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CALL NOW -- It Will Be A Tough And Close Vote

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed May 06, 2009 at 10:38:02 AM EDT


Marriage equality has been a long, long road.  The House is likely to have a vote on concurrence with the Senate on House Bill 436 by mid-afternoon today -- Wednesday.  We're well prepared, but we know we have hills to climb.

I cannot over-emphasize enough that it is close, and anyone who reads this and supports HB 436 would help if you can make a last-minute plea to your House Representative, even if you already have done so and even if you know he/she supports the bill -- they'll be able to tell others they're still hearing from constituents.  

So if you live in their district, please E-Mail (House members check their E-Mails during the day, or call (they check their messages)!

You can also call the House Democrats Office right now at 271-2136, or the House Republican Office at 271-3665.  The assistant would be pleased to write your note and deliver to your State Representative, especially if you are a constitutent.  

You might not hear back from all Legislators if you don't live in their district, but those who do live where we are elected are our "bosses," and regardless of party a constituent's comment is welcome and is heard.

HB 436 needs your help today.  
Rep. Jim Splaine :: CALL NOW -- It Will Be A Tough And Close Vote
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CALL NOW -- It Will Be A Tough And Close Vote | 96 comments
Here's some added pressure (4.00 / 2)
Maine's Governor just signed LV 1020 into law!

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...

where (4.00 / 1)
can one follow the debates in the house? any live streaming? thx!
Live stream available (4.00 / 1)
[ Parent ]
Where is HB436 on the agenda? (4.00 / 1)
Anyone?
It's during the motions to concur (4.00 / 1)
after they get through the regular calendar, IIRC. To be more specific, you can go to the house website, click on Calendars and Journals, and look at the House Calendar for today. The order of business is basically there.

There's no telling when HB 436 will come up. There is a debate now over a Labor and Industrial Relations bill. Sometimes they zoom through the regular calendar, sometimes not.

I just have it on, and go back to my computer to check where they are.

[ Parent ]
Thanks! (4.00 / 2)
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens here.  
[ Parent ]
sounds like their doing a concur right now (HB527) (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Any time now... (4.00 / 1)
They're into dealing with messages from the Senate, which I believe will include their amendment to HB 436.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
Here it is! (4.00 / 1)
3:59 PM, it just got brought up!

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
here it is! (4.00 / 1)

Beat me by four seconds! (4.00 / 1)
Have a rec!

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
shorter: "our country is based on freedom to discriminate" (4.00 / 1)
nice.
who was that guy? n/t (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
i missed his name n/t (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
z'aright - thanks! n/t (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
next up: william o'brian n/t (4.00 / 1)

Lying his head off? (4.00 / 3)
He's claiming that the state retirement system would be subjected to IRS tax penalties, even though Massachusetts has not had such a problem in several years?

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Aaand smacked down (0.00 / 0)
Prompt rebuttal on the IRS question explaining in detail how O'Brian was full of crap.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
does this guy forget? (4.00 / 1)
Massachusetts has had marriage equality for four years, we can't work around federal laws?
I'm worried..... (0.00 / 0)
sounds like they might not pass it this time..:(:(:(.... i have my fingers cross.... oh god help us:)
[ Parent ]
MAINE HAS BECOME THE 5TH STATE:) (0.00 / 0)
THAT is 5 states:)... please make new hampshire 6th state:).... lets pray:)
[ Parent ]
Rep. Silva from Nahsua (0.00 / 0)
is up now, I am scared too!  
so, we must be allowed (4.00 / 3)
to discriminate as long as we are religious.  
[ Parent ]
but Catholic Charities in Mass. DID take government money! (4.00 / 2)
duh.
to explain... (4.00 / 1)
Silva was saying that in CT, unlike MA, they wisely allowed church adoption services to decriminate against gays as long as they don't receive state money.
[ Parent ]
Point of information (4.00 / 1)
MA never told Catholic Charities it needed to close it's doors, they did so as a political move on their own after the state said they couldn't receive state funds so long as they discriminated. BTW, this was after they HAD given adoptions in the past to same sex couples.
[ Parent ]
another (4.00 / 2)
separate but equal supporter! Ya... that works!
"Moot questions" claim (0.00 / 0)
Okay, rep, if civil rights are just as good as marriages, how about you go convert your marriage into a civil union, give up the federal tax benefits of marriage, and so on?

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
would she (4.00 / 2)
trade her marriage for a civil union?  
maybe we should change the law and .... (0.00 / 0)
...out law ALL marriages, let see how the right wing act then or better, lets make gay marriage legal and out law straight marriage, they have been married to long....

vote yes for equal rights:)

[ Parent ]
No way (0.00 / 0)
The opposite of anti-equality bigotry is equality and tolerance, not demanding to flip the situation to be unfair the other way.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Maine gets a shout out n/t (4.00 / 2)

thank you Rep. Vallaincourt (4.00 / 2)
for mentioning that Baldacci signed the Maine bill.  
neanderthal at the mike n/t (0.00 / 0)

Al Baldassaro (4.00 / 1)
is a miserable excuse for a human being.  
A vital question resolved just now. (4.00 / 3)
Men being allowed to remove their jackets is critical. ;-)

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
do the women get to remove anything? n/t (4.00 / 2)

[ Parent ]
that's discrimination! Just ask Rep. Rowe! N/T (4.00 / 2)

[ Parent ]
-Sophomoric reply deleted- (4.00 / 1)
Just insert your own imaginary response and assume it was what I was thinking of.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
i had no idea Maine was so hot n/t (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
what a joke... (0.00 / 0)
.... removing jackets... like where did that come from... sounds like they are trying to hold off from voting on this bill....

Some of these excuss for voting against it sounds stupid.... its sad:(

[ Parent ]
REmove their jackets? (0.00 / 0)
Are they just trying to waste time?
Probably not (4.00 / 1)
It was rapidly resolved; I suspect it was just being raised because regular floor rules require jackets and it's probably getting hot in there.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Thanks! (4.00 / 1)
That was a point I did not know.
[ Parent ]
My guess, anyhow (0.00 / 0)
It sounds like the sort of decorum rule that would be likely to be in place, and would explain why they needed permission from the chair to allow it.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
sounds like it.... (4.00 / 1)
i wish they would just vote already.
[ Parent ]
next: age-of-consent concern troll (4.00 / 3)
jackass.
I think this representative (4.00 / 2)
is the one who needs to be fixed. Read that any way you wish.  
[ Parent ]
Dear Concern Troll: (4.00 / 2)
You say 'finding consensus' is one of your greatest joys. Since it is entirely clear you do not intend to vote in favor of any marriage equality bill whatsoever, your joy will not be possible anyhow. Therefore, you can go teabag John Sununu for all I care.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
HAS ANYONE BEEN KEEPING TRACK.... (0.00 / 0)
... as to how many sound like they are voting "Yes" and voting "NO".
[ Parent ]
Too small a sample size to matter (4.00 / 1)
There are 400 legislators in that chamber (minus any absences). They do not all have time to speak. Not even a substantial proportion have time to speak.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
And now a concern-troll question about timing (0.00 / 0)
Except that the technical error in timing was addressed at the beginning, noting that a forthcoming amendment will resolve it.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
Last speaker..... (4.00 / 2)
..... i'm shaking all over....I'm already crying.... please let this bill pass god:(:(:(
[ Parent ]
I'm holding your hand (0.00 / 0)
if only in my heart!
[ Parent ]
we need time (4.00 / 1)
to continue to discriminate.  
It sounds to me (4.00 / 1)
like the opposition is being successful by creating confusion around the Senate changes to this bill. It seems like they are going to scuttle the bill, any thoughts?
it sounds to me... (0.00 / 0)
... I agree:( i hope i'm wrong:(
[ Parent ]
Not at all (4.00 / 1)
Every time they've raised an objection to the Senate changes, the Democratic response to the objection has firmly smacked it down. They had a response ready on the IRS question and they pre-empted the timing question.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
interuptions galore! (0.00 / 0)
how many times is the speaker going to be interupted?!
she's not being interrupted (4.00 / 1)
she's interrupting the person speaking to tell the rest of the members to shut up.

In a big hall with 400 legislators AND members of the public, it can get really loud.  

[ Parent ]
oh man (4.00 / 2)
this guy is going to make me cry. What a good dad.  
susanthe.... (4.00 / 1)
...same here:(
[ Parent ]
Proud for Maine (4.00 / 1)
Hopefully NH too!
Fantastic closing statement! (4.00 / 4)
"New Hampshire should be on the right side of history."

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
To the North (4.00 / 3)
South, East and West there is now marriage equality. Will NH become an island of intolerance?

I now know what it must have felt like to think of NH when we didn't support MLK day.

take a deep breath... n/t (4.00 / 1)

heart pounding like crazy... (0.00 / 0)
..... please let's make history!!!
[ Parent ]
right there with you! (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Here it comes! (0.00 / 0)

Roll-Call Vote (0.00 / 0)
Here goes...

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
figures (4.00 / 1)
Itse is a nasty little man.  
a real creep in person too n/t (4.00 / 2)


We represent the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop guild.
[ Parent ]
btw, what was the deal with the initial house votes? (0.00 / 0)
i seem to remember there was a failed vote followed by a successful one.

but was it really a re-vote, or was the first some kind of procedural vote, or was the bill amended between?

or is my memory bad?

There was a call to reconsider (4.00 / 1)
so another vote followed
[ Parent ]
parliamentary inquiries (4.00 / 2)
seem to be another way of adding testimony.

Yes, I noticed that on the civil unions bill (4.00 / 1)
"Madam Chair, If I believe that the Founders of Our Great Nation cherished equality above all, and distrusted government in intrusion into private matters, is it correct that I would vote In Favor of this wonderful bill?"
[ Parent ]
In a 400 members legislative body (4.00 / 1)
Many are not entirely paying attention to the debate at any given time. They could be discussing the next bill, working on their remarks for later on, returning a constituent call, negotiating a compromise or something else.

The PIs are asked after the House has been called to order, everyone is back in their seat and quiet. The PI sums up the debate and clearly states what voting yes/green and no/red will accomplish.  

There is an art to doing a great PI, many try but few are perfect.

Have you written a letter to the editor today? Have you donated today? Have you put up signs? Have you made calls? Have you talked to your neighbors?

[ Parent ]
Oh, that was crap! (4.00 / 2)
"We cannot end inequality by forcing tolerance on others." BULLSHIT. We forced tolerance on the South in the civil rights movement, and it may not have finished the job, but there's sure as hell a lot less open inequality than there had been under Jim Crow! Anyone claiming 'we can't completely solve inequality so we shouldn't do anything' should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
Voting NOW! (0.00 / 0)


IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
PASSED! (4.00 / 6)
178-167!

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
If we can do it, certainly you folks can - call!! TMB (4.00 / 1)

Done! (4.00 / 1)
 Sealed, now to be delivered to the Governor to be signed.
[ Parent ]
what kind of fuckery is this? (2.00 / 2)

Requested a motion to reconsider (4.00 / 1)
Someone voted in favor so that they would be in order to request a reconsideration. On reconsideration, more people supported leaving the issue as resolved.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Motion to reconsider being voted on (4.00 / 3)
Rejected, 161-185!

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
WTF!!!? (0.00 / 0)

HAW HAW! (4.00 / 2)
They want to read out a protest, but they're getting smacked down on parliamentary points to explain that they get to FILE their petition, not read it into the record.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Speaker Norelli (4.00 / 3)
does a wonderful job of remaining patient with neanderthaloid cretins like Baldassaro.  
[ Parent ]
That's just to block (4.00 / 4)
any further maneuvers. Once a vote to reconsider fails, it's a totally done deal. Note, he urged them to vote "no".
[ Parent ]
So we won? (4.00 / 1)

yes! (4.00 / 2)

[ Parent ]
We won. (4.00 / 4)
178 - 167. Bill moves to the Governor's desk.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
It is time to start calling.... (4.00 / 1)
the governor and all those that voted for marriage equality.... we must get the governor to sign the bill....

we won:)

More states to come:):):)

[ Parent ]
CONGRATS GUYS! (4.00 / 5)
I'm proud of all your hard work! :) Now to Governor Lynch...
Sweet Jesus.... it happened, it REALLY happened! n/t (4.00 / 2)

Sing it with me! (4.00 / 2)
O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

CALL NOW -- It Will Be A Tough And Close Vote | 96 comments

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