Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy (JBCPP) is a think tank "focused on state and local public policy issues that affect the quality of life for New Hampshire’s citizens." The center states as its mission to promote policy that supports its core beliefs of "individual freedom and responsibility, limited and accountable government, and an appreciation of the role of the free enterprise system" through "information, research, and analysis." JBCPP is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN).

JBCPP President to Serve on NH Governor-Elect's Transition Team

New Hampshire Republican Governor-elect Chris Sununu named JBCPP president Charlie Arlinghaus as chief budget advisor for his transition team the Union Leader reports. Arlinghaus said he was unlikely to stay on beyond the transition period, "I agreed to help with the transition, but I am remarkably fond of the Josiah Bartlett Center.”

According to the Union Leader, "The center has many connections to the Sununu family. The governor-elect’s brother, James, is on the board of directors. His father, John H. Sununu, is a board member emeritus. [Jamie] Burnett is also on the board. Attorney Gordon MacDonald, with the firm Nixon Peabody of Manchester, is a Bartlett Center Board member and a potential nominee for attorney general in a Sununu administration."

Supported ALEC Legislation

JBCPP has worked to support and push ALEC legislation, including specifically legislation on school vouchers. During the 2011-2012 legislative session New Hampshire passed legislation to divert taxpayer dollars to private and religious schools. In 2013 the legislation came under review and organizations like Granite State Progress testified to the ALEC origins of the legislation. Josiah Bartlett Center President Charlie Arlinghaus dedicated part of his testimony time to attempting to discredit this accusation, telling policymakers that the school voucher legislation was actually his own idea, and blatantly poking fun at those who raised concerns that it was a rubberstamp agenda item being implemented in states across the country with the aid of ALEC.

Blocked Medicaid Expansion

In September 2013, JBCPP President Charlie Arlinghaus was on the New Hampshire Study Commission on Medicaid Expainsion. According to a report by Granite State Progress, Arlinghous has a long history of opposing health care reform measures, with particular opposition to the Affordable Care Act. In conjunction with other conservative members of the Commission, Arlinghaus complained about the lopsided representation of speakers in favor of expansion. JBCPP affiliated NH Watchdog editor Grant Bosse used his weekly column in the Concord Monitor to rail against supporters of expansion.

Ties to the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy has hosted writers from the ALEC-connected Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which screens potential reporters on their “free market” views as part of the job application process. The Franklin Center funds reporters in over 40 states. Despite their non-partisan description, many of the websites funded by the Franklin Center have received criticism for their conservative bias. On its website, the Franklin Center claims it "provides 10 percent of all daily reporting from state capitals nationwide."

Franklin Center Funding

Franklin Center Director of Communications Michael Moroney told the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) in 2013 that the source of the Franklin Center's funding "is 100 percent anonymous." But 95 percent of its 2011 funding came from DonorsTrust, a spin-off of the Philanthropy Roundtable that functions as a large "donor-advised fund," cloaking the identity of donors to right-wing causes across the country (CPI did a review of Franklin's Internal Revenue Service records). Mother Jones called DonorsTrust "the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement" in a February 2013 article. Franklin received DonorTrust's second-largest donation in 2011.

The Franklin Center also receives funding from the Wisconsin-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, a conservative grant-making organization.

The Franklin Center was launched by the Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance (SAM), a 501(c)(3) devoted to pushing free-market ideals. SAM gets funding from the State Policy Network, which is partially funded by The Claude R. Lambe Foundation. Charles Koch, one of the billionaire brothers who co-own Koch Industries, sits on the board of this foundation. SAM also receives funding from the Rodney Fund.

New Hampshire Watchdog

In 2008, JBCPP hired former radio-host Grant Bosse to create New Hampshire Watchdog, a "new investigative project for the free market think tank." Bosse is a known Republican and has also served as a policy aide in both the NH State House and in Congress for Sen. John Sununu. The organization pitched the new auxiliary site as a conservative investigative reporting site focusing on the state legislature and as a place for the Center to release it's groundbreaking news reports.

NH Watchdog is the New Hampshire affiliate of the Franklin Center and holds similar standards to its sister groups across the nation, eschewing ethical and journalistic standards in favor of functioning as a right-wing news feed. Franklin Center affiliates have a known history of manufacturing stories and subpar reporting. A report by Granite State Progress highlights NH Watchdog's failure to provide unbiased reporting, showing their lack of commitment to true journalistic integrity. Both JBCPP and NH Watchdog are funded by right-wing supporters and push a particular policy agenda.

Bosse continues his partisan work, even as he claims to be editor and founder of the NH Watchdog. While reporting for the NH Watchdog and the Concord Monitor, he worked on think tank policy reports on legislation under consideration, testified as an expert in front of legislative committees. Bosse has held professional journalism in disregard, voicing his contempt for ethical standards in regards to conflicts of interest. In a op-ed piece for sister network, the Montana Watchdog, he wrote "Journalism is an activity, not a club. If you are reporting news, the you are a reporter, and employment at a news paper or membership in a trade association grants you no more rights than every other American citizen."

Former NH Watchdog Head Becomes Editor of NH Union Leader's Editorial Section

Grant Bosse was hired as the new editor for the editorial pages of the New Hampshire Union Leader in September 2015, after spending five years heading NH Watchdog.

Funding

JBCPP does not disclose its donors, but some of its funding sources are known through other tax filings. JBCPP's known funders include:

• Donors Capital Fund: $288,600 (2010-2012)
• State Policy Network: $23,250 (2013)
• Claude R. Lambe Foundation: $3,500 (2011)

Core Financials

2014

• Total Revenue: $208,143
• Total Expenses: $221,553
• Net Assets: (left blank)

2013

• Total Revenue: $209,521
• Total Expenses: $225,044
• Net Assets: $11,241

2012

• Total Revenue: $258,651
• Total Expenses: $267,339
• Net Assets: $26,739

2011

• Total Revenue: $247,808
• Total Expenses: $301,301
• Net Assets: $34,217

2010:

• Total Revenue: $228,770
• Total Expenses: $241,723
• Net Assets: $87,642

2009:

• Total Revenue: $315,887
• Total Expenses: $323,502
• Net Assets: $103,124

Personnel

As of Septmeber 2018:

Staff

• Andrew Cline, Interim-President

Former Staff

• Joshua Elliott-Traficante, Policy Analyst and Transparency Director
• Charles M. Arlinghaus, President

Board of Directors

• James Sununu, Businessman, North Hampton
• Eugene M. Van Loan, III
• Peter Angerhofer, Businessman, Durham
• Edward Dupont, The Dupont Group, Concord
• Tom Eaton, Former Senate President, Keene
• Patricia G. Humphrey, NH Center for Innovative Schools, Chichester
• John Kayser PhD, Professor: UNH, Durham
• Sara Shirley, Shirley Farm, Goffstown
• Emeritus, Gov. John H. Sununu, Former Governor, Hampton Falls

Former Directors

• Rich Ashooh, Former Chairman
• Mike Murray, Financial Consultant, Portsmouth
• James Shirley, Attorney, Goffstown
• Anna ‘Bobbie’ Barbara Hantz, Vice Chair
• Jamie Burnett, Businessman, Concord
• Peter Josephson PhD, Professor: Saint Anselm College
• Bruce Keough, Businessman, Dublin
• Gordon MacDonald, Attorney, Nixon Peabody, Manchester
• Emily M. Mead, Co-Founder, Etna
• Jayne Millerick, Marcucci Consulting, Bow
• Emeritus, Colin D. Campbell, Prof. Emeritus, Dartmouth College, Hanover

Founding Trustees

• Stephen P. Farrar, Guardian Industries Corporation, Auburn Hills, MI
• Joan P. Fowler, Hanover
• Janice B. Kitchen, Small Business Development Center, Gilford
• Johannes Kuttner, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann *Arbor, MI
• Dennis E. Logue, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ledyard Financial Group
• Mary H. Mead, Artist, Warner
• Mark Lennon, New London

Contact Information

The Josiah Bartlett Center For Public Policy
7 South State Street, PO Box 897
Concord, NH 03301
Fax: (603) 224-4329
Phone: (603) 224-4450
Email: arlinghaus@jbartlett.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbartlett_nh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JosiahBartlettCenter/

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Articles

• State Policy Network:
  • SPN Portal
  • SPN Political Activity
  • SPN Funding
    • SPN 2011 Funding
    • SPN 2010 Funding
    • SPN 2009 Funding
  • SPN Agenda
  • SPN Founders, History, and Staff
  • SPN Members
  • SPN Ties to ALEC
  • Thomas A. Roe
  • Tracie Sharp
  • Byron S. Lamm
  • Roe Foundation
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
  • ALEC Non-Profits
• DonorsTrust
• Donors Capital Fund
• Koch Family Foundations
• Koch Industries
• Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
• Heritage Foundation
• Think tanks
• Whitney Ball
• Adam Meyerson
• Bridgett Wagner

Related PRWatch Articles

• Brendan Fischer, Why Are the Franklin Center's "Wisconsin Reporter" and "Watchdog.org" Attacking the John Doe?, PRWatch.org, December 19, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, The State Policy Network's Cozy Relationship with Big Tobacco, PRWatch.org, December 16, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, Did ALEC Found SPN? 1991 Report Suggests So, Exposes SPN Agenda, PRWatch.org, December 12, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, Guardian Documents Expose State Policy Network Groups' Intent to Lobby, PRWatch.org, December 5, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, State Policy Network: The Stealth Network Dramatically Influencing State Law, PRWatch.org, December 5, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, Tracie Sharp: Bursar of Mystery Money and "IKEA Model" Materials to Stink Tanks, PRWatch.org, November 19, 2013.
• Center for Media and Democracy, Reports Expose Extreme Pressure Groups Masquerading as Think Tanks, press release, November 13, 2013.
• Rebekah Wilce, A Reporters’ Guide to the "State Policy Network": the Right-Wing Think Tanks Spinning Disinformation and Pushing the ALEC Agenda in the States, PRWatch.org, April 4, 2013.
• Sara Jerving, ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States, PRWatch.org, November 27, 2012.
• Connor Gibson, Meet the Network Hiding the Koch Money: "Donors Trust" and "Donors Capital Fund", PRWatch.org, October 29, 2012.
• Brendan Fischer, Koch-Funded Mackinac Center Brings Wisconsin Act 10 Provisions to ALEC, PRWatch.org, May 2, 2012.
• Sara Jerving, Franklin Center: Right-Wing Funds State News Source, PRWatch.org, October 31, 2011.

External Resources

• Wall Street Journal, The Spoils of the Republican State Conquest, December 9, 2016, archived by CMD here.
• DeSmog Blog, Stink Tanks: Historical Records Reveal State Policy Network Was Created by ALEC, December 9, 2013.
• The Guardian, State conservative groups plan US-wide assault on education, health and tax, December 5, 2013.
• Portland Press Herald, "Washington County residents have mixed reactions to plan to eliminate taxes," December 5, 2013.
• The Texas Observer, "The Money Behind the Fight to Undermine Medicaid," December 5, 2013.
• Media Matters, North Carolina Newspapers Largely Ignore Conservative Funding Of Sham Think Tanks, December 3, 2013.
• Shepherd Express, Masters of Manipulation: Right-wing Billionaires, Corporations and the Bradley Foundation Pay for Junk Studies that Prop up Their Agenda, November 27, 2013.
• "Moyers & Company," How a Shadowy Network of Corporate Front Groups Distorts the Marketplace of Ideas, November 19, 2013.
• MSNBC "Rachel Maddow Show," November 18, 2013.
• Free Speech TV "Ring of Fire," Facebook, Microsoft, AT&T and Others Supporting Right Wing Propaganda Machine, November 18, 2013.
• Topeka Capital-Journal, Trabert dismisses report tying KPI to Koch agenda, November 16, 2013.
• The New Yorker (Jane Mayer), Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?, November 15, 2013.
• Salon, Ted Cruz and Koch brothers embroiled in shadowy Tea Party scheme, November 15, 2013.
• St. Louis Business Journal, Beyond Sinquefield: Who else is funding the Show-Me Institute?, November 15, 2013.
• The Guardian, Facebook and Microsoft help fund rightwing lobby network, report finds, November 14, 2013.
• Huffington Post, Meet The Little-Known Network Pushing Ideas For Kochs, ALEC, November 14, 2013.
• CBS St. Louis, Show-Me Institute’s Ties Questioned in New Report, November 14, 2013.
• Talking Points Memo, Florida Conservative Group Helping Muck Up Obamacare In Alaska, November 14, 2013.
• Mint Press News, Reports Reveal SPN’s Secret Corporate Agenda Through Use ‘Expert’ Testimony, November 14, 2013.
• Media Matters, Shadowy Right-Wing Group Generates Media Coverage For Conservative Policy From Coast To Coast, November 14, 2013.
• The Institute for Southern Studies, Are conservative think tanks breaking lobbying laws?, November 14, 2013.
• Nonprofit Quarterly, Corporate Money in Network of Right-Wing State Policy Think Tanks, November 14, 2013.
• The Progressive, Right-Wing Think Tanks Push Privatization in the States, November 13, 2013.
• Politico, Report: Think tanks tied to Kochs, November 13, 2013.
• Lawrence Journal-World, Reports released by progressive groups are critical of Kansas Policy Institute, November 13, 2013.
• Maine Insights, Report: Maine Heritage Policy Center’s funding connection to Koch Brothers, November 13, 2013.
• The Florida Current, Liberal groups bemoan lobbying by conservative think tanks, November 13, 2013.
• The Oregonian, Cascade Policy Institute benefits from secretive donor group but says it operates independently, November 13, 2013.
• Center for Media and Democracy, EXPOSED: The State Policy Network, The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Arizona Working Families and CMD, A Reporter’s Guide to the Goldwater Institute: What Citizens, Policymakers, and Reporters Should Know, organizational report, updated November 13, 2013.
• Progress Florida and CMD, Lawmaking Under the Influence of Very Special Interests: Understand the role of Florida ‘think tanks’ in driving a Koch-fueled, ALEC-allied corporate agenda, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Maine's Majority Education Fund, Fooling Maine: How national conservative groups infiltrated Maine politics by founding and funding the Maine Heritage Policy Center, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Progress Michigan, Who's Running Michigan? The Far-Right Influence of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Alliance for a Better Minnesota, Who's in Charge: How Nationalized Corporate-Run Think Tanks Influence Minnesota Politics, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Progress Missouri, What Missourians Need to Know About the Show-Me Institute, organizational report, updated November 13, 2013.
• Granite State Progress, Bad Bartlett: The Josiah Bartlett Center and NH Watchdog Answer the Call of the Koch Brothers, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• ProgressOhio, Smoke Screen: The Buckeye Institute, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Keystone Progress, Think tanks or corporate lobbyist propaganda mills?, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Progress Texas, TPPF + ALEC, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• One Wisconsin Now, S is for Shill: Inside the Bradley Foundation's Attack on Public Education, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
• Muncie Voice, Pence and Right-Wing Are Taking Over Public Education, November 13, 2013.
• The Spokesman-Review, Shawn Vestal: Idaho Freedom Foundation pushes limits of word ‘charity’, November 2, 2013.
• AZ Central, When this ‘watchdog’ pitches, taxpayers strike out, October 12, 2013.
• IndyStar, Daniels says speech to partisan group was a mistake, October 10, 2013.
• Muncie Voice, Indiana Policy Review: Not an Independent News Source, October 2, 2013.
• The Spokesman-Review, Idaho Freedom Foundation's charitable status scrutinized, September 15, 2013.
• CounterSpin, Lee Fang on 'The Right Leans In', April 5, 2013.
• FireDogLake, State Policy Network, an umbrella coordinating ALEC, Heritage, Heartland and others, April 4, 2013.
• Thom Hartmann with Lee Fang on MSNBC, The conservative State Policy Network is sneaking into your state & will change America, March 29, 2013.
• Current TV "War Room", Lee Fang discussing the State Policy Network, March 28, 2013.
• The Nation, The Right Leans In, March 26, 2013.
• Democracy Now, Donors Trust: Little-Known Group Helps Wealthy Backers Fund Right-Wing Agenda in Secret, February 19, 2013.
• Paul Abowd, Center for Public Integrity, Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states, Consider the Source, February 14, 2013.
• John R. Mashey, Fake science, fakexperts, funny finances, free of tax 2, DeSmog Blog report, updated October 23, 2012, p. 74.
• Urban Milwaukee, Stealth Conservatives, October 11, 2012.
• Rome News-Tribune, ANALYSIS: Georgia leaders depend on the same well for ideas, October 2012.
• Andy Kroll, The Right-Wing Network Behind the War on Unions, Mother Jones, April 25, 2011.
• Guidestar, State Policy Network, IRS filings and other organizational information about SPN.
• Center for Policy Alternatives, ALEC and the Extreme Right-Wing Agenda, organizational brochure about ALEC and SPN.
• John J. Miller, Fifty Flowers Bloom: Conservative think tanks — mini–Heritage Foundations — at the state level, National Review, November 19, 2007.
• Bridge Project, State Policy Network, online resource listing grants to SPN and SPN's connections to other groups.
• People for the American Way, State Policy Network, RightWingWatch.org, organizational resource.
• Greenpeace, Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group: State Policy Network (SPN), organizational resource.