The New Hampshire House passed the Parental Bill of Rights in a bipartisan vote, a year after the measure’s previous defeat, NH Journal reports. A Democratic representative crossed party lines to support it.
According to NH Journal, the first sign of success came from an unexpected quarter.
An early sign that the Parental Bill of Rights was headed for success just a year after its ignominious defeat came from an unlikely source: a Democrat.
NH Journal
Rep. Jonah Wheeler recalled how contentious the issue had been.
“Last year, this was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation we had before us,” state Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough) said when he stepped to the lectern minutes before Thursday’s key vote.
NH Journal
Wheeler said constituents told him the right was not clearly spelled out in law, NH Journal reports.
“Over the course of the last election there were parents who came up to me in liberal Peterborough who said they do not have a clear and concise statutory right to parent their child,” the Democrat explained.
NH Journal
Rep. Mark Pearson argued the question of who children belong to was central.
“Children ultimately belong to their parents.”
NH Journal
Not everyone agreed, NH Journal notes; some Democrats objected to provisions on parental questions.
“No one has the right to compel someone to answer questions,” Petrigno, a former high school teacher, said.
NH Journal
The vote marked a turnaround from the prior year, when the measure was defeated, and its passage this time hinged in part on bipartisan support, NH Journal reports. Polls show most Granite Staters agree with Wheeler, a point Pearson drove home in his floor remarks, which prompted a shout from the chamber in response.
Supporters argued the bill simply ensures existing parental rights are respected, while some Democrats objected to provisions requiring school officials to answer parents’ questions, NH Journal reports. Co-sponsor Rep. Deb DeSimone said the measure does not change existing rights but ensures they are recognized in statute, leaving the broader debate over parental rights far from settled.
The vote marked a turnaround from the prior year, when the measure was defeated, and its passage this time hinged in part on bipartisan support, NH Journal reports. Democratic Rep. Jonah Wheeler crossed party lines, saying parents in his town told him they lacked a clear statutory right to parent their children.
Supporters argued the bill simply ensures existing parental rights are respected, while some Democrats objected to provisions requiring school officials to answer parents’ questions, according to NH Journal. Co-sponsor Rep. Deb DeSimone said the measure does not change existing rights but ensures they are recognized in statute, and polls show most Granite Staters agree with Wheeler.
The bipartisan vote marked a notable shift for a measure that had failed a year earlier, NH Journal reports. Supporters framed the bill as a clarification of rights parents already hold, while opponents raised concerns about its requirements for school officials, leaving the broader debate over parental rights far from settled.
Read the full story at NH Journal.
