Ready, Fire, Aim

Absent from the agenda?!? (4.00 / 2)

Kick me if I'm wrong, but haven't we already seen gun bills, immigration bills, and labor bills this session?

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by: dooper @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 02:49:27 AM UTC

Are they talking to each other? (4.00 / 5)

If that is the "new agenda" according to Rep. Bettencourt, consider this.  

Today the House Judiciary Committee heard CACR 28, a constitutional amendment that would amend to constitution to provide that  

the supreme court shall determine the constitutionality of judicial acts and the legislature shall determine the constitutionality of legislative acts.

This is a perennial bill which Rep. Sorg has proposed three or four times before.  Few legislators have taken the idea of retreating back to 1801, pre-Marbury v. Madison and its NH equivalent, Merrell v. Sherburne, very seriously before.

This time was different.  Today, the Speaker of the NH House came to our committee to speak in favor of the bill.  I got to ask him the only question he took.  I asked if there were no judicial review of legislative acts, what would then be the remedy if the legislature passed a clearly unconstitutional bill?  I got a one word reply:

"Elections."

Here is a fact that should help you to fight a little longer.
Things that don't actually kill you outright make you stronger.

Piet Hein, Grooks

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by: Lucy Weber @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 04:30:04 AM UTC

Who needs three branches of government, anyway, (4.00 / 4)

said Ozymandias.

(As a side note, I find it compelling that O'Brien is a Gingrich supporter, who said a little while ago as president he would happily ignore Supreme Court decisions whenever he wanted.)


Social Media Director for Jackie Cilley for Governor. Follow her on Twitter & Facebook!

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by: Dean Barker @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 11:25:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Elections" (4.00 / 1)

O'Brien has other bills which will deal with the problem of "Elections."

He seems to be actively working to undermine the authority of all three branches of government.  It is unclear whose authority he is trying to uphold--- aside from the tobacco industry's.  It certainly isn't the people's authority.


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 18:14:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Judicial Review is a "judicial act." (0.00 / 0)

The supreme court has determined that it is constitutional.

Aren't checks and balances fun?

--
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 20:13:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

For a conservative legislature (4.00 / 3)

isn't 870 bills @ $1,500 per bill totaling $1,305,000 a bit excessive?  As I glanced through the list I didn't see many bills that would create a more favorable environment for the "job creators."  How is teaching the bible in the public schools going to create jobs?

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by: mevansnh @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 10:58:53 AM UTC

Is that the cost??? (0.00 / 0)

I've been asking for that... that is an excellent tool to use in November. Any idea what the complete cost is - adding in the mileage and extra days open and other expenses?

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by: tesha @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 11:28:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

probably not (0.00 / 0)

If it did cost $1500/bill, this year's tab would be up to $1.305 million.  Most of that would be printing.

The entire legislative printing budget is only $230k/yr: $220k is under "Joint Expenses," $10k is under the Office of Legislative Services.

The number of bills is about the same as it was in my first term.  The difference this time is that we have more dumb bills which don't do anything worthwhile and more duplicate bills.  We actually have had fewer substantive bills, since there are a lot of important issues which haven't been dealt with at all this year. (For example, we have had few if any health and safety bills: two years ago, we had a number of bills dealing with things like pollution, smoking, seatbelts, motorcycle helmets, etc.)


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 16:52:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I would hope you are correct, but I've read that (0.00 / 0)

the cost to prepare a bill was $1500.  Do we know what the real cost is?  I'm not sure where to go for that information.  Thanks.

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by: mevansnh @ Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 22:40:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

maybe... (0.00 / 0)

The OLS (Office of Legisative Services) has a budget of approximately $2M/yr, or $4M per session.  If you divide $4M by the number of bills, resolutions and amendments to aforementioned bills & resolutions introduced each year, you do get a number on the order of $1500.  Maybe that's where the $1500 comes from.

The big cost for the OLS is the staff, which is mostly a fixed cost.


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Sun Feb 05, 2012 at 00:45:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

From the types of bills being written by (4.00 / 1)

the republicans, one might think their leadership would discourage the insanity in order to save money and cut the OLS budgets, wouldn't you?

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by: mevansnh @ Sun Feb 05, 2012 at 10:33:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

teaching Job n/t (4.00 / 1)

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. ~ Mark Twain

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 14:39:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Aside from the boom in work for attorneys, (4.00 / 3)

the only upside job creation potential here seems to be in the growth areas of gun dealers, manufacturers and resellers of Kevlar-based clothing, and to some extent the tourism and hospitality industries that will serve all the curiosity seekers and journalists coming into the state to gawk at the freak show that state government has become.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the opportunities for all of the educational publishers that will be flocking in to sell a wide variety of materials to all of those parents seeing alternative curricula for their hapless progeny.

See? Things are looking up!

November 2012
Hope for a return to sanity.

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by: GreyMike @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 14:04:25 PM UTC

And all those new teaching and administrative positions (0.00 / 0)

at the brand new private and religious schools that will be popping up once the "scholarship" program becomes law...

You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.  (John Morley, 1838-1923)

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by: Marjorie Porter @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 20:03:39 PM UTC

Suggested liberal response to ALEC: a new organization. We'll call it, (0.00 / 0)

American Legislative Exchange Council for the Benefit of Any Legislator Doing What Is Needed.

--
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 20:10:18 PM UTC

Yet another coup for those job-creating wizards: (0.00 / 0)

see this item in today's Keene Sentinel where they have successfully pushed a few more off the financial cliff.

Focused like a laser...

November 2012
Hope for a return to sanity.

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by: GreyMike @ Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 00:47:17 AM UTC