Testimony

Testimony – HB55 Repealing the Selective Service Compliance Act

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Thank Mr. Chair, members of the committee. For the record, my name is Tom Mannion, representing Hillsborough 1, Pelham. I’m a United State Marine Corps infantry combat veteran with two deployments to Iraq.

Current RSA precludes individuals from being employed by, or achieving higher education in this state without first registering for selective service with the Federal government. I have not found any information suggesting we are financially compensated for enforcing this, unlike most other federal laws/programs that the states cooperate with the feds in enforcing. It should be noted there is no fiscal note. In addition, with regards to higher education, as of 2025, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has removed its own requirement that applicants be registered with the draft to apply for federal school loans.

As with many private sector industries, the state is having trouble filling many roles. We have a bill right now to form a study committee to look into the problems with hiring law enforcement. The Selective Service Compliance Act is a hindrance in this process. We limit the talent pool, unnecessarily, by putting hurdles in our own way.

The Federal government already has steep penalties should someone fail to comply with the draft, should it be started up again, it doesn’t make sense to me that we, as a State, put ourselves and our citizens at a disadvantage when the draft has not been active for 50 years.

I ask that you vote OTP on HB55 and with that I’m happy to take any questions.

Hearing Alert

HEARING ALERT – HB240 Removing the penalty of forfeiture for non-payment of dog licenses

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My 3rd and final prime-sponsored bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st at 1pm in room 301 at the Legislative Office Building in Concord!

This bill simply removes the ability for cities and towns to seize your dog for failure to pay a license fee. It does NOT remove licenses, nor fines, nor the ability for towns to refer the issue to the court system to force payment.

Committee

Appointment – State Veterans Advisory Committee

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I want to thank Speaker Packard for appointing me as one of the two House members on the State Veterans Advisory Committee. I have been going to their monthly meetings for over a year, now, and am impressed with its function as an information conduit between veterans and the various state agencies, as well as the NH Federal delegation in DC. I will continue to be present at the monthly meetings through this term and be available to the members.

115 A 2 State Veterans Advisory Committee (Memo)Download
Campaign

Election Results 2024

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Thank you, people of Pelham, for sending myself and the rest of our slate to Concord for the next term!

With a strong majority in the House, Senate, and Ayotte winning the corner office, we have much more stable ground to push forward with tax cuts, education freedom, lower spending, reducing energy costs by abandoning wasteful subsidies that saddle ratepayers with unnecessary fees, and hopefully push through Defend the Guard!

LSR

LSR 25-0017 – Repealing the Selective Service Compliance Act

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Similar to HB1338 from last session, I filed the repeal of New Hampshire’s Selective Service Compliance Act. The current law forbids individuals from enrolling in college, or receiving financial assistance for that education, or ever being permitted to be employed by the state in any capacity unless they have registered in compliance with the Federal Selective Service Act.

As an Iraq war combat veteran, I’ve become incredibly skeptical of United States’ foreign policy of the last several decades – between destabilization of Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya, and the disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian and Russian conscripts dying for a proxy war at the behest of the military industrial complex puppet masters behind the Biden administration, and of course the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan that ultimately resulted in thousands of lives lost to transfer the country from the Taliban to the Taliban.

I no longer trust that bringing forth the draft would be in the best interests of the United States, especially at the expense of the lives of the next generation, and I will not allow New Hampshire to be a facilitator through coercion with the existing compliance act.

And from a federalism standpoint, it is simply not the role of New Hampshire to be enforcing Federal law. As such, I have filed a repeal of the existing statute.

25-0017.0 – ReviewedDownload
Interview

Interview – Shut the Punk Up

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I appeared on Shut the Punk Up podcast, hosted by my friend Ben Weir. We discussed Defend the Guard, U.S. foreign policy, our military service, my motivations for moving to New Hampshire and running for office, music, and how others can get involved politically to continue making New Hampshire the freest state in the nation.

State Representative – Hillsborough County District 01 (Pelham)