I thank everyone who gave me their vote of confidence two years ago to serve as your Representative. These two years have gone by very quickly, and I want to continue the momentum of what I said I would do for the constituents of Merrimack 25.  
Therefore, I am seeking my 2nd term for the towns of Andover, Danbury, Salisbury, Warner and Webster. I want to continue earning your support as well as promises I have kept to you. Some of my commitments were to fight to lower small business taxes and reduce the overburdensome regulations. These two bills passed the Republican majority. I’m proud to say that the passage of these bills resulted in business confidence to hire and expand. Job opportunities are at an all time high in New Hampshire.  I stood the fight to avoid any sales or income tax. The state is working in a surplus due to the reduction of the business profit taxes and business enterprise taxes. These reductions sparked new growth. This goes hand and hand with my commitment to have less government in our daily lives of work and play.

Although we did not pass school choice, baby steps for other educational issues were accomplished. School Choice (SB193) was so misinterpreted and misinformation spread. It was not a voucher program like many stated,  and would NOT have increased your local property taxes. Vouchers are checks from the federal government. This is not a federal issue. Every child in the state is allowed $3,636 of what is called “Adequacy Aid” which is a small amount that schools receive for each child in public school. This is different from what “local taxes” use or that which we pay to educate a child.  Research on this matter showed districts throughout the state would have kept 98-99% of its Operating Budget. It is no different then when a child leaves a district due to a family move, except the school gets to keep that money! The other most important part of this equation is how many children actually could have “qualified” for this program. The percentages are very small.

If we want to lower our local school taxes, let’s look at the Administrative costs. Let’s look at having nonunion janitorial services. Let’s look at rewarding a teacher if they excel in their job, but fire someone who is not putting in the effort. Teachers should not be looked at on an equal basis. That same statement can be applied to the children. One size does not fit all.  Each child is unique and learns at a different pace than another. Other non-public schools can offer a slow learner, a bullied, a special needs child smaller classrooms and hands-on to flourish. Talk to a parent who home schools their children why they give their undivided love and attention to see their children seize the moments of success. Talk to a parent with a child who has autism, Down’s syndrome, and you will see their face light up if they have been able to send their child to one these schools. It’s not meant to be a slap in the face to public schools. It is about the child. It is about our next generation and helping them succeed.

We did, however, pass a bill that ensures 11th&12th grade students the opportunity to enroll in and receive college credits in STEM courses (science, technology) while enrolled in high school or career tech centers. We also eliminated the requirement of students to submit a non-academic survey or questionnaire without a parent or guardians knowledge.
We approved a constitutional amendment providing that taxpayers have “standing” to bring actions against the government, CACR15.  For towns that participated, we passed a bill for veterans to take a tax credit on their property taxes.

It was noted by my opponent in recent newspaper articles that I was not present for the 5/2 session. Yes, that is true. I fell one day short of 100% attendance due to a family medical emergency in RI. I have since May 1st spent 90% of my time with my mother in RI who fell and broke her hip. I’m very thankful to say the time required to return my mom back to her independent lifestyle has paid off, and my life will now slowly return to normal.
Please stop by and say hello at the Merrimack County Republican Booth in Andover on 4th of July, or the Salisbury Olde Home Days on August 11 or at the Danbury Grange Days, September 8. Any questions or concerns, please email me at nataliewells4nh@nullgmail.com or 456-2873.