N.H. House and Senate Convene
January 8;
Votes Expected On Trafficking Bill and Marijuana Commercialization
State House action resumes on Wednesday, January 8, when the House and Senate convene for their first sessions of 2020. Here are Cornerstone action alerts on two bills held over from 2019. Please call or email your legislators today!
This is the first of Cornerstone’s weekly updates for the 2020 legislative session. Hearings on new bills will begin in a matter of days. Watch for our email updates and action alerts, and be sure to follow the Cornerstone Action Facebook page and web site. Thank you!
HB 201, Relative to Increasing Penalties For Adults Buying Sex From Minors
WHEN: The House will vote on HB 201 sometime during its two-day session January 8-9. This bill was introduced in 2019, and was retained (held over) to 2020 by the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
CORNERSTONE POSITION: Cornerstone SUPPORTS HB 201 as introduced by its sponsors, and supports the “ought to pass” recommendation by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
WHY: HB 201 will increase the maximum allowable penalty for anyone who pays to engage in sexual contact with a minor who is being trafficked. The bill would allow such an offense to be prosecuted as a class A felony. “Minor” means under the age of 18 – in other words, a child.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Ask your state representatives to vote OUGHT TO PASS on HB 201.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S)
HB 481, Relative to the Legalization and Government Commercialization of Recreational Marijuana
WHEN: The Senate is scheduled to vote on HB 481 January 8. This bill was introduced in 2019 and was re-referred (held over) by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
CORNERSTONE POSITION: Cornerstone SUPPORTS the “interim study” recommendation of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
WHY: Cornerstone opposes HB 481, and a vote to send HB 481 to interim study would effectively kill the bill for 2020. Enabling widespread use of recreational marijuana will privatize the gains and socialize the losses of marijuana commercialization. For more information, read Cornerstone’s testimony on HB 481 from the bill’s original hearing in February 2019.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Ask your state senator to support the committee recommendation of INTERIM STUDY on HB 481.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOUR SENATOR
New Hampshire March for Life in Concord Saturday, January 11
The New Hampshire March for Life, organized by New Hampshire Right to Life, will be held in Concord on Saturday, January 11 at 11:45 a.m. The march will proceed from the State House Plaza to the parish center at Christ the King church at 72 South Main Street.
Maria Girtatos of Rachel’s Vineyard will be the featured speaker at the parish center following the march.
For more information, please see the New Hampshire Right to Life website.