NH election 2022: Simpson vs. Sacco for Rockingham County state House District 33 seat

Democratic state Rep. Alexis Simpson is being challenged by Republican Robert Sacco for the Rockingham County state House District 33 seat representing Exeter, Newfields, Newmarket and Stratham.

Alexis Simpson

Hometown: Exeter

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?

Protecting access to safe, legal abortion care has been and will remain a priority for me in Concord. New Hampshire is the only state in New England that does not have proactive protections in state law ensuring access to abortion. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, we must act in N.H. to codify the protections that people have relied on for fifty years. Putting these protections into state statute will allow Granite Staters to have the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions regardless of what happens at the federal level. Here in New Hampshire, we have a long bipartisan tradition of protecting personal freedoms and privacy, and personal medical decisions are no exception to these values; the 24-week abortion ban signed by Governor Sununu is both deeply unpopular with Granite Staters and a dangerous step back in the wrong direction. Access to abortion care is a critical component of comprehensive healthcare and, like all medical decisions, is one that should be made by the patient and not a decision where lawmakers should be allowed to intercede. It is critical that New Hampshire takes action now to safeguard abortion access and ensure that every Granite Stater has the freedom and autonomy to make these private medical decisions that impact their life, wellness, and future.

The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?

Many of the challenges we face in Concord are complex problems with complex and interconnected solutions. If re-elected to office, I will work with my colleagues in the House to address all of these issues in a way that meets the needs of our residents and businesses. Electricity prices are linked to the price of the source, and taking advantage of domestic renewable energy sources is essential to lowering the cost of electricity passed down to the consumer. The labor shortage is related to the lack of affordable housing. I hear from employers that when they are able to hire, their potential employees often are unable to find affordable housing. The lack of affordable housing is a crisis, and we need to use all the tools we have to address it. The cost of fuel and the challenge of inflation are impacted by federal legislation more than state legislation; however, the effect of these economic factors can be eased by stopping the trend of downshifting costs to property taxpayers. Legislation such as the education voucher bill, the budget for which has soared to 5000% of the original estimated cost, and corporate tax breaks are paid for by raising the cost of living. This situation is detrimental to us all. It makes it especially hard to keep young people from leaving the state and to allow our seniors to stay in their homes. I voted against the education voucher bill and the corporate tax breaks and will continue to protect Granite Staters from these unfair downshifts.

What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?

I have long been an advocate for sustainable agriculture and local food systems. These strengthen our community, our resiliency, and our local environment. Recent and continuing supply chain issues highlight the importance of continuing to build the infrastructure to support a resilient local food economy. One way we can support our local farms, build our resiliency, and meet the nutritional needs of our school children is to support Farm to School programs throughout the state. If re-elected, I will reintroduce legislation to increase our state’s commitment to the Farm to School program, making it possible for more schools across the state to participate and increasing the amount of local food in our schools to a total of 10% of statewide school purchases. Maintaining robust participation in our democratic processes remains crucial to the future of our democracy. I am committed to protecting voting rights, and I have sponsored legislation to make remote meetings an option for towns and municipalities. The option for remote access and participation in meetings during the pandemic allowed more people in our communities to participate in our democracy, which revitalized community discussions, brought new voices to the table, and benefited our towns and municipalities. It allowed parents, people with disabilities, and individuals without easy access to transportation to be active contributors to our dialogues and law-making at the local level.

Editor's note: Seacoast Media Group made a good-faith effort to distribute our candidate questionnaire to all candidates. We will add any missing candidate questionnaires when they are received. If any candidates have questions or need information on how to be included, please email news@seacoastonline.com or news@fosters.com with "candidate questionnaire" in the subject line.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH election 2022: Simpson vs. Sacco for House District 33 seat