Caylee Anthony Bills, Tolls, and Buying American
NH lawmakers buckle down for a score of fiscal and safety bills this week.
Caylee Anthony bills. Expanding the state's capital murder law. A temporary gas tax cut to boost Memorial Day business. And giving Merrimack-area residents and businesses toll relief. Here's to another busy legislative week in Concord – and that's not even including discussion of declaring "brainpower" as a state resource.
Nano Nano: Lawmakers will review a bill that authorizes "nano brewery licensees" to sell their products at farmers' markets. Legislative Office Building Room 302, Tuesday at 10:15 a.m.
The Stand: The excitingly named "Constitutional Review and Statutory Recodification" Committee will, among many bills (including work session on expanded gambling), hear a proposal to require pupils to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. LOB Room 206, Tuesday, 1 p.m.
Capital Murder: A bill to expand the applicability of the capital murder statute gets a public hearing Tuesday, 10 a.m., in LOB Room 204. The expanded definition would include "robbery." This is House Bill 1706. From the bill's fiscal note: "On average there are 18 homicides per year. The Department states there were 5 homicides in 2009, 3 homicides in 2010 and 3 homicides in 2011 that would have likely been charged as capital murders." LOB Room 204, Tuesday, 10 a.m.
Caylee Anthony: House Republican leaders are among the sponsors of a bill being referred to as the Caylee Anthony bill, after the 2-year-old killed in 2008. Casey Anthony, her mother, was acquitted in the killing last year. The bill would establish a criminal offense for failure to report a missing or deceased child. LOB Room 204, Tuesday, 1:30 p.m.
Road Toll I: The House Public Works and Highways Committee will hear a bill Tuesday to reduce the state's gas tax–in statute referred to as road toll–from 18 cents per gallon to 5 cents per gallon for the 2012 Memorial Day weekend. LOB Room 201, Tuesday, 10 a.m.
Another New Hampshire Advantage? The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee will hearing a resolution "urging New Hampshire policymakers to declare 'brainpower' a state resource." LOB Room 302, Thursday, 11 a.m.
Made in the USA: A House committee hears a bill (with Majority and Minority leaders as co-sponsors) that requires U.S. flags purchased with state funds or displayed in state facilities to be made in the United States. LOB Room 306, Thursday, 2:30 p.m.
Full House: The full House of Representatives convenes for a session day Wednesday, at which time it will consider committee recommendations to kill that bill requiring a reference to the Magna Carta on certain legislation – there's another recommendation to kill a bill that would require "a vegetarian diet for inmates in state correctional facilities." Too costly, a committee concluded, and there could be "the possibility of prison riots and ACLU involvement."
The regular House calendar for the Wednesday session includes a bill to ensure in-state tuition rates in the state's university system are for state residents.
Thursday, it appears, is back-to-the-future day for House Public Works and Highways, when they hear at least three bills on the F.E. Everett turnpike tolls.
Kathy Benuck
9:47 am on Monday, January 30, 2012
Hi Dan!
Nice summary! I think that people would love this as a regular weekly feature!
Dan Tuohy
9:52 am on Monday, January 30, 2012
Thanks, Kathy. You got it. We'll shoot to run it every Monday morning.
Jan Schmidt
2:31 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
Yes, I agree. There is nowhere and no one really covering the State House the way citizens need to see it.
I mean ... the Magna Carta? Come on!!!