March 28, 2009
To the Editor:
Before a bill can go to the Governor and be passed into law, it must first be publicly introduced and then voted on in a legislative committee. Only after it passes from the committee with a pass or kill recommendation is it voted on by the full House or Senate. Here is a report on four important social bills that will make a major difference in our lives in New Hampshire. These four bills were in the committee I serve on, the Judiciary Committee, in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and this is what happened to the four bills.
The first bill (House Bill 304) would allow a physician to prescribe suicide pills to a patient. As a result of the public outcry, this bill was tabled in committee. This means it will stay in the Judiciary Committee until next year. It will then be voted on by the full legislature.
The second was a bill requires parents to be notified prior to an abortion conducted on their minor daughter (House Bill 531). Parental notification was killed in the House. Representative from local towns (Amherst, Mont Vernon and Milford) voting to kill Parental notification were Representatives Dokmo, Bergan, Chandley and Foster.
The third, the transgender rights bill, also known as the bathroom bill, (House Bill 415) passed through the Judiciary Committee on a party line vote. It was a close call but it was killed in the House. Voting to pass the bill were Representatives Foster and Chandley. While this bill failed to pass on March 26th, it will be reconsidered on April 8th.
The fourth bill was the Homosexual Marriage bill, (House Bill 436). This bill passed through the Judiciary Committee on a party line vote. On the house floor it passed with the vote of Representatives Dokmo, Bergan, Chandley, and Foster. Now it goes to the Senate.
Thanks to the internet a citizen can follow all bills and the voting records of their legislators. The state has a web site for the legislature. You can read the bill and follow the bill through the legislature and determine how your representatives voted.
Robert H. Rowe
Representative from Amherst and Milford