Right to Know Group to Meet on December 14
Right To Know NH
Have you experienced misuse of power by your public officials? Have you felt defeated before even attempting to challenge them?
Your power is in RSA 91-A, commonly referred to as the Right-To-Know Law. Right To Know NH (RTKNH), a new, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to building adherence to the Right-To-Know Law will hold a meeting on December 14, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. at the Coalition of NH Taxpayers’ Office, 8 North Main Street, 2nd fl., Concord, NH. The public is encouraged to attend. (RightToKnowNH.wordpress.com)
How does RSA 91-A affect you? It is the procedural law by which public officials must abide in the performance of their official duties. The Right-To-Know Law ensures openness and visibility into the actions, decisions, and records of government, therefore we have a right to know what decisions they are making, when they make them, and why they arrived at a given decision. Violations of the law diminishes our access to this information and creates an environment where misuse of power can flourish. Left unchallenged, the consequence of their decisions can, for example, impede a child’s access to educational assistance, limit one’s personal property rights, unwittingly facilitate misappropriation of municipal funds, and make us, the citizens, an unknowing casualty.
Currently, enforcement of the law falls squarely on the shoulders of the citizen, but costs and legal complexities associated with filing a petition is a financial and emotional burden, and for some it’s simply prohibitive. Preserve your critical and essential right by joining us on December 14, 2013 for our meeting.
In 2013, RTKNH recommended two bills currently for consideration by the State Legislature in the 2014 session of the House and Senate. The Legislature will likely receive testimony sometime in January. Bill 2014-H-2458-L is designed to strengthen citizens’ access to government information, and bill 2014-H-2363-R seeks to establish a Right-To-Know Board to hear alleged Right-To-Know Law violations, thus making the first step of enforcement easier and less costly for citizens. If you support these bills, please contact your State Representative and urge their support of our bills.
For more information about Right To Know NH, visit us at
RightToKnowNH.wordpress.com
Contact: Loretta Simonds
Phone: 603-876-4455
Email: righttoknownh@gmail.com