Respect and collegiality were sadly missing as the House began its new year

POLITICAL TURMOIL

Earlier this month, I received my notification from the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office to attend “Organization Day” for the NH House of Representatives, where I would be sworn in as an elected member, just as I had seven times before.

Only this year, in light of Covid-19, things would be different.

We would not gather at the stately Hall of Representatives; rather, the event would be on the field hockey field at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, so that we could all be socially distanced and remain within the CDC’s guidelines for safety.

All members were asked to wear masks. It was suggested we dress warmly. We traded pomp and circumstance for puffy jackets, gloves and hats.

The night before the swearing-in, fellow Democratic representatives-elect and I were all alerted by a tweet from WMUR-TV that a number of the Republican members-elect had tested positive for Covid-19. Numbers and details were intentionally not available from the Republican leadership. No information was ever shared by House GOP leaders.

This news hit as my Democratic colleagues and I faced the reality that many of the House Republicans would refuse to wear masks the next day. A special section had to be designated for them to sit together at the swearing-in ceremony. One GOP activist tweeted out a message citing the RSA that permitted representatives to break the law and ignore the mask mandate without fear of reprisal.

This caused a majority of Democrats to decide not to attend the swearingin, but to rather take advantage of the opportunity to be remotely sworn in the next day with the governor and Executive Council.

I struggled with the decision. I am over 60, overweight and am physically disabled. I am in the “high risk” population for Covid-19. But this is an important event, and I didn’t want to be bullied by one group of people who refused to follow simple social norms. So I bundled up, wore double masks, and headed to Durham thinking I would at least find a tone of congeniality as I had in previous organization days.

What I witnessed broke my heart. GOP members wore Donald Trump and MAGA gear on the floor of the “House,” breaking a long-standing rule and tradition that political gear is not to be worn in House sessions at any time.

Maskless members taunted those of us with masks and made statements like, “I want to move somewhere where I am free.” One maskless member even pulled his chair right next to one of my masked colleagues who stood to ask leadership to require maskless members to stay in their designated area. Bullying, threats and taunts marked our first session day.

Perhaps most troubling is the GOP then took advantage of the Covid-related absences to take controversial votes, which is also not the traditional norm of Organization Day. The Republican Party voted itself new rules that allowed for lobbyists to have the upper hand in public hearings over the public — rules were changed to allow firearms to be carried on the floor of the House and to stop any sexual harassment prevention training of members. Baffling GOP priorities for sure.

Following the votes, one GOP member shouted, “Maybe you should have counted the absentee ballots,” followed by laughter and jeers.

As I left Durham that day, I felt violated, threatened and insulted. I am deeply concerned this session will be plagued by childish behavior by many, and it will have days that will be marked by taunts and threatening behavior. How will the two sides come together to address real challenges of 2021? How will we decide difficult issues? I find there are some lawmakers who simply don’t care; their actions are fueled by anger.

This is not the peoples’ House as I have known it. I call on my new colleagues to remember our history, recognize we are all citizens of this state, and I implore our leaders to set and demand a tone of respect and collegiality. It’s not too late. Our constituents deserve so much better than this.

Katherine Rogers of Concord, a Democrat, represents Merrimack District 28 in the New Hampshire House.