1. Introduction

Daniel C. Itse, known as Dan Itse (born May 21, 1958), is a conservative Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. A native of San Francisco, California , California , Itse is a professional engineer who resides in Fremont, New Hampshire. He advocates the revival of state sovereignty in an era of otherwise expanded government through the revival of the 1798 Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, authored by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, respectively, to permit the empowerment of individual states within the federal Union. Itse has explained his proposition on the national Glenn Beck interview program on Fox news.^[1][2] Itse's resolution in the New Hampshire legislature inspired other state legislatures to do the same (possibly as many as 20.)^[2]

When he was eight years old, Itse moved with his family to Sherborn, Massachusetts . He graduated in 1976 from Dover-Sherborn High School.^[3] and then enrolled at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, from which in 1980 he procured a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering. He earned a master of science in the same field in 1986, also from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is a registered professional engineer in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. From 1979-1989, he worked for the Riley Stoker Corporation. He was chief engineer of Physical Sciences, Inc., from 1989-1994. Since 1994, he has owned Christofferson Engineering.^[4]

An inventor, Itse holds patents on (1) a low-emissions burner for coal-fired power plants, (2) a low-emissions combustion system for waste-to-energy, (3) a process for disposing of heavy metals, and (4) a device to enhance the injection of chemicals for reducing pollution from power plants. In 2009, Itse was working on the air pollution control system for the largest wood-fired power plant in North America.^[3]

Since 2001, Itse has represented Rockingham County, which is located in the southeastern corner of the state, in the legislature, which meets in the capital city of Concord. He has served on the Children and Family Law and the Science, Technology and Energy committees. He once had the best attendance record in the legislature. He claims to vote in all cases in accordance with a literal reading of the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, and personal liberty and property.^[3]

In the 2011/2012 term he was the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Review and Statutory Recodification. In that term he saw the creation of the Committee on Redress of Grievances Chaired by Rep. Paul Ingbretson. The peoples right of redress as a positive right in New Hampshire was brought to light as a result of his commentary on the Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, "The People's Liberty".

An advocate of judicial reform, Itse supports constitutional amendments regarding the recognition of marriage, parental rights, prohibiting a state income tax, and affirming the right to petition the legislature for redress of grievances. He is a nationally prominent advocate of the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the assertion of state sovereignty.^[5] Though his sovereignty amendment was rejected by his New Hampshire colleagues, it inspired similar proposals in some twenty states^[6] as well as the "Tea Party" demonstrations in April 2009.^[7]

In 1979, while he was a senior in college, Itse married the former Lisa Mullins. The couple has five children, born between 1983 and 1995. The youngest, Jarrod, is handicapped.^[3]

In the 2008 Republican presidential contest, Itse was a supporter of U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado. Itse is scheduled to address the national committee meeting of the Constitution Party to be held June 11–13 in Newark, New Jersey.^[3]

In 2014 Itse authored "States Have Powers - the Powers of the People, use 'em or lose 'em" (available on Amazon). The book is an expository on his 2012 sovereignty resolution. It explains why the People are in fact in supreme power in America, and the intended distribution of power between the government of the United States and the States and between the three branches of government: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

At their 2015 Liberty Dinner, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance revealed that Itse was chosen as legislator of the year.^[8]