HB1032

NH Citizens with Developmental Disabilities and Brain Injuries often face significant challenges in accessing their communities due to the scarcity of public transportation options in the state. While options like Uber, Lyft, or Taxis are an option for some, large parts of rural NH don't have this option- there are simply no drivers regularly available in those areas. For people with disabilities who do not have a driver's license or own a vehicle, this means they are excluded from the right to participate in their government. This also excludes caregivers who need to stay home to care for a disabled child, spouse, or other family member. NH is in the midst of a critical shortage of caregivers, leaving many families unable to find reliable support. Community Support Network, Inc. supports HB 1032 because it would allow greater participation in governmental councils for people who experience challenges in getting to meetings in other parts of the state due to their disability or their role as a caregiver. In a system where the voices of those people with lived experience are so critical, there needs to be fewer barriers to full participation.

Dear honorable members of the House Judiciary Committee, Please recommend HB 1032 to pass. This law would benefit caregivers and disabled people by creating an exception to physical in person quorum attendance requirements. This could lead to better representation, thereby supporting better policy solutions. Thank you for your consideration, Sarah Sadowski Concord NH

As a caregiver to an adult child with medical complexities I support this bill. There are many legislative proposals that are not seen through a disability lens. At the same time it’s very difficult to attend hearings when the disability prevents attendance. This accommodation will provide a voice to people with disabilities and provide a better understanding of their needs. Thank you, Audrey Gerkin 141 Pickpocket Rd Brentwood NH 03833

As a person with a disability, it is increasingly difficult to be able to attend the meetings for the different organizations I volunteer for. I have the pleasure to serve on the NH Statewide Independent Living Council as well as the secretary for the my local Regional Coordinating Council for Community Transportation. I cannot drive, and sometimes I cannot obtain a ride to these meetings. I also live in a region where taxis are prohibitively expensive, to the point where I can only use them once or twice a month for extreme emergencies. I urge the committee to please consider passing this bill so people with disabilities like myself can participate as a good citizen at public meetings held by state, local and municipal governments.

It was very difficult to hold valid meetings without a quorum. Caretaking responsibilities could prevent in-person attendance for members of the community. Financial and caretaking respite was hard to come by making personal accommodation in order to attend in-person quite difficult.

Good Afternoon Chairman Lynn and Members of the Committee. My Name is Lisa Steadman from Troy in the rural Monadnock Region. I’ve been a school board member for 16 years, since before I became the mother of three children, one of whom is Max, who has Down Syndrome. The genesis- I asked Rep. Horrigan to sponsor this bill because my District’s Policy Committee of three struggled to get its work done when one of our members broke her hip and I was already staying home as a caretaker for my son. I also sit on the Developmental Services Quality Council, where this rule is successful in practice. I put 2 and 2 together and asked myself ‘doesn't this make sense for everyone?’ I respect our state’s Open Meeting Law and oppose any effort to cloud transparency- this in not that. It is a fact that offering online options increases public participation. I still believe that people serving in public office should show up in person for their constituents as often as possible, never using online participation as a simple convenience. There have been seasons in which my son was homebound or in a hospital setting. The school board meetings and still happen every other Tuesday night and I am still needed at my committees. They were still counting on me to show up. There are people out there like me who are qualified for office and not taking roles or not seeking reelection in situations like this. Some people took roles during Covid when remote options were widespread and have since had to resign. Many of these people have the expertise you want at the table nonetheless. Qualified people who are caretakers, injured or immunocompromised, and retirees are willing to do the work. Groups all over the state are spending valuable time discussing 91-A when they could be working. Three examples I have witnessed in the last week alone- 1) A Technical Advisory Committee of a Regional Planning Commission had not met quorum and spent 15 minutes discussing whether they could move forward with an ‘informal’ meeting. 2) The State Coordinating Council for Community Transportation, has 5 strategic goals for which they would like to form 5 work groups. They’ve lost two months talking about 91-A and how to make it work. 3) This afternoon I’ll attend the first meeting of the State Advisory Committee on the Education of Students with Disabilities- a group that has not met since July 2024 due to its inability to fill seats with people willing to travel to Concord. All three groups could have moved forward leaning on this provision. The solution to this problem is to make it possible for more people to fill seats and count as if they are present. Committees with a high concentration of non-drivers- like those reviewing topics like disabilities or transportation- will especially benefit. Opening the door to a large pool of untapped talent will help fill vacancies and get more work done for the good of the wider community. A Note- This bill asks for an exception when the remote participation option already exists. This should be an option for willing boards, not requiring boards that are ill-equipped for remote participation to acquire the tools. Please vote OTP on this bill.

As a disabled person born and raised in New Hampshire I wholly support this bill. I have cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, gastroparesis, among other diagnoses. Due to these factors I cannot always show up in person in situations that require it. To be able to still participate via Zoom would open a huge door in my life and the lives of so many other disabled people in New Hampshire. We are the least represented group in politics simply because many of us cannot physically get to the places to advocate for ourselves. This would really help to level that playing field and allow our voices to be heard. There are so many of us that want to participate in politics past what our current physical abilities are. Imagine being able to be on a school board and attend meetings via Zoom. Finally disabled voices could help look after disabled students. I know several disabled people in New Hampshire who dream of doing just that. Please allow this to be possible. Please allow our voices to be heard even if they aren’t physically in the room.

Dear Chair and Members of the Committee, My name is Kim Lawrence, and I am writing in support of HB 1032, which creates a common-sense and compassionate exception under New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law for individuals with disabilities and individuals caring for a household member with disabilities. Public service should be accessible to all. However, the current physical attendance and quorum requirements can unintentionally exclude people who have disabilities or who provide essential caregiving in their household. These residents should not be forced to step down from public bodies, miss important votes, or be treated as less-than-present simply because physical attendance is not possible due to disability-related barriers. HB 1032 strengthens democratic participation by allowing a member of a public body to be counted as attending “in person” for quorum purposes when they are unable to be physically present due to an ADA-defined disability or because they are caring for a household member with such a disability. This is a limited and reasonable accommodation that supports inclusive representation while maintaining the integrity and transparency of public meetings under RSA 91-A. In many New Hampshire communities, it can already be difficult to fill volunteer board and committee seats. HB 1032 helps retain experienced and committed members while ensuring those with disabilities and caregivers can participate fully in civic life without being penalized. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to vote Ought to Pass on HB 1032. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Kim Lawrence Resident of New Hampshire

The Members of the NH Council on Developmental Disabilities (NHCDD) believes this bill could have a positive impact on the NH disability community.

I am in favor of passing this bill on the grounds of how it combats ableism in our system. Preventing people's voices from being heard on the grounds of them not physically BEING there to break quorum is ableist because it prevents people with valuable insight based on lived experience from sharing their stories. This, in turn, perpetuates ableism because the systems and structures don't get challenged or changed because there's nobody there to force people to think certain bills through. And with today's technologies - Zoom calls, FaceTime, and more - there's no need to stay so strict with IRL presences in quorum, especially if the infrastructure and culture still aren't 100% accessible for those who have different needs. Allowing these exceptions keeps ableism in check by accommodating the needs of people who live life with disabilities with readily-available technologies and a MASSIVE dose of empathy. This, in turn, keeps engagement going because instead of forcing the disabled world to constantly do things the able-bodied, neurotypical way, we meet them where they're at, which is crucial in inclusivity and allows the voices of people with disabilities to be factored in, no matter what it looks like. So, supporting this bill will be another step towards progress in combating ableism. Please do so!

Chair and Members of the House Judiciary Committee, My name is Angela Fletcher, and I am a disabled mother, who is a primary caregiver, a liaison and advocate. I am writing in strong support of HB 1032, not just as a policy matter, but as someone living every day with the consequences of exclusion. I'm a mother living with 2 neurological disorders that have caused me to lose some of my independence. In addition, I am the primary caregiver to a homebound child on palliative care with multiple disabilities and complex medical conditions. I have the unique perspective of seeing the barriers from a few different points of view. As a caregiver,I know firsthand how unpredictable and demanding caregiving responsibilities can be. Believe me it’s a balancing act. As you can imagine, most of my time is dedicated to my daughters' care, safety, and accessibility, which makes leaving my home impossible. Let’s add, I too am a person living with conditions that shift and change like the weather; stripping away bits of independence and freedom. Despite the challenges in my life I am committed to forging an inclusive path to public service. I am always looking for ways that we as a community can make that possible. Public service isn’t a privilege, it’s a right which means it needs to be made accessible to everyone. I would like to attend meetings but the in person requirement makes it impossible for numerous reasons. I would also like the opportunity to contribute to public boards and councils that make decisions affecting families like mine. I’m not the only one who feels this way. Disabilities, medical conditions, accessibility barriers, transportation challenges, or lack of reliable respite care should not be barriers that prevent caregivers and/or people with disabilities from contributing their experience and expertise to public decision-making. I've personally tried to join and expressed my willingness to share my knowledge and lived experience while serving on public boards. However I have been denied the opportunity because I am unable to attend meetings in person; I don't meet the requirement. Being told “you can’t participate” because of circumstances that are beyond your control is deeply discouraging. It’s hard to explain what it feels like to be told no, again and again, as if your voice doesn’t matter simply because you cannot physically be in the room. It’s not because of a lack of commitment or ability—but because of a disability and/or caregiving responsibilities. We are encouraged to share lived experiences and stories to help shape policy that affects our lives, but how can we when the doors remain closed. HB 1032 would change that by offering an inclusive and compassionate solution. It recognizes that disability and caregiving does not simply pause so we can attend a meeting. It acknowledges that meaningful participation does not require a physical chair in a room to represent your presence—it requires engagement, perspective, and dedication. This bill would allow people like me to serve without having to choose between our caregiving responsibilities, our health, or our civic duty. It’s a simple way to bridge the gap between them. When caregivers and people with disabilities are excluded, it weakens public bodies and they lose critical insight and perspective. Decisions are made without the voices of those who understand the real-world impact of those decisions being made. Allowing electronic participation to count as in-person attendance ensures inclusion so all public bodies can meet quorum, function effectively, and—most importantly —remain truly representative of the people they serve. Caregivers and people with disabilities bring essential perspectives to public policy, particularly on issues affecting health care, education, housing, and accessibility. Excluding these voices weakens the quality of decisions and undermines the goal of representative government. The technology to support meaningful remote participation already exists and is widely used which is how we know it works. HB 1032 does not weaken or reduce transparency or accountability nor does it eliminate in person meetings—it simply removes an unnecessary barrier that disproportionately affects families like mine. It allows Participants attending electronically the opportunity to fully engage, deliberate, and vote. I want to be involved. I want to bring my knowledge, my experience, and my voice to the table. HB 1032 would finally make that possible not just for me but for countless other caregivers, and individuals with disabilities across New Hampshire. New Hampshire is strongest when all voices are included. I respectfully urge the committee to support HB 1032 and recommend it as Ought to Pass. Thank you for reading and considering the voices of families like mine. Respectfully submitted, Angela Fletcher Stoddard NH

I believe a system of periodically instructing teachers and public school staff on how to identify and seek help for a student or colleague at risk for suicide is a process worth investing in. Francis Hayes, MD ret.

I support this bill. It is a common sense change to enhance the ability of those with disabilities to serve in government. It also improves the effectiveness of public bodies, as they can more easily reach a quorum and get things done. I see no downside to this in an age when most of us are comfortable with remote participation using common technologies.

Honorable Chair and Committee Members, As a member of the New Hampshire Commission on Aging and Co-chair of the Systems of Care for Healthy Aging in New Hampshire Advisory Council, I write in support of HB 1032. By voting OTP on this bill, you will be supporting civic engagement by individuals with disabilities and the individuals who care for them. Please protect the rights of our most vulnerable citizens. Respectfully, Representative Janet Lucas Grafton County District 7

Testimony in Support of HB 1032 My name is Seana Hallberg and I am writing in strong support of HB 1032 on behalf of caregivers and disabled individuals across New Hampshire. I am both a caregiver and advocate for disabled individuals. HB 1032 is an equity bill. It recognizes a reality that many of us live every day: participation in government processes is not equally accessible to everyone. Caregivers of disabled children and adults often cannot attend in-person hearings due to medical needs, behavioral support requirements, lack of respite care, transportation barriers, or the unpredictable nature of disability itself. Many disabled individuals face similar barriers—mobility limitations, chronic illness, sensory sensitivities, immune compromise, fatigue, or communication access needs—that make physical attendance not just difficult, but impossible. When testimony is limited to in-person participation, the result is systematic exclusion. The voices of those most impacted by policy decisions—disabled people and their caregivers—are often absent, not because they lack opinions or expertise, but because the structure of participation is inaccessible. Online testimony provides a reasonable, modern accommodation that allows meaningful civic engagement. It does not replace in-person testimony; it expands access. It allows people to participate during limited windows of energy, between caregiving tasks, from rural areas, or from home when health and safety require it. Disabled people and caregivers are experts in their own lives. Our perspectives are essential to informed policymaking, particularly when legislation directly affects disability services, education, healthcare, housing, and public access. HB 1032 helps ensure that lived experience is not filtered out due to logistical barriers. New Hampshire prides itself on civic participation and local governance. HB 1032 aligns with those values by ensuring that participation is not limited to those with flexible schedules, physical stamina, transportation, or caregiving coverage. I urge the committee to support HB 1032 and affirm that disabled individuals and caregivers belong in the legislative process—not as an afterthought, but as full participants. Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully, Seana Hallberg dover, NH caregiver / advocate

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.

Position recorded without written comment.