Concord Monitor - Kenney Swings on the Pendulum of Politics

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Concord Monitor - Kenney Swings on the Pendulum of Politics

Candidate's signed on to wide range of measures

Sarah Liebowitz

In 14 years as a state lawmaker, Joe Kenney has signed his name on a range of bills, swinging from the conservative - such as a proposal to restore the parental notification law - to the bipartisan.

"I do have my core beliefs," said Kenney, a Republican state senator who is running for governor. People "know where Joe Kenney stands on these issues, but he's not so narrow-minded that he's not going to work across the aisle," he said.

Kenney served four terms in the House before winning election to the Senate in 2002. As a lawmaker, he defies easy categorization.

There are bills that display his skepticism of all things out-of-state. In the most recent legislative session, Kenney co-sponsored bills to investigate the evasion of New Hampshire taxes by Massachusetts businesses and to restrict access for out-of-state government tax collection agencies to New Hampshire business records. Also on the list of Kenney-sponsored, New Hampshire-centric bills was a proposal to require schools to devote equal amounts of time to the teaching of New Hampshire and United States history.

And there are bills that align Kenney with some segments of his party.

This year, Kenney proposed an unsuccessful bill that would bar New Hampshire from serving as a "sanctuary for illegal aliens" and another bill, which was sent to interim study, lengthening the list of crimes that can be prosecuted as capital murder. There was the resolution, also unsuccessful, urging Congress to "prevent the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement superhighway system."

But Kenney has also sponsored numerous bills that had bipartisan support or aren't traditionally Republican.

Altogether, Kenney signed his name to 100 proposed bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments this year. Of those, 33 became law. Kenney and his campaign manager, Republican Rep. Casey Crane of Nashua, were the sole sponsors of seven of those 100 bills.

Health care, veterans and animal protection

Kenney has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates of animal protection legislation. This year, he sponsored a bill - which Gov. John Lynch signed into law - that allows the state to confiscate animals used in illegal fights and to ban someone convicted of running animal fights from owning or controlling certain animals. Kenney described the law as "the toughest animal fighting bill in the country" and attributed his interest in the issue to his rural childhood.

On one of the more controversial issues of this two-year legislative session, a bill establishing speed limits for boats on Lake Winnipesaukee, Kenney was one of just two Senate Republicans to side with the majority of Senate Democrats in supporting the proposal. The bill passed the Senate by four votes.

Kenney, of Wakefield, cast his vote as a form of constituent service. "I represent literally thousands of landowners that were asking me to support this boat speed bill," he said. "I would have preferred more of a compromise."

And on issues related to health care, Kenney has been prolific.

He is most proud, he says, of a law that allows New Hampshire nurses to practice in other states within a compact made up of about two dozen states, without having to obtain new licenses in each state. In addition, nurses from other states within the compact can practice in New Hampshire if they have a multi-state license.

"New Hampshire has a nursing shortage," said Kenney, who sponsored the bill that became law in 2005. "I think we're actually filling a need with that legislation."

This year, Kenney supported a bill that later became law to have insurers pay for services provided by midwives both at home and at licensed health care facilities. He sponsored several health care bills that failed, including a proposal to create a commission to study paying for vaccines for children who lack private health insurance and a bill mandating insurance coverage for mercury-free fillings, vaccines and injections for pregnant women, women who might become pregnant and children under age 12.

Kenney has sponsored several bills regarding organ donations over the years, including proposals - which failed - to require hospitals to report on their standards for organ donations and transplants and barring hospitals from requiring insurance coverage for organ donations and transplants. In 2006, he sponsored a bill establishing an organ- and tissue-donor registry, which became law. The registry, Kenney said, "really streamlined registration."

Sen. Kathleen Sgambati, a Tilton Democrat who is considered one of the Legislature's foremost experts on health care, described Kenney as "pleasant to work with," though they often disagreed on issues. "He often had good ideas and obviously cared a lot about some issues, but the approaches weren't always the most effective way to deal with the problem," Sgambati said.

Kenney, a Marine, began his career by focusing on veterans issues. But over time, he said, "I found myself gravitating toward health care."

Still, Kenney continues to support and sponsor legislation related to veterans. This year, he sponsored successful proposals to increase the maximum scholarship amount available from the National Guard scholarship fund and to require the state Veterans Council to issue a state veterans handbook biennially. In 2004, Kenney sponsored a Senate resolution to create a Purple Heart Trail in New Hampshire.

"Lower spending and the veterans issues he's always been in the forefront on," said Senate Republican Leader Ted Gatsas of Manchester.

Sen. Peter Burling, a Cornish Democrat, was chairman of the Executive Departments and Administration Committee, on which Kenney served. "He is a pleasant, decent man," Burling said. "I don't agree with him about much of the substance, and we disagree about much of the ways in which government ought to work."

'Let's keep New Hampshire New Hampshire'

Kenney's record also includes bills that are clearly rooted in his constituency.

This year he proposed a bill that would exempt the town of Wakefield from the setback requirements of the Shoreland Protection Act. The bill failed. Last year, Kenney sponsored a successful bill to pave the way for the construction of a dam on a lake in Wakefield. In the 2004 session, he proposed a bill - which failed - to eliminate the ban on Jet Skis on Pine River Pond in Wakefield.

And then there are those bills that aren't related to health care or veterans but that make Kenney proud.

Last year, he pushed for a change in the law regarding bingo games conducted by senior citizens organizations. The bill, which passed, increased the maximum total value of prizes and tokens awarded for such games from $150 to $500 and changed the minimum age requirement for participation in the games from 60 to 55. The bill, Kenney said, is "one of my most popular."

Kenney's interest in the issue of senior citizen bingo was prompted by a conversation with Kellie Chase, who runs senior programs at the Farmington Parks and Recreation Department. "We were way over" the old prize limit, Chase explained. "We were playing 25-cent games, but there were so many people." At the time, Kenney was running for the Senate, and Chase asked for his help.

"He was a big help for us," she said.

As for legislative disappointments, Kenney pointed to a death penalty bill that he proposed. The bill, which failed to pass this year, would have made those who killed multiple people in the same act subject to the death penalty.

Kenney summed up his campaign theme this way: "Let's keep New Hampshire New Hampshire, not Massachusetts." He said he wants to rein in spending, and he takes issue with what he deems "some of the social fabric changes" that have taken place in the state.

"I have a sense that people are very worried about basic necessity items like food, shelter and heat, and many people around the state feel like they can't afford all that," he said.

Asked how his campaign theme is reflected in his legislative record, Kenney pointed to the highway trust fund. Money from the gas tax goes to the highway fund, which helps pay for highway projects. Several other agencies, however, also get highway dollars, including the Department of Safety and the Department of Justice. Many lawmakers say the money should be limited to highway projects.

"I think the monies that go into the highway trust fund should go directly to the roads," Kenney said. "And I think that's keeping New Hampshire New Hampshire."

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