Charles Lockwood

am writing to express my strong opposition to House Bill 635-FN. This bill is not just bad policy—it is fundamentally inhumane. It seeks to penalize nonprofit organizations for doing what they exist to do: provide help to people in need. Worse, it promotes a bounty system that actively encourages citizens to turn against each other in the name of ideological policing. This is not the kind of governance New Hampshire should stand for. I struggle to understand what problem this bill is meant to solve. Nonprofits provide housing, legal aid, food assistance, and other essential services to vulnerable people—including immigrants—because that is their mission. Instead of appreciating the role these organizations play in maintaining social stability, HB 635-FN punishes them for their compassion by stripping them of their tax-exempt status if they help individuals deemed unworthy of assistance by the state. Beyond being morally reprehensible, this bill is also legally questionable. The Department of Revenue Administration itself has warned that this proposal may result in an impermissible classification of taxpayers, raising potential constitutional challenges. It is also fiscally irresponsible—by burdening nonprofits with new taxes and legal uncertainties, HB 635-FN reduces their ability to serve the public, shifting costs onto local governments, emergency services, and taxpayers. But more than the legal and financial flaws, I want to address the lack of humanity in this proposal. This bill attempts to turn neighbor against neighbor, encouraging people to report nonprofits for doing the very work that defines their existence. History has shown us that bounty systems like this lead to harassment, false accusations, and wasted resources. It erodes trust in communities and injects fear into the very organizations that help keep them afloat. I have to ask: What kind of society are we trying to build? If the goal is to make life harder for those who are already struggling, then this bill succeeds. If the goal is to create stronger, safer communities, then HB 635-FN is a spectacular failure. I urge this committee—and the sponsors of this bill—to reflect on what this legislation says about their values and priorities. Instead of criminalizing compassion, we should be supporting the nonprofits that do the hard work of helping people when no one else will. Please reject HB 635-FN and take a stand for decency, fairness, and community.