N.H. House Bills Flying Under the Radar

When the House meets on November 30 and December 14, members are scheduled to vote on a host of bills that have received little publicity. The following bills (compiled by Bob Sanders, subscription required) are on the House consent calendar. They will likely all pass the House in a single vote — unless a House member objects and has one removed from the consent calendar before the vote.

• HCR 2: Expresses support for controversial legislation passed by State of Arizona to reduce illegal immigration.

• HB 344: Expands the judicial branch evaluation program by adding non judicial branch members and obtaining “a greater citizen response.” Judges who are judged to have performed poorly will be publicly identified.

• HB 533: Establishes a cap of $50 million per year on school building aid grants and continues the current moratorium.

• HB 545: Repeals the Department of Education’s rule making authority for home education programs. This bill gives the Home Education Advisory Council the final say for all rules for home education and prevents school districts from making policies that are inconsistent or more restrictive than the home education statute.

• HB 574: Repeals the law enacted after September 11, 2001 that allows the state to take private property during a state of emergency. “The committee believes … that citizens who properly prepare for emergencies should not be placed in an inferior position because others, including government officials, have failed to properly anticipate a need.”

• HB 624: Prohibits state agencies from instituting or raising fees not specifically authorized by the legislature (pending review by Dartmouth Public Policy Research).