LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Both the House and Senate have completed committee work on all bills filled this session.
This Thursday, May 14th, both chambers will meet to vote on all remaining committee recommendations. We encourage you to contact you state senator and representative(s) ahead of Thursday’s session on the bills listed in the section below (House and Senate Floor Sessions).
We also encourage you to join us at the State House on Thursday for visibility on priority bills and to thank our hard-working Democratic legislators for fighting the good fight week in and week out – it’s been a very tough year for all of them as they have tried to hold the line against the radical GOP Free State Agenda.
Following Thursday’s votes, our friends at AFSC NH have summarized what happens next: “the legislature’s remaining business will be to deal with any bills that have passed both bodies—but with differences due to amendments. You can see lists of these bills here: House bills amended by the Senate; and Senate bills amended by the House.
The legislators in the body where the bill originated have three choices: to concur with the other body’s changes, in which case the bill passes and goes on to the governor; to nonconcur, in which case the bill is defeated; or to nonconcur and request a committee of conference. Committees of conference are then formed and are tasked with seeking a compromise. If they are successful, these compromises will go to both bodies for a final vote no later than June 4, the last day of the session.
Note that several bills have already been through this process. You can see a current list of all Committees of Conference here; it will be updated regularly over the coming weeks.” **
After June 4th, Kent Street’s focus will turn to accountability—and to the November midterms. It will be up to all of us to let our friends and neighbors know how the actions of our legislators at the State House impact our families, our communities and our state.
** We thank our friends at AFSC NH State House Watch for always helping to guide us through the complicated labyrinth of NH State House politics and procedures.
And as always, make sure to check out State House Watch from our friends at NH AFSC for in depth coverage of all things happening inside and outside of the State House.
PLEASE NOTE:
By working closely with our coalition partners, Kent Street Coalition works hard to prioritize those bills that are most likely to have a significant impact, for good or bad, on individuals, our communities and the Granite State as a whole. Based on this work, we put forth recommendations about supporting or opposing bills. However, we encourage everyone to make their own choice about each bill. We include links to bills to help you in this decision-making process.
Kent Street Coalition 