Recap of actions taken in the NH House of Reps on Thursday March 12, 2015

The following is a RECAP of the General Session of the NH House of Representatives on March 12, 2015 as published by the Speaker’s Office.  ~Publis

ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE

(Special ordered from 3/11) HB 373, establishing the red-tailed hawk as the New Hampshire state raptor. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (Committee report of OTP fails, Division vote, 160-133. Motion of ITL passes, Voice Vote)

 

Motion to take HCR 3 off the table (Rep. Edelblut)

Motion to special order HB 431 ahead in the calendar to the first bill after lunch (Rep. Rappaport) passes, Voice vote.

 

FINANCE

HB 563-FN, relative to funding for chartered public school pupils. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (The committee report of OTP/A

 

FISH AND GAME AND MARINE RESOURCES

HB 298, relative to the seasons for taking game animals and game birds with the use of bait. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (The committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 222-95)

HB 336, relative to seasons for hunting by crossbow. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Committee report of OTP/A passes, Voice Vote)

 

Motion to special order HB684 ahead to the second bill after the lunch break (Rep.Shurtleff) passed, Voice Vote)

 

HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES & ELDERLY AFFAIRS

HB 564-FN, relative to prior authorization for certain prescription drugs. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Committee report of OTP/A passes, Voice Vote)

HB 593-FN, permitting qualifying patients and registered caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Committee report of ITL fails, Roll Call, 188-148; Motion of OTP of passes in a Roll Call, 208-132)

 

JUDICIARY

HB 292, expanding the good Samaritan law to engineers and architects. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Ammon) fails in a Roll Call, 206-109;  Motion of OTP/A passes, Roll Call, 235-105)

HB 403-FN, repealing the law relative to providing certain parameters for access to reproductive health care facilities. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Committee report of OTP passes, Roll Call, 170-159; Motion to reconsider fails, 180-161)

HB 443, clarifying the equity jurisdiction of the judicial branch family division. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Committee report of ITL passes, Voice Vote)

HB 446, relative to access to investigational drugs, biological products, and devices. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Wright) passes, Voice  Vote)

HB 461, prohibiting the use or application of foreign laws in the state court. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS  (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Burt) passes, Division Vote, 187-140)

HB 470, relative to jury nullification. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Committee report of ITL passes, 233-108)

HB 595-FN, relative to banning abortion after viability. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE  (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Rowe) passes, Voice Vote.

HB 606-FN-L, relative to costs for public records filed electronically. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Committee report of OTP/A passed,  Roll Call, 321-18)

HB 613, relative to governmental records exempted under the right-to-know law. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT (Committee Report of OTP/A passes, Voice Vote)

HB 646-FN-L, allowing public bodies or agencies to charge for the costs of retrieval of public records under the right-to-know law. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Hinch) passes.

 

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

HB 267-FN, requiring employers to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS.(Committee report of ITL passes, Division vote, 271-64)

 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY

(Special ordered ahead to this point in the Calendar) HB 431, relative to the placement of all new elective electric transmission lines in New Hampshire. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS.(Committee report of ITL passes 213-131)

 

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

(yesterday this bill was special ordered to this point in the calendar (Rep. Shurtleff) Voice Vote) HB 684-FN, establishing a state minimum hourly rate. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS (Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 198-145)

 

(Motion to special order HB 614 to this point in the calendar passed, voice vote.

 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY

HB 614-FN, implementing goals of the state 10-year energy strategy. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Committee report of OTP?A passes, 267-67)

 

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

HB 365, prohibiting an employer from using credit history in employment decisions. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS(Committee report of ITL passes Roll, 200-142)

HB 392-FN, relative to the minimum hourly wage. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Committee report of ITL passes, Voice Vote)

HB 450, relative to the definition of employee for purposes of workers’ compensation and establishing a commission to study and make recommendations for a common definition of employee. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Committee report of OTP/A passes, Voice vote)

HB 496-FN-L, prohibiting public employers from using criminal history in employment decisions. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Infantine) passes, Voice Vote)

HB 600-FN, relative to paid sick leave for employees. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. ( Committee report of ITL passed,  Roll Call, 219-122)

 

LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATION

HB 299, prohibiting voting by the house of representatives for the speaker of the house on organizational convening day to be by secret ballot. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 271-69)

HB 434, relative to review of proposed agency administrative rules by standing committees of the general court. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS (Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 235-105)

HCR 1, rescinding all requests by the New Hampshire legislature for a federal constitutional convention. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE  (Motion to limit debate passes, 169-166; Motion to reconsider (W. Obrien), Roll Call, fails 245-92; Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 262-75)

HCR 7, affirming States’ powers based on the Constitution for the United States and the Constitution of New Hampshire. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS (Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 217-108).

 

MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT

HB 205-L, relative to lending practices of energy efficiency and clean energy districts. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Committee report of OTP/A passes, Voice Vote)

 

RESOURCES, RECREATION AND DEVELOPMENT

HB 272, designating the Ham Branch watershed in Easton as a protected river and exempting the Ham Branch watershed from the comprehensive shore land protection act. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Committee report of OTP/A passes, Voice Vote)

HB 349, relative to state buffers for projects requiring wetland permits. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. C. Christensen) passes, Voice Vote)

 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY

HB 391-FN, applying the E911 surcharge to prepaid cellular telephones. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Committee amendment (#0360h) passes, Division Vote, 200-102; Committee report of OTP/A passes, Roll Call, passed 167-152). Motion to table (Rep. Halstead) fails 166-153. Motion to reconsider (Rep. White) fails, Division vote,  fails 190-125.

HB 544, allowing the general court to deny a utility the use of the power of eminent domain. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS.(Committee report of ITL passes, Voice Vote)

HB 574-FN, relative to regional greenhouse gas initiative distributions to residential customers. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Committee report of ITL passes, roll Call, 179-129)

HB 614-FN, implementing goals of the state 10-year energy strategy. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Committee report of OTP/A passes, Division Vote, 267-67)

 

Executive Departments & Administration

(special ordered from 3/11) HB 113, designating the mastodon as the official state fossil. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.  (Committee report of ITL , Division, 207-109)

 

Ways & Means

(special ordered from 3/11) HB 551-FN, relative to preventing diversion of business income to tax havens. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT (Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Almy) passes, Voice Vote.

 

BILLS REMOVED FROM CONSENT

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY

HB 263, prohibiting residency restrictions on sex offenders. OUGHT TO PASS (Rep. Webb) Motion to lay on the table (Rep. Webb) passes, Division Vote, 203-106.

HB 492-FN-L, relative to military and historic reenactments and commemorations. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Rep. Hoell) Committee report of OTP/A passes, Roll Call, passes, 258-54)

HB 568-FN, requiring a supervisory law enforcement officer to arrest a law enforcement officer when the supervisor knows that the law enforcement officer has committed a criminal offense. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Rep.Hoell) (Committee report of ITL  passes, Roll Call, 231-66)

HB 598, relative to the definition of deadly force. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (Rep;. Abramson) (Committee report of ITL passes, Division vote, 298-5.

 

EDUCATION

HB 317, relative to contracts between schools and school districts. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (Rep. Ladd)  (Committee report of ITL, passed Division vote, 246-39)

HB 323, relative to the administration of the statewide assessment program. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. (Rep. Ladd) (Committee amendment defeated in a Voice vote. Floor amendment 0806h (Rep. Ladd) passed on a voice vote. The bill, as amended by #0806h passed, Voice Vote.

 

ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE

HB 244-L, relative to the permissible level of methyl tertiary butyl ether in drinking water. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (Rep. McConnell) (Committee report of ITL passes, Division Vote, 242-32)

 

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

HB 139-FN, relative to an emergency exception under the New Hampshire retirement system for certain part-time employment. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Rep. Ratzki) (Committee report of ITL passes, Voice Vote)

HB 459, establishing a committee to study medical services provided to residents of the New Hampshire veterans’ home. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Rep. Theberge) Moton to lay on the table (Rep. Theberge) passes, Voice Vote.

 

JUDICIARY

HR 10, urging the department of justice to reexamine the conviction of Chad Evans. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.(Rep. Abramson) Motion to indefinitely postpone (Rep. Hopper) passes, Division Vote, 257-23.

 

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

HB 370-L, enabling counties and municipalities to establish minimum wage rates. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. (Rep. Robertson) Committee report of ITL passes, Voice Vote.

HB 402-FN, establishing the Franklin Partin right-to-work act. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE (Rep. W. O’Brien) (Committee report of ITL passes, Roll Call, 184-74.)