A Letter to Senate District 19

Dear Residents of Derry, Hampstead and Windham

It has been an honor and pleasure to serve my first term as your State Senator. Having previously served as a State Representative for the towns of Hampstead and Kingston, I gained new responsibilities with my expanded role in the community and in Concord. I went from a chamber of 400 colleagues to a chamber of 23 colleagues all there for the same reason- to make our respective districts and our beautiful state a better place to live.

I entered the Senate eager to serve our towns and was appointed Chairman of the Public and Municipal Affairs committee (PMA) where I became responsible for every piece of legislation coming through the Senate that dealt with municipal government, election laws and veterans issues. As Chairman of PMA I worked with my colleagues in the Senate and the House to pass a reasonable 30-day residency requirement for those who wish to vote in our state to prevent voter fraud- an issue our Secretary of State has indeed recognized as a real threat to the integrity of our elections. Here in Southern New Hampshire I have heard the stories, even from our Secretary of State, about people taking advantage of same day voter registration where a photo ID is not required. The bill was vetoed, but I still believe we built a strong foundation for future legislation that will protect our elections from fraud and protect our First in the Nation status.

Representing District 19, it was imperative to request to be on the Transportation committee, which I was assigned and I currently serve as Vice-Chairman. One of the biggest issues in our district (literally) is the continued expansion of I-93. As your Senator I made sure to push for effective use of your gas tax dollars to ensure this project is completed as soon as possible. I also worked to usher through a study of the Complete Streets program that the towns of Derry and Windham would like to implement. I am currently working on legislation with Concord’s Democrat Senator, Dan Feltes to help make it easier for towns who would like to participate in Complete Streets.

Aside from my committee assignments, I promised and campaigned to be a voice of fiscal sanity in Concord. I am proud to say I did not vote for any new taxes or tax increases, I supported a balanced budget that funds the states most critical areas of need such as a 75% increase in funding for rehabilitative services and increased money for law enforcement to combat the opioid crisis, I supported the new business profits tax cuts that gave our small businesses a raise and increased state revenue by $100 million, and I made sure I voted against any legislation that promoted corporate welfare on the taxpayers’ backs. I will never support any broad-based tax that seeks to take your hard earned money and give it to Concord. I will always trust my constituents know how to spend their money wiser than government bureaucrats, unlike my Democrat opponent who recently expressed an interest in studying a sales or income tax.

Over the last 2 years I have built a reputation in the Senate as a fiscal hawk but also someone who is willing to work with any of my 23 Senate colleagues who wish to put progress over politics. I worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass legislation that will allow our businesses to advertise on I-93, to study our state’s apportionment laws and make our tax environment more business-friendly, I voted in support of raising the net metering cap to enable consistent growth of New Hampshire’s solar industry, I co-sponsored legislation that will promote biodiesel as an environmentally friendly, recycled alternative to heating oil and natural gas, and I fought for legislation that would provide eminent domain protections for our district from natural gas pipelines such as the Kinder Morgan project.

I am honored to share that I am supported and endorsed by a majority of District 19’s current State Representatives, my predecessor Senator Rausch, and the leaders of our Town Councils and Boards of Selectmen and I believe it is because I have a proven record of working with both sides of the aisle to protect our district’s small businesses, families, properties, and our Constitutional Rights.

During my first term as your Senator I worked hard to be involved in the community, listen to my district’s needs, provide strong constituent service, and most importantly to earn your trust. I hope I have not only earned your trust, but I hope I have earned your vote and I humbly ask for your support on November 8th.

Regina Birdsell

Derry, Hampstead and Windham’s State Senator