HB 481, Relative to Legalization and Regulation of Recreational Marijuana
WHEN: The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will vote on HB 481 on Thursday, February 21, at 11:00 a.m. Legislative Office Building, Rm 204.
CORNERSTONE POSITION: OPPOSED.
WHY: Enabling widespread use of recreational marijuana brings social, economic, and health costs that far outweigh any benefit the state might derive from taxing the drug. Read Cornerstone’s testimony on the bill by Neil Hubacker, our Director of Strategic Alliances. For talking points, review our update on the bill, and be sure to check out the downloadable PDF from our friends in New Zealand.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact the House Criminal Justice committee members and ask them for an INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE vote on HB 481! If you can’t contact them all, focus on those who live closest to you!
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, including party, town, and contact information:
Rep. Laura Pantelakos (D-Portsmouth)
603-436-2148. lcpantelakos@comcast.net
Rep. Andrew O’Hearne (D-Claremont)
603-558-1038, Andrew.OHearne@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Linn Opderbecke (D-Dover)
603-742-4119, Linn.Opderbecke@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. John Bordenet (D-Keene)
603-352-0680, John.Bordenet@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. David Meuse (D-Portsmouth)
David.Meuse@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Nancy Murphy (D-Merrimack)
603-424-0254, Nancy.Murphy@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Ray Newman (D-Nashua)
603-880-8973, Ray.Newman@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Julie Radhakrishnan (D-Amherst)
603-321-1965, Julie.Radhakrishnan@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Sandy Swinburne (D-Marlborough)
603-876-4173, Sandy.Swinburne@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. David Welch (R-Kingston)
603-642-4402, Welch4016@outlook.com
Rep. Dennis Fields (R-Sanbornton)
603-528-6224, Dennis.Fields@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. John Burt (R-Goffstown)
603-624-5084, John.Burt@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Dennis Green (R-Hampstead)
603-234-7776, Dennis.Green@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Dave Testerman (R- Franklin)
603-320-9524, Dave@sanbornhall.net
Rep. Scott Wallace (R-Danville)
603-642-6379, Scott.Wallace@leg.state.nh.us.
Note that Rep. Wallace is a co-sponsor of HB 481.
Rep. Derryl Abbas (R-Salem)
603-560-1929, Derryl.Abbas@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Jody McNally (R-Rochester)
603-330-7655, Mcnally_Jody_usmc@yahoo.com
Rep. Robert “Renny” Cushing
603-926-2737, Renny.Cushing@leg.state.nh.us. Note that Rep. Cushing is chief sponsor of HB 481 as well as chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
Rep. Beth Rodd (D-Bradford)
603-938-2692, Beth.Rodd@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Linda Harriott-Gathright (D-Nashua)
603-880-4537, linda.harriottgathright@leg.state.nh.us
SB 310, Relative to Casino Gambling
WHEN: The Senate Finance Committee will have a public hearing on SB 310-FN-A-L on Tuesday, February 19, at 1:00 p.m. at the State House, Rm 103.
CORNERSTONE POSITION: OPPOSED
WHY: Casinos and video slot machines foster gambling addictions, breed crime, and usually have a net negative economic effect on their communities.
Update on Recent Legislative Action
Bills we have been following, that are now on to the next steps. Your voice still needed and still matters!
SB 196, Relative to Non-Academic Surveys in Schools:
STATUS: Passed Senate 13-10; will be scheduled for House hearing at a later date.
CORNERSTONE POSITION: OPPOSED
WHY: SB 196 would roll back a 2017 law protecting student privacy and parental rights. Instead of giving parents the right to “opt-in” before a non-academic survey is administered to their children in school, it would switch to an “opt-out” policy – meaning that if a parent doesn’t actively say NO, the school will administer the survey to the student. Read Cornerstone’s update on the hearing here and our written testimony hear.
Coming Up: House Session February 27, possibly February 28 as well
The House will meet in full session on Wednesday, February 27, with a continuation if necessary on Thursday, February 28. While the schedule for the session will not be published until later, we know the House could vote on bills including HB 158, abortion statistics;HB 383-A, relative to gender “discrimination” in schools, and HB 289, relative to prayer in schools.
Watch for next week’s Cornerstone legislative update, when we will have calls to action on these bills.
