation. III. Establishes strict scrutiny for any reduction in a fit parent’s time. IV. Limits rebuttal to clear and convincing evidence of specific harm under RSA 170-C:5. |
| Oppose | SB669 | relative to on-premises licenses for licensed barbershops and salons. | Commerce | Tue 2/17 | 10:00 AM | SH Room 100 | This increases the fee for an on-premises license for barbershops and salons, requires the liquor commission to inspect such licensees, and requires the liquor commission to make an annual report to the legislature regarding the issuance of licenses and the number and type of violations which occurred. |
| Of Interest | HB529 | relative to the liquor commission. | Commerce | Tue 2/17 | 10:15 AM | SH Room 100 | This bill allows on-premises licensees to deliver liquor to customers who order a meal for home delivery. This bill also restores penalties for overserving of liquor by licensees |
| Support | HB1168 | relative to employer documentation requirements. | Commerce | Tue 2/17 | 10:30 AM | SH Room 100 | This bill extends the time an employer has to file objections to a wage claim from 10 days to 30 days after receiving notice of the claim. |
| Of Interest | SB431 | relative to violations of the prohibition on teaching discrimination. | Education | Tue 2/17 | 10:15 AM | SL Room Map Room | This bill adds mental state, or mens rea, as an element to the prohibition on teaching discrimination. |
| Of Interest | HB1272 | providing that each candidate’s party affiliation be printed on the town or school district ballot. | Election Law | Tue 2/17 | 11:20 AM | GP Room 158 | This bill provides that each candidate’s party affiliation be printed on the town or school district ballot. |
| Support | HB463 | relative to the composition of the board of recount in elections for the select board and for the school board. | Election Law and Municipal Affairs | Tue 2/17 | 9:45 AM | SH Room 122-123 | This bill prohibits candidates for the select board and the school board from sitting on a board of recount in an election where such candidate is on the ballot. |
| Support | HB365 | relative to proof of United States citizenship for indigent voters. | Election Law and Municipal Affairs | Tue 2/17 | 10:00 AM | SH Room 122-123 | This bill provides a procedure for local election officials and the secretary of state to verify the citizenship of a voter who does not have documentary proof of citizenship. This bill also creates a voucher program for local election officials to give to indigent voters who cannot afford the cost of obtaining a birth certificate, requires the secretary of state to reimburse the municipality for the issuance of such vouchers, and makes an appropriation therefor. |
| Support | HB1488 | relative to rabies vaccines for animals. | Environment and Agriculture | Tue 2/17 | 3:00 PM | GP Room 153 | This bill enables a veterinarian to make an exemption from the rabies vaccine for animals after performing certain testing. |
| Support | HB104 | relative to requiring an official declaration of war for the activation of the New Hampshire national guard in a foreign state. | Finance | Tue 2/17 | 1:40 PM | SH Room 103 | This bill limits the activation of the New Hampshire national guard to only those times where the United States Congress has passed an official action pursuant to Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. |
| Oppose | HB1026 | relative to the definition of manufactured housing. | Housing | Tue 2/17 | 9:00 AM | GP Room 231 | This bill clarifies that municipalities may prohibit accessory dwelling units with manufactured housing, and it specifies that manufactured housing does not include accessory dwelling units. |
| Oppose | HB1654 | requiring a property owner to pay all taxes or charges on their property prior to being issued certain building or occupancy permits. | Housing | Tue 2/17 | 11:00 AM | GP Room 231 | This bill requires a property owner to pay all taxes or charges on their property prior to being issued certain building or occupancy permits. |
| Support | HB1681 | relative to the definition, inspection, and local approval of tiny houses and yurts as innovative housing structures. | Housing | Tue 2/17 | 1:00 PM | GP Room 231 | This bill establishes standards for innovative housing structures such as tiny houses, tiny houses on wheels, and yurts, allowing their use as single-family or accessory dwellings, setting inspection and permitting requirements, authorizing municipal property tax assessments, regulating transport, and permitting grey water disposal systems. |
| Support | HB1652 | relative to expedited permitting and third-party inspections for residential and minor home improvements. | Housing | Tue 2/17 | 2:00 PM | GP Room 231 | This bill: I. Clarifies procedures and requirements for third-party building inspections and approvals. II. Defines “minor home improvement.” III. Sets new insurance limits for approved agencies. IV. Allows expedited review using software for minor projects. |
| Support | HB54 | allowing alternative treatment centers to operate for-profit. | Judiciary | Tue 2/17 | 1:40 PM | SH Room 100 | This bill allows alternative treatment centers to operate for-profit. |
| Oppose | SB657 | relative to the oversight of artificial intelligence. | Judiciary | Tue 2/17 | 1:50 PM | SH Room 100 | This bill: I. Establishes an artificial intelligence oversight position with the department of justice. II. Creates a civil right of action for certain uses of artificial intelligence. III. Creates a study commission to oversee the use of artificial intelligence in the state. |
| Of Interest | SB667 | relative to the assault of emergency room personnel. | Judiciary | Tue 2/17 | 2:00 PM | SH Room 100 | This bill establishes felony-level offenses for the assault of emergency room personnel. |
| Of Interest | HB1222 | relative to prohibiting all obstructions to public crosswalks. | Transportation | Tue 2/17 | 10:40 AM | GP Room 234 | This bill prohibits obstruction of public crosswalks, defines qualifying conduct, exempts emergency and authorized closures, and establishes fines for violations. |
| Support | HB1350 | relative to antique motor vehicles. | Transportation | Tue 2/17 | 1:10 PM | SH Room 122-123 | This bill revises the definition of antique motor vehicle to provide that the vehicle is not maintained for primary transportation use. |
| Oppose | HB1680 | relative to intercity bus service and public transportation funding. | Transportation | Tue 2/17 | 1:20 PM | GP Room 234 | This bill requires the department of transportation to take steps to improve Boston express bus service and to prepare a report regarding such service. |
| Support | HB392 | (New Title) directing the dissolution of the department of health and human services’ office of health access and the department of environmental services’ functions for environmental justice. |
Executive Departments and Administration | Wed 2/18 | 9:40 AM | SH Room 103 | This bill directs the dissolution of the department of health and human services’ office of health access and the department of environmental services’ functions for environmental justice, and requires certain programs administered by the office of health access to be transferred to other divisions or offices. |
| Oppose | SB664 | limiting hospital executive compensation in communities designated as distressed place-based economies under certain circumstances. | Health and Human Services | Wed 2/18 | 9:15 AM | SH Room 100 | This bill provides that any hospital located in an economically distressed community that conducts a workforce reduction affecting more than 10 employees in a single department within a specified period shall be subject to a temporary freeze on certain executive compensation. The bill provides for enforcement by the charitable trusts unit of the department of justice. |
| Oppose | HB1070 | relative to the involuntary emergency admission process. | Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs | Wed 2/18 | 11:00 AM | GP Room 158 | This bill provides that an individual may be transported by ambulance for psychiatric evaluation to determine whether the individual should be hospitalized under an involuntary emergency admission petition. |
| Support | HB1249 | authorizing pharmacists to provide certain medical devices associated with prescribed medication. | Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs | Wed 2/18 | 1:00 PM | GP Room 158 | This bill amends the definition of the practice of pharmacy under RSA 318 and authorizes pharmacists to prescribe certain prescription devices necessary for the appropriate delivery or administration of a prescribed drug. |
| Support | HB1268 | modifying definitions and requirements relative to home education programs. | Education Policy and Administration | Fri 2/20 | 10:05 AM | GP Room 232 | This bill adds definitions to the chapter pertaining to home education programs and removes certain notification and assessment requirements for parents teaching their children through a home education program. |
| Support | CACR24 | relating to the right to educate children. Providing that parents and guardians have a right to direct the education of their children. |
Education Policy and Administration | Fri 2/20 | 1:00 PM | GP Room 232 | This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution amends the constitution to include a right for parents and legal guardians to direct the education of their children. |
| Of Interest | HB1217 | permitting classification of individuals based on biological sex under certain limited circumstances. | Judiciary | Fri 2/20 | 10:00 AM | GP Room 231 | This bill permits the public and private classification of individuals based on biological sex in multi-user lavatory facilities and in athletic competitions where biological males have a competitive advantage. The bill also establishes that these forms of separation based on biological sex do not qualify as discrimination. |
| Of Interest | HB1299 | permitting classification of individuals based on biological sex under certain limited circumstances and establishing that certain biological sex distinctions do not qualify as discrimination. | Judiciary | Fri 2/20 | 10:30 AM | GP Room 231 | This bill permits the public and private classification of individuals based on biological sex in multi-user facilities, athletic and sporting competitions, and correctional and treatment facilities. The bill also establishes that these forms of separation based on biological sex do not qualify as discrimination. |
| Of Interest | HB1447 | restricting the use of certain public and private facilities on the basis of sex and establishing that such restriction does not qualify as discrimination. | Judiciary | Fri 2/20 | 11:30 AM | GP Room 231 | This bill: I. Defines the term “sex” within statutory construction. II. Requires the state of New Hampshire and all political subdivisions of the state to adopt policies that classify the use of restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters by sex. III. Authorizes private entities to adopt the same policies relative to biological sex, and establishes that all public or private policies adopted pursuant to the section shall not constitute discrimination. |
| Support | HB1422 | relative to the time to petition for a new trial. | Judiciary | Fri 2/20 | 2:30 PM | GP Room 231 | This bill allows additional time to petition for a new trial in certain circumstances. |
The post Bill Hearings for Week of February 16, 2026 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.
I am not saying there is fraud, just that something seems odd. Becket Academy Inc., Becket Family Services, and New Treks are listed as foreign nonprofit corporations based in Orford, NH (via a PO Box). See also, LIFECONNECTIONS SPECIALIZED SUPPORT SERVICES (Active). “community-based residential, day, and behavioral health services to youth and adults.” A Second ... Read more
The post MACDONALD: Becket Academy in NH and Medicaid Reimbursement appeared first on Granite Grok.
Doesn’t the left-leaning media know that the more you attack a film, the more you cause it to be pulled from a theatre, the more people will want to see it? This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Critics tried to kill the Melania documentary ... Read more
The post KLAR: “Melania” Is the Documentary the Left Loves to Hate. appeared first on Granite Grok.
“Mean” People on the Right Set the Record Straight A. J. and Dexter break down the political motivations behind Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl and how Maine Public is playing politics with an illegal that doesn’t care about breaking the law. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those ... Read more
The post NE Take: Bad Bunny and Bad Immigration Policy appeared first on Granite Grok.
For years, I have marveled as so-called feminists made excuses, even defending the practice of men in garish clown make-up, reading books to kids at local libraries. The same feminists ignore men wearing stereotypical garb from an era during which they claim women were oppressed, or who do drag shows, which are over-sexualized performances wearing ... Read more
The post MACDONALD: When Are Lib Chicks Gonna Get Tired of Trannies Giving them a Bad Name appeared first on Granite Grok.
House Bill 1263 is an act relative to the definition of disposable military retirement pay and the suspension of alimony obligations. Rep. Jim Maggiore (D-North Hampton) sponsored this measure at the request of a constituent. Other co-sponsors include members from both parties, including four current or former GOP committee chairs. The testimonials and correspondence received ... Read more
The post MOFFETT: Some Divorced Veterans Need Help – Support HB1263 appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you were jaded about politics and power before the response to the China Virus (say it like Trump; CHI-NUH), odds are good that it metastasized into full-blown cases of “you just can’t trust those f**kers about anything. And you can’t. You never could. Well into my second decade of mouthing off about almost everything, ... Read more
The post MACDONALD: Is it Just Me? appeared first on Granite Grok.
The prophetic words of German playwright, poet, and philosopher Friedrich Schiller 1759-1805 pinpointed what has gradually happened in American public schools over the past hundred years: “ It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal the mind of a nation), The blame diminishes as the ... Read more
The post PAYNE: Stealing the Mind of a Nation appeared first on Granite Grok.
Introduction The record of the 1850 New Hampshire constitutional convention somehow went missing with no explanation until it was discovered in the state archives in 1980. After it was discovered, the convention record was organized and published in 2005. The state Supreme Court did not have this all-important document when it decided the Claremont decision. ... Read more
The post RICHARD: Taxpayer Funding of Public Education in NH, Rejected! appeared first on Granite Grok.
The Appalling Press (AP) interviewed Bugs Bunny yesterday about his cousin Big Bad Bunny! After reminding everyone that no one gets to choose their relatives, the World’s funniest and most famous bunny said, “ Looked to my bunny eyes that Big Bad Bunny forgot his ears and his bunny tail.” My cousin, Big Bad Bunny, ... Read more
The post BRADLEY: The Bad Bunny Fiasco appeared first on Granite Grok.
It is axiomatic that to be a Muslim, you must believe in Allah by taking him as your one and only lord, accept Muhammad as Allah’s beloved messenger, and take the Quran as a literal work of Allah and a perfect prescription for living. Hard as I tried, I had a terrible time being a ... Read more
The post IMANI: An Open Letter to the God of Islam appeared first on Granite Grok.
This week, on The Independents, Carla Gericke cuts through the noise to reveal what’s actually happening in the Free State. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Disagree, agree, Got Something to Say, We Want to Hear It. Comment ... Read more
The post The Independents: What’s Actually Happening in the Free State? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Remember Bob and Doug McKenzie. SCTV and later CBC TV. A filler bit that exploded into a phenomenon. An Album, the movie Strange Brew. I wonder what that would look like today. G’Day, Eh, and welcome to the Great Woke North. So, like, this is me as a gunperson in a dress, eh? Canada is ... Read more
The post MACDONALD: Once Again, The Problem isn’t Guns, it’s Progressives appeared first on Granite Grok.
Conscience vs science? A post-pandemic tension between public safety and individual liberties has infused Florida’s ongoing effort to balance vaccine mandates and parental choice. A pending bill would broaden the state’s current religious exemption to include allowances for “conscience.” Opponents, however, fear the expansion will expose unvaccinated children to disease risks. Florida’s Exemption Battle In ... Read more
The post KLAR: Florida Bill Seeks to Expand Vaccine Exemptions appeared first on Granite Grok.