The "Right to Film" Law

-- by Ed Naile

To follow up on a story about JJ Valera of Windsor who was forced to go to Hillsborough Superior Court, North to get “permission” from the Town of Windsor to film the Annual Meeting there – we “won”!

Judge Conboy, with several sets of film crews (one was our guys) in the courtroom, made a personal plea to everyone that they all understand that cameras are allowed in public meetings. Her subsequent order followed that lead with the total amount of costs incurred by Mr. Valera be awarded to him with an extra blessing — the Town of Windsor has TEN days to pay!

That Saturday, the independent film crew which was the center of this controversy attended the Coalition of NH Taxpayers Directors Meeting at our office in Concord and filmed about an hour or so of the CNHT Directors discussing the issue from beginning to end.

Our CNHT Directors are all well aware of the Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, from Part I Article 8 of the NH Constitution, right up to current legislation, HB 626, designed to gut it.

How timely of this out-of-state crew to show up and document what average taxpayers go through when trying to attend their own town meeting or get simple documents from elected or appointed officials.

HB 626 is in the hands of the State Senate as I write. The bill was drafted with much input by the state's most anti-taxpayer organization, (funded with tax dollars of course) The NH Municipal Association.

A proposed new section for 91-A allows for “outside meetings” after which attendees must report at the “next meeting” what happened at the “outside meeting.”

Of course if the “next meeting” is another “outside meeting”...you get the picture.

No wait, you won't.