During this time when many of us are staying home and others are heroically working to keep patients with COVID-19 alive, we live in a new reality. I know I am not alone in using this surreal time to reflect on life and how I can best serve my family and community. In fact, I had been leaning against running for reelection prior to this pandemic. I have loved being a state senator and will remain engaged with the state Legislature; however, I will be stepping away from the Senate after this year.
The desire to spend more time with my grandchildren has been a persistent nudge. This crisis and its impact on my family has solidified my decision. I hope we can return to some version of normal soon, but I’m also realistic that this crisis may endure for several months — if not years. As a result, I am making the choice to prioritize my family and engage in New Hampshire priorities as a devoted citizen who cares deeply about New Hampshire’s future.
I want to take this opportunity to share my gratitude for the privilege of serving Senate District 5 and my biggest takeaways from my time in the Legislature. Looking back, I am reminded just how much has been achieved in these past years. We decriminalized small amounts of marijuana; improved our medical cannabis programs across the state; shone a light on the terrible conditions in the Secure Psychiatric Unit; improved access to mental health care and support for those with substance use disorders; reformed a broken bail system; fought for and achieved greater rights for transgender Granite Staters; and protected women’s health and reproductive rights.
We have achieved so much, and none of the work of the Legislature is ever done alone. It takes a team of people to bring any law to fruition. This includes other legislators, legislative staff, advocates, experts and constituents. While there may only be 24 senators, the work of the Senate is the work of hundreds, if not thousands, across the state. I thank every single person who has helped me to be better informed on issues, helped me pass a bill, helped me make tough decisions and reminded me to laugh and enjoy the process.
My personal favorites were bills with stories behind them. Last year, we passed a bill I sponsored, requiring that fertility care for all Granite State residents be covered by insurance, making parenthood a possibility for all — and not just those who can afford it.
Another bill was spearheaded by a brilliant high school senior from Rochester and supported by a Dartmouth College professor. Period poverty in New Hampshire was not on my radar before she reached out to me. Did you know that New Hampshire girls were regularly missing school because they could not afford tampons and pads? No longer. Starting last fall, all female and gender-neutral bathrooms in New Hampshire’s middle and high schools must provide menstrual products free of charge.
During this session, a recent college graduate and I worked on important legislation protecting all New Hampshire college and university students affected by sexual violence — a bill that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. As of today, it has not yet made it to the House due to the shutdown. None of us knows how year two of this legislative term will end. We are all looking for ways to continue our work, and I am committed to doing all I can to advance essential legislation this year.
Every legislative session feels like a school year in the amount I learn. With the broad array of topics taken up by the Legislature, I have learned more in the past six years than I ever thought possible. While some legislators see themselves as specialists, my own focus has been diverse, broadening my horizons all the more on topics I had never considered until constituents or colleagues brought them forward.
Differences of opinion are inevitable and generally strengthen the legislative process. Legislators are a diverse group with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. I like to think that all the disagreements, collaborations and hard work have helped to make New Hampshire a better place to live, work and play.
Every local election matters in advancing critical priorities. Democrats in both bodies have a simple majority this term, and we were able to meet many of our objectives; nonetheless, last spring we faced an unprecedented 57 vetoes from Gov. Chris Sununu on House and Senate bills, almost quadrupling the prior record of 15. He vetoed a well-prepared budget that provided property tax relief, raised the minimum wage, supported clean energy, addiction treatment, paid family leave, educational funding, universal gun background checks, criminal justice reforms and mental health parity. While Democrats did not have the supermajority needed to override all of the vetoes, we did not throw in the towel on any fight, and I’m proud we didn’t.
The ingenuity and mettle of the House and Senate Finance Committees resulted in a budget that works for everyone, one that met most of the goals of the Senate Democrats’ Granite State Opportunity Plan. While critical initiatives were lost, important funding was restored to address our state’s highest needs. And we successfully overrode the governor’s veto of repealing the death penalty. I am proud to be a Democrat in New Hampshire, and I will champion Democrats running in my district this fall. Every local election we win makes our legislative priorities more achievable.
It was never my ambition to be a politician. Serving in the New Hampshire House and then the Senate has been immensely rewarding — albeit occasionally frustrating. Still, time is limited, and I am eagerly anticipating spending more of it with my family. This pandemic has underscored to me that I am ready for a new focus. We have some very inspiring candidates on the horizon, and I am also confident that we will adapt to our new reality while fighting for everyone in the Granite State. I will work passionately to elect candidates I believe in — I just won’t be one of them.
I want to thank the people who have been with me on this journey. These past six years serving my state and my district have been the highest honor, and I wouldn’t trade the relationships we have developed or the work we have done for anything. Thank you. Stay safe, be engaged and keep raising your voice.
Martha Hennessey, of Hanover, represents District 5 in the New Hampshire Senate