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A new AP-GfK Poll finds that 52% of Americans support the rights of same-sex couples to marry. It's the second national poll to have found majority support for gay marriage in the last two months.
DiFruscia, a moderate, pro-gay marriage Republican who has served in the New Hampshire House for 10 years, was targeted by the right. "I had seven mailers against me," DiFruscia said.
One mailer pictured DiFruscia as a flasher at an elementary school and another made him look like he was presiding over a gay marriage.
If you think I am harping on this, you are right. If they would stoop so low on one of their own, just think of what they would do to "vermin" like you.
Interestingly enough, none of the Sunday State House columnists thought Nancy Elliot's (R-Merrimack) pronouncements in Judiciary last week were worth mentioning. Even though she said some horrible things about the Nashua school system that are not proven true and very, very damaging.
Maybe because the video went viral, appearing everywhere from Huffington Post to Perez Hilton's site, they didn't feel the need to mention it.Or maybe they just assume the usual IOKIYAR. I don't know.
Tom Fahey, however, does mention another weird thing going on with the repeal bills that I didn't know about.
WHO'S CALLING? That's what Rep. Anthony DiFruscia wants to know. After his home phone rang last weekend with more than 120 calls on the gay marriage issue, he's got the Attorney General on the case.
It didn't exactly take a CSI crew to get to the bottom of this. He asked some callers to hit the star-69 function, which calls a number back. It was a state representative's home. Others reached a number listed to the office of the Eagle Foundation in Manchester, he said. Others looked at their caller ID and saw a row of 1s.
The Eagle Foundation office did not return calls Friday. The Washington-based non-profit's Web page states it was formed to "counter current political trends in the U.S, that undermine our liberty, the family, moral values, conservative principles."
Hmmm. I think marriage equality actually strengthens the principles the Eagle Foundation supposedly supports.
The vote to uphold killing CACR28 (constitutional amendment to limit rights) and HB1590 (repeal) is Wednesday. You can contact your state rep here to show your support for the Judiciary Committee's decision.
(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.
