Prog Blogs, Orgs & Alumni
Bank Slate
Betsy Devine
birch, finch, beech
Democracy for NH
Live Free or Die
Mike Caulfield
Miscellany Blue
Granite State Progress
Seacoast for Change
Still No Going Back
Susan the Bruce
Tomorrow's Progressives
Politicos & Punditry
The Burt Cohen Show
John Gregg
Krauss
Landrigan
Lawson
Pindell
Primary Monitor
Primary Wire
Scala
Schoenberg
Spiliotes
Welch
Campaigns, Et Alia.
Paul Hodes
Carol Shea-Porter
Ann McLane Kuster
John Lynch
Jennifer Daler
ActBlue Hampshire
NHDP
DCCC
DSCC
DNC
National
Balloon Juice
billmon
Congress Matters
DailyKos
Digby
Hold Fast
Eschaton
FiveThirtyEight
MyDD
The Next Hurrah
Open Left
Senate Guru
Swing State Project
Talking Points Memo
50 State Blog Network
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
We have lost another star -- and on the issue of marriage equality and so many other causes another hero -- in the New Hampshire Legislature. But we still have him in government because he's not going too far.
Mike Rollo this past week resigned his House seat representing the Rollinsford and Somersworth area. He was in his sixth term, and had previously represented Manchester. Sad as his moving on is, the good news is that he will be taking on a new job -- working as a legislative aid for Senator Deb Reynolds, who herself was crucial in the final passage of House Bill 436 last Spring.
Mike -- who regularly offers commentary in BlueHamnpshire.com -- and his wife Caitlin, who also is a former House member, want to begin a family. Mike is quoted in Foster's Daily Democrat as saying that "It's kind of hard to do that on $100.00 a year." He'll also be working in the nonpartisan role of helping the Senate Commerce, Labor, and Consumer Protection Committee on legislative matters.
Before someone thinks this job is political, it isn't. In fact, it's refreshing to see that most Legislative staffers in the House and Senate -- the researchers, the secretaries, security personnel, and other aides -- are people who apply for posted jobs and have real resumes with qualifications. Mike got his new job the old-fashioned way: he earned it.
In the House, we're losing, for now at least, a good representative of the people and legislative leader who has already accomplished much in a short life. He brought hard-work and passion to a job that is often thankless. He'll always be remembered for standing at the podium during a House debate and facing down a gun-carrying group which filled the gallery that displayed less than civility on an issue last year. But he has done much more, and he will do even greater things in months and years to come.
And on a bright side, we still has his Mom in the House: Deanna Rollo, also representing Rollinsford!
(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.
(The amendment's language is printed in full at the end of the piece. - promoted by Jennifer Daler)
We're down to the wire on passing marriage equality, which if we can make this work is going to help tens of thousands of New Hampshire citizens who for decades have had to put up with inequality, plus the intolerance that we have faced in many ways.
Governor John Lynch took a big step last week in coming down on the side of marriage equality. He will sign House Bill 436 if we put into another part of state law an additional and clearer protection of the independence and freedom of religious organizations and Churches. His language follows some wording of Connecticut's marriage equality legislation, as well as Vermont.
The language will appear as an amendment onto House Bill 73, which will come in from the Senate. We'll see it in final form after the Senate Judiciary Committee considers it tomorrow, but it follows the wording that the Governor requested last week. I have included his news release, and the draft language being offered by Senator Deb Reynolds.
I have added comments about HB 436, and the Governor's requested language, from our friends of marriage equality. We can put this issue behind us, successfully, by supporting HB 73 as amended. This is about, and for, our young people of New Hampshire -- for our future.
The awfully very nice Kevin Smith rained down robocalls on three senate districts:
Kevin Smith of Cornerstone Policy Research said he plans robo-calls to voters in three Senate districts this weekend: those of Sen. Deb Reynolds, Betsi DeVries and Lou D'Allesandro. Reynolds flipped from opposing to supporting gay marriage in a week's ' time, Smith said. D'Allesandro was the lone Democrat against gay marriage, but "we're looking to have his constituents ask him to please do the right thing again."
Uninvited and automated intrusions into your home through the phone. How polite!
I'm really surprised to hear that you believe you are representing your constituents with your position to date on marriage equality. I write this here, because many of your constituents in Orford, who worked so hard to get you elected, aren't able to get through to leave a phone message and we haven't heard back in response to our e-mails. Many of us have been desperately trying to tell you what we think, but recently you have been completely unavailable. And what we think is that marriage equality is a civil rights issue. No matter how much those who want to perpetuate an injustice scream, it does not make their position the morally tenable one. As a civil rights issue, there is no place for fixing the discrimination and inequity later. Civil unions are not equal. The injustice must be fixed now and legislatively. We supported you because we believed that you would lead. This is not an issue that people need to get used to. Was it ever morally OK to ban interracial marriage because of an ignorant or bigoted majority? Was it OK to keep women from voting until everyone got used to the idea? I think not. Deference to individual religious beliefs is also no excuse for perpetuating discrimination. Now is the time for moral leadership, and I am unable to grasp how continuing to support discrimination is moral leadership. Please do the right thing. Please show us the moral leadership that lead us to work so hard for your election. It is moral leadership that will best serve your constituents.
I'm having trouble coming up with something to add to this:
Gerri Cannon of Merrimack, who spent weeks pushing the transgender rights bill, said Friday that she thinks the fight is pretty much over in the Senate after a committee rejected the bill 5-0.
...One gripe of Cannon's: Reynolds, the Judiciary Committee chairwoman, urged people to condense their remarks and hand in written copies of their testimony for the committee to read later. Moments after the hearing ended, the committee voted to recommend killing the bill.
"That bordered on being very impolite," said Cannon.
Congratulations, Deb Reynolds. You have turned Sununu's bigoted comment into a rallying cry for the NHGOP.
Dorgan:
Republican Party Chairman John H. Sununu drew fire last week for his challenge to Lynch to veto gay marriage and transgender rights, or as it called it, "that garbage."
...Pouring a little salt in the liberal wound, (NHGOP spokesman Ryan) Williams added: "Obviously, the Democrats in the Senate agree with our assessment because as we saw yesterday they have started to reject some of this radical agenda."
Sen. Betsi DeVries, D-Manchester, has told associates she, too, can't go along with it (HB436) right now.
Landrigan was wrong about the bill's fate in the House, so I'm not quite ready to believe this yet.
Or maybe because it's that I can't believe my own eyes that a Democratic majority would kill equal opportunity under the law.
Adding: Of course the upside here is that all the Democrats of the southern tier who are tearing their hair out right now don't have to send all of their primary money and time up north into Reynolds' district. But much more on the way forward once we have the actual vote on Wednesday. And none of this should stop us from keeping the calls coming.
Deb Reynolds and two Republicans advised their senate colleagues that marriage equality is "inexpedient to legislate." We are just not ready for marriage quality in this state, we are told.
Connecticut is ready for marriage equality:
On Thursday, Gov. M. Jodi Rell became the first governor in the United States to sign gay-marriage legislation, less than 24 hours after the House and Senate aligned state statutes to last year's historic state Supreme Court decision.
New Jersey is ready for marriage equality:
By a 49 - 43 percent margin, New Jersey voters support a law that would allow same-sex couples to marry, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today
Maine is ready for marriage equality:
A public hearing on allowing gay marriage in Maine has opened with a standing ovation for the bill's sponsor.
Sen. Dennis Damon received a roar of approval at a crowded hearing Wednesday when he said the time has come to recognize same-sex marriages.
New York is ready for marriage equality:
By a margin of 53 percent to 39 percent, respondents to the Siena College poll believe the Senate should pass marriage-equality legislation introduced last week by Gov. David A. Paterson.
And of course, Vermont, Iowa, and Massachusetts are ready for marriage equality.
But New Hampshire, we're not ready. I guess we'll have to wait until we have a Democratic governor, and solid majorities in the House and Senate, or something. When that happens, we'll be ready too.
State Senator Deb Reynolds just cheapened my marriage.
But forget about me: what she has effectively done is left New Hampshire in the dust as the rest of New England and the northeast moves forward on marriage equality.
I want names. Lyme and Orford are in Reynolds' district, and they have become outer bands of the Upper Valley. Surely there is a real progressive from there or somewhere else in the district who will primary her for this.
This bill was the chance the newly dominant progressive Democrat in New Hampshire had to really represent its growing ranks. This was a watershed moment. And now Deb Reynolds, whether acting alone or as the fall guy for the Governor, I don't know, decided to go with what required less courage.
Yeah, yeah, single-issue voter-ism, blah, blah, blah. But think about it: marriage equality cuts to the heart of what the Democratic party stands for, and across the nation this issue is gaining real steam. I'm not a litmus test voter, of course, but this was a seminal moment, and a seminal failure for New Hampshire.
The irony is that the senate and governor probably think that by defeating HB436 they will help their re-election chances, when the reality is likely the opposite.
This is the most ashamed I've felt about my party since blogging Granite State politics.
Of course the senate in full can still vote on HB436 and pass it, but I am under no illusions anymore that they will.
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.
(Short diary this, but I love Deb Reynolds, so I'm gonna promote it. Thanks Jerid. - promoted by Dean Barker)
Bah, I'm still figuring out what's going on out here. Thanks to BH readers and the Clinton campaign I just realized this is a scoop.
It was a nice event and I've got video and pictures up over at http://www.buckeyest... (I especially enjoyed Governor Vilsack's comments about Ohio). Prezzie staffers out there, I'm looking forward to touching base with you (please have your campaigns return my emails. I want to get out to your stuff too!).
