Advertise on podcast: $100 Plus Mileage

The 2026 New Hampshire legislative session has wrapped up its work for this year, meaning that Governor Kelly Ayotte now has the final word on dozens of pieces of legislation both chambers passed this session. Here are five that we’ve got our eye on at Citizens Count. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Transparency is a cornerstone of effective local governance, and in New Hampshire, the Right-to-Know law (RSA 91-A) empowers citizens to access public records and ensure their government remains accountable. From the ACLU’s discovery of a proposed immigration detention center in Merrimack, to Executive Councilor Janet Stevens’ recent request for details from the Berlin Police Department about the murder of Marisol Fuentes, the Right-to-Know law has played a significant role in recent news stories. But the law isn’t only available to lawyers and officials. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap for successfully filing a Right-to-Know request—from your initial search for existing public information to following up on your formal submission—to help you obtain the government information you seek. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Every year, the New Hampshire Legislature passes hundreds of bills. Most of them travel a well-worn path: one chamber passes a bill, the other chamber agrees, and it heads to the governor's desk. But some bills hit a detour and end up in a room with a small group of legislators trying to hammer out a deal. That group of legislators is called a conference committee, and right now, there are several already in session with more likely on the way. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

This year both the New Hampshire Legislature and U.S. Congress have been rocked by stories of misbehavior. When a legislator commits a crime, there is a clear process to determine wrongdoing, but the path forward is less clear when there are accusations of sexual misconduct, harassment, or verbal attacks. This article provides an overview of disciplinary options up for debate in the New Hampshire Legislature. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

No one likes to think about dying—except, it seems, the New Hampshire Legislature. This year, Granite State lawmakers have introduced a trio of bills that rethink what happens to us after we shuffle off this mortal coil. From green burials to helping out our four-legged law enforcement officers, here is a look at how state law regarding dead bodies could change this year. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Sometimes New Hampshire’s Queen City gets criticized for the number of unhoused people within its borders. But according to state Senator Victoria Sullivan (R-Manchester), not all of those people are true Manchester residents. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Waitlists for many mental health service providers in New Hampshire stretch for months, leaving some to propose a controversial alternative: artificial intelligence. Now, a bill in Concord is asking a critical question: what should be the role of AI in mental health—if any? Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Following the COVID-19 shutdown, the New Hampshire House and Senate opened a new portal for individuals to register their opinions about bills online. As a nonprofit dedicated to making citizen engagement easier, Citizens Count set out to determine how these online submissions might impact committee votes. The data suggest that online testimony may be influential on lesser-known or less partisan bills, but on most bills it seems to have no impact—or possibly even a negative impact. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

New Hampshire is the second most forested state in the country, yet our local timber industry struggles to compete against Canadian lumber because of how wood is classified. This year, legislators are considering three bills—HB 1204, SB 503, and SB 529 —aimed at redefining how New Hampshire wood is graded and sold. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

There are several bills in the New Hampshire House and Senate looking to add restrictions on data centers in New Hampshire. These server warehouses are essential for the expanded use of artificial intelligence (AI), but they come with high energy demand as well as potential environmental impact. At the same time, some policymakers are hesitant to single out specific industries in state law. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

If lawmakers get their way, 2026 could spell the end for one of New Hampshire’s oldest and quirkiest laws: the ban on collecting seaweed at night. This year, legislators will consider HB 1094, the latest attempt to scrub this odd prohibition from state statute. But why was it put there in the first place, and why have lawmakers repeatedly chosen to keep it in place over the years? Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda may be polarizing when it comes to policies around vaccines and autism, but there is bipartisan interest in his goal to ban artificial food dyes. This year New Hampshire legislators are bringing that mission to the state level. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

As we close out another legislative session in New Hampshire, we’re watching to see which of the remaining bills passed by the Legislature will be signed by Gov. Ayotte. If Gov. Ayotte signs these bills, they will become some of the newest laws in the Granite State, but their path from where they are now to the Governor’s desk isn’t as clear as you might think. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

As another legislative session comes to a close, we’ve seen many bills passed by the New Hampshire Legislature and many more left by the wayside. Some of this year’s bills were “retained in committee,” which suggests the bills could be back next year. In this article, we’ll talk about what it means to be retained in committee and look at some bills from this session that could make a comeback.  Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.

New Hampshire is famous for our “Citizen Legislature,” where representatives are paid just $100 per year plus mileage for their service. Ideally this deters candidates from running for personal gain. However, state races are gaining more attention from interest groups, and some watchdogs are sounding the alarm over the influence of money in campaigns. Here at Citizens Count, we are dedicated to providing unbiased information about New Hampshire issues and candidates, so we’ve combed through state campaign finance reports to answer the question: can you “buy” a state representative race in New Hampshire? Our analysis shows that while there is a possibility of outside influence, most state representative races in 2024 didn’t flip based on spending. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State News Collaborative and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University.