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(Huge news! Thanks for all the details, Jim. - promoted by Dean Barker)
It was a good day for the cause of marriage equality in New Hampshire. But it's not over yet. We're going into our 9th month of working for marriage equality during this Legislative Session, but we still have a few days to go.
But Friday afternoon, the Legislative Committee of Conference on HB 73, which both the House and Senate agreed last week to create, met and after a two hour discussion has recommended passage of the bill.
The legislation includes language that Governor John Lynch requested which will put clearer protections for freedom of religion into our state statutes. The Governor has said that he will sign House Bill 436, which provides for marriage equality, if HB 73 is passed.
A Committee of Conference has been appointed by the House Speaker and Senate President on House Bill 73, the legislation that has language which Governor John Lynch has requested to protect religious freedom and independence. The CoC includes Senators Bette Lasky (D), Deb Reynolds (D), and Sheila Roberge (R), and Representatives Lucy Weber (D), Gary Richardson (D), Bob Thompson (D), and Tony DiFruscia (R).
It is traditional that Committees of Conference are made up of members of the Legislative Committees to which a bill had been sent. All members on this CoC are on the House or Senate Judiciary Committees.
The first meeting of the HB 73 CoC will be Friday in room 104 of the Legislative Office Building at 1:30 PM. All meetings of a Committee of Conference are open to the public. Some such Committees hold one meeting and that's it; others have several meetings over the course of several days, and even longer. The first time the HB 73 CoC could report back to the House and Senate with a recommendation is next Wednesday, June 3rd. It is possible that a report could wait until the Wednesday, June 10th Legislative Session day.
Let's keep in mind two important facts: FACT 1: House Bill 73 is NOT an amended version of the marriage equality bill, nor does it "amend" HB 436. House Bill 436 has passed the House and Senate, and awaits on the Senate President's desk before moving onto the Governor's Office. That is a normal procedure at this point of a Legislative Session depending on whether related bills need to "catch up" in the process, so that they can then be given to the Governor together. HB 436 IS the marriage equality bill, and it is stand-alone legislation that creates the process of same-gendered couples being able to be married.
House Bill 310, a short bill, has also passed the House and Senate, and is accompanying HB 436 eventually because it makes small changes to statute concerning marriage procedures. It too is not an "amendment" to HB 436, but instead affects separate statutory language. All together, our marriage laws cover dozens of pages of state laws.
HB 73 is not a long bill. It is about a page long, and has specific protections for religious groups, Churches, and those who are employed by them from having to be engaged in marriage ceremonies which they don't wish to be. It is, quite essentially, a way to more clearly state the protections of religion which are already written into our Constitution and other state laws. It is in part based on the Connecticut marriage equality legislation recently passed in that state.
If you support House Bill 415 for transgender protections, and House Bill 436 for marriage equality, PLEASE call our State Senators. Especially Senators Deb Reynolds, Bette Lasky, and Matt Houde on the Senate Judiciary Committee need to hear from you now, since they will be the first to vote on these bills.
Some of our Democratic Senators have said that they have heard from precious few Democrats. Many of the House Democrats who voted for these bills avoid further bothering our State Senators during these busy times, and that means it is all the more important that the bills' supporters who are not in the Legislature make the calls. E-Mails help too, but telephone calls to the State House offices are especially helpful.
(THANK YOU Sens. Reynolds, Lasky, and Houde, for listening to it all. - promoted by Dean Barker)
It was the best public hearing ever held at the New Hampshire State House. Okay, excuse me for what some observers might consider a little exaggeration, or not -- fact is, it certainly was one of the best. I've seen hundreds of hearings during some 29 years I've been either in the House or Senate, and I can't think of a better one. It had all the ingredients.
I left Portsmouth driving West with the bright early Springtime sun to my back at 6:12 AM. I wanted to arrive in time for a 7:15 AM rally in front of the State House that was to be held by opponents of House Bill 436, the full marriage equality bill.
It was a nice ride. I hit some traffic, and got to Concord a little late at about 7:30 AM. After parking at the Legislators' parking garage, I turned a corner and saw the signs: "Marriage: 1 Man - 1 Woman", and assorted variations of the theme of how gays and lesbians are out to destroy marriage, and that God doesn't condone gay marriage.
A rather historic vote was taken Thursday in Concord. For the first time, a committee of the New Hampshire State Legislature endorsed a civil unions bill, which would allow same-gendered couples to have all of the same "rights, obligations, and responsibilities" currently given to differently-gendered couples.
The House Judiciary Committee voted in a very bipartisan 15-5 vote to approve House Bill 437. Some real stars on the Committee speaking for the bill included Chair David Cote of Nashua, Gail Morrison of Sanbornton, and Bette Lasky of Nashua.
If it passes on the House floor this coming week and is approved by the State Senate, it would be historic in another way: this would be the very first time that a state has adopted legal unions for same-gendered couples without any threat of court action first. New Hampshire would join Vermont, Connecticut, and New Jersey as the only states with civil unions. California has a fairly extensive domestic relationships law, but comes short of formal unions for same-gendered couples. Massachusetts allows marriage for its gay and lesbian citizens, but that was court mandated and hasn't been vetoed by their legislature.
Our action in favor of equality contrasts positively to the 27 states where constitutional amendments have been adopted prohibiting same-gendered relationships. New Hampshire is also one of just 20 states protecting sexual orientation as part of our civil rights law; in some 30 states one can still be fired, or denied housing or services, just because of being gay.
It's not finalized yet, of course. The State Senate would have to vote favorably if the House approves the bill. And we can expect a tough floor fight in the House.
And Governor John Lynch hasn't said he will allow civil unions to become law, with or without his signature. I'm confident he will, however, because from my knowing him since the early 1970s, I've always found him to be an inherently fair person. While he has stated he would veto gay marriage, he has indicated he will consider something else, and that he is opposed to discrimination against our tens of thousands of gay and lesbian citizens. Now he can deliver.
Civil unions isn't marriage, with the word. While it provides all the same rights, obligations, and responsibilities of marriage, it isn't marriage. That fight has to continue, and I'll be joining others on that effort. Another bill was approved by the Judiciary Committee that would create a serious study and analysis about marriage for gays and lesbians.
Progress on equality, however, occurs step by step. We've come so far because of the hard work and sacrifices of so many so far. Civil unions is a positive step. If one has a 20 foot pond to jump over, it sure helps if there's a stepping stone in the middle.
HB 437 is sponsored by Somersworth State Representative Dana Hilliard and myself, but working hard for its passage have been most of the openly gay members of the House: Marlene DeChane of Barrington, Ed Butler of Harts Location, David Pierce of Etna, as well as Gail Morrison. Most were at the all-day hearing on the bill a couple of weeks ago, and the 6 hour Committee voting session, joined by former State Representative Ray Buckley. Former State Senator Rick Trombly has worked hard on this and other equality issues as well.
