Chris Pappas

Straight out of college, Chris was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Chris was sworn into Congress in 2019 and is the first openly gay representative from New Hampshire. Since taking office, Chris has worked on LGBTQ rights, substance abuse and rehabilitation, and issues impacting veterans and their families.

By now, we’ve all heard about or, God forbid, witnessed the havoc that fentanyl can wreak on families and communities. BUT, did you know that fentanyl is not yet officially a Schedule I narcotic? Last week, Chris led a bipartisan letter to Congressional leadership to prioritize Congressional action to stop fentanyl trafficking by permanently classifying it as a Schedule I substance and giving law enforcement and experts the resources they need. Overdose deaths in 2021 topped 100,000…

Chris spent his 2021 working on issues related to veterans. Chris held a Veteran’s town hall centered around mental health. He introduced the PAWS Act, which increases access to service dogs for folks with PTSD. Chris introduced and successfully passed the VA New England Healthcare System’s (VISN 1), to increase the number of vaccinated veterans. Chris was the original co-sponsor of a bill that has passed the House, the bipartisan VA Transparency and Trust Act of 2021, which would require the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to report to Congress on the much-needed emergency funding given to the Department to respond to COVID-19. He also teamed with PP leader Elise Stefanik to introduce legislation that would permanently re-authorize the Highly Rural Veterans Transportation Program. Chris introduced legislation to establish an LGBTQ Veterans Advisory Committee at the VA. Just when you think Chris couldn’t do any more for Vets… he also partnered with PP leader Rep. Tracey Mann to introduce the bipartisan Reaching Every Homeless Veteran Act.

The year’s end often motivates us to finally put those idle household items up on ebay to see if they may earn a second life—and perhaps a second revenue stream for our holiday shopping bill. Except there’s a new tax reporting requirement set to go into effect thanks to the American Rescue Plan that Chris is calling foul. The IRS will now require reporting of sold goods on online marketplaces, yet the tax code does not require you to pay taxes on items sold for a price below what you bought it for. Chris is concerned this is going to offer much confusion for folks who rely on these marketplaces as a viable way to help make financial ends meet. He led 15 of his House colleagues in writing a letter to leadership asking that Congress raise the threshold for 1099-K reporting for goods sold by the end of the year.

On December 1, the Supreme Court began oral arguments on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in what some say is the most influential abortion case in the last 50 years. A decision could pave the way for states to criminalize abortions. The case centers around the 2018 Mississippi state law that banned abortion operations after 15 weeks of pregnancy. If the Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eighteen states will immediately ban abortions in their state. Chris and some of his Democratic colleagues hosted a virtual press conference to discuss the ramifications of these laws, as some women have traveled all the way from Texas to New Hampshire to have an abortion.