Meet Andrew

Andrew J. Manuse, a state representative for Rockingham County’s fifth district (Derry), is serving in New Hampshire’s House of Representatives on the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee, the Legislative Oversight Committee to Monitor Compliance with the Requirements for Online Access to Budget Information and Reports Under RSA 9-F:1, and the Task Force on State Procurement Policies and Procedures.

Rep. Manuse has sponsored or co-sponsored several core pieces of legislation this year that advance his Common Sense for New Hampshire agenda. Rep. Manuse is also a co-chairman of the Natural Rights Council, a principle-driven coalition within the New Hampshire Legislature committed to supporting bills that adhere to the state constitution, defend individual rights to life, liberty and property, and ensure equal treatment under the law. Please follow Rep. Manuse’s blog, From the State House, to learn about all of his actions in Concord.

In his personal life, Rep. Manuse is a husband, father and owner of a successful media services business that works with like-minded candidates, political action committees and think tanks to promote a liberty-conscious, prosperous way of life in the state of New Hampshire. Manuse’s company also produces public relations services, media content, graphic design and video services for a wide variety of small- to mid-size clients. Manuse is a strong proponent of limited and accountable state government, spending and tax cuts to support free markets, individual liberty and personal responsibility.

A Q&A with Andrew

How long have you lived in town?

Jennifer and I moved to Derry specifically in June 2007 because it was a community where we wanted to raise our family and participate in public life. My wife Jennifer and I will be married four years in September 2010. We have a daughter named Aidan Rose.

When looking for a community to make our home, Derry is the town that popped out as superior to all of the others. It is a good size. It gives us the ability to own a home with land for our daughter to play on with forested surroundings, and it is also close to all the amenities a growing family needs. The reputation of Derry’s schools is also attractive.

I am from Youngstown, New York (which is near Niagara Falls). My father is a non-union craftsman carpenter who taught me the value of hard, honest work and how to live a moral, principled life, and my mother is a registered nurse who stayed home with my brother and I and pushed me as a young adult to reach my full potential.

I received a bachelor’s in English Literature and minors in biology and business administration from Niagara University, and my Masters degree in journalism from Boston University.

Jennifer is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and received her Ph.D. from MIT in space systems engineering. We met in Boston, where we both attended college. Jennifer is now employed at a highly respected company in her field.

What do you do for a living?

I was employed as a journalist in Massachusetts after college. After our move to New Hampshire, I was hired as the editor at the Manchester Express, and I worked there for more than a year. Since then, I have launched a public relations company called Manuse Media, which provides media consulting, public relations and videography services. Since launching the company, I have worked for Frank Guinta for Congress, Jim Forsythe for State Senate, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, among others. I am also the press director for the PAC, Citizens for Sensible Legislation and secretary of communications for the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

What is your political experience?

As a teenager back in Western New York, I worked hard on a successful petition drive to install a path along the Lower Niagara River connecting Lewiston and Youngstown, New York. The path is still enjoyed by community members today. I also worked on the Brett Sommer for Congress campaign as a volunteer while I was a member of the Young Republicans at Niagara University. I was also a Boy Scout for much of my childhood and participated in many community events and volunteer operations through that operation. I earned my Life Scout badge.

At the state level in New Hampshire, I have been active in favor of state legislation that promotes a parent’s right to educate their children how they wish. I have been active against committee rules that banned guns at the State House and I have been active against the LLC tax legislation. I have also participated in the Republican Party’s Stop the Spending Summit, and I have adopted many of the points made at that event as part of my campaign platform. I worked with folks in Manchester to help pass the spending cap in that city, and I have advocated for a state spending cap as well. I also stood up against the NH House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee’s attempt to give the state insurance commissioner carte blanche authority to enforce the federal health care law. I pressed for the need for New Hampshire individuals to manage their own health decisions.

What are your views on the current state of the NH legislature?

The last Legislature had the wrong agenda. Democratic legislators wanted nothing else than government control over individuals’ decisions, whether they are decisions made in the home or in the office. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the New Hampshire way of life. Democrats also seem to have had no restraint whatsoever when it comes to spending money that doesn’t belong to them. Instead of working on ways to cut their budget during tough times, which is what all families and businesses must do, the state had spent more money than ever before. In addition, these legislators have spent all of their time on social issues, when at least half of the population was against their point of view. This they did in lieu of focusing on the economy and jobs, which are obviously the largest issue facing the state as well as the nation.

What are your suggestions on how to get the government on the right track?

In short, the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I would sponsor, co-sponsor or recommend legislation to require an annual audit of all state departments and agencies; the results of which would be posted online for the public to see. I am confident that the results of that audit will uncover many areas where spending can be reduced or eliminated. If something is unconstitutional or borderline unconstitutional, it should be eliminated without further debate. I would work with others to prioritize the remaining expenditures and reduce or eliminate areas of spending that are excessive or wasteful. I would also work to sponsor, co-sponsor or recommend legislation to require zero-based budgeting. No budget should start at the previous year’s expenditures. All department heads should have to justify their spending every year.

With the money in surplus from the above changes, I would immediately sponsor, co-sponsor or recommend legislation to reduce or eliminate the Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax. I also believe that there may be money to reduce the state property tax as well. I believe that these taxes are the main reason why New Hampshire’s economy is stagnant. If we were to reduce or eliminate these taxes, New Hampshire could become a model economy for the rest of the nation. The jobs and benefits that would result for the state’s residents would be astronomical. Derry and other towns would benefit from this, and the revenue collected in property taxes would obviously increase, despite lower rates.

Additionally, I would immediately sponsor, co-sponsor or recommend legislation to nullify the federal health care overhaul that just passed. This would be a bill similar to the amendment that state Sen. Jeb Bradley just proposed. It would be based on the principles that the health care overhaul is unconstitutional and the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives states the rights to call the federal government into check when it abuses its authority. Like the bill New Hampshire passed to nullify any national ID card mandated by Congress, this nullification bill would ensure liberty and limited government in New Hampshire.

Besides this, I am a staunch supporter of gun rights, property rights, parental rights and local control of education. I also believe that any environmental regulations that pass should be based on real science, and not weak theories or political conjecture. I would work to bring current regulations into check with that standard. I would also work to stop bills from moving forward that would force individuals to do things against their will, and look to repeal existing bills that do this.

If I haven’t answered all of your questions, please feel free to visit my issues pages, or ask me directly. I look forward to explaining why free market capitalism and individual liberty are the answer for New Hampshire’s future.

If you’d like more information about Rep. Andrew J. Manuse, Rockingham 5, or about this particular issue, please call Andrew at 603-703-8857 or send him a message.