RAYMOND - I see the Democrats are really understanding the problem in Newtown, CT. On December 20th, just days after the school shooting and cries of “arm the teachers”, our House Rules Committee, under its new 6-4 Democrat majority, voted 6-4 to ban firearms in every area of the State House that is under the House of Representatives control. This was the past policy, but at the start of last term in 2011, the Republican majority voted in “allowing guns”.
The House gun policy is established in the House Rules and are set in place prior to the start of the new legislative session. Except when I worked for a detective agency years ago, I’ve never carried, but many representatives, including a surprising number of females, have during these past two years.
This term, for the first time in quite awhile, the representatives will not be sitting in the chamber as a divided room, but will be intertwined throughout the room. The Speaker feels this will give everyone a better chance to meet members of the opposing party, and may help to get better dialog. The real reason, in my opinion, is that it will give her senior members, a better chance to sway the votes of the freshman. With the membership at about 217-179, it will only take about 20 votes or less to change the vote outcome.
Looks like the Speaker also has decided that she does not want to have the Constitutional Review and Statutory Re-codification or the Redress of Grievances Committees this term. That is a true shame. The Redress Committee worked very hard these past two years trying to help those that were grieved by the courts and we planned to try to help them. Looks like any legislation the members of that committee is putting forward this term will be killed by her click.
Also on her Rule changes is to allow a motion of “lay on the table vote” to be lowered from a 2/3rd vote to a majority vote for any Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution (CACR) bills, thus lowering the chance of any passage, so the legislation could go to the voters for passage. Passed CACR’s go on the ballot for passage by the citizens of New Hampshire.
Yea, we are really off to a good start for the citizens of New Hampshire. Sorry, I don’t think so...
