The House will meet in Joint Session with the Senate on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. to receive the State of the State address from Governor Lynch. The House also will be in Session on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. The Senate will meet in Regular Session on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 1:00 p.m., continuing in the January 25, 2012 Senate Session.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1
HOUSE CONSENT CALENDAR
HB 1372, requiring prisoners between 17 and 21 years of age to complete the requirements for a high school diploma or a GED certificate prior to release on probation or parole. INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
HB 1311, changing a statutory reference to reflect the current homestead exemption amounts. OUGHT TO PASS. Rep. Lucy M. Weber for Judiciary: When the homestead exemption amounts were raised from $30,000 to $100,000 for a single person and from $60,000 to $200,000 for a married couple, no corresponding change was made to the statutory notice form prescribed in RSA 529:20-a. This bill simply conforms the statutory notice form to include the correct current amounts.
REGULAR CALENDAR
EDUCATION
HB 1360, relative to the rulemaking authority of the state board of education. HB 1360 allows only those proposed rules approved by a majority vote in each education committee of the House and the Senate to be adopted and have the force and effect of law. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT. MINORITY: REFER FOR INTERIM STUDY
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION
HB 1274-FN, abolishing the department of cultural resources. OUGHT TO PASS WITH AMENDMENT.
HB 1285-FN, repealing the state art fund. MAJORITY: OUGHT TO PASS. MINORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.
SENATE ACTION
LAID ON THE TABLE
Commerce, SJ 3, pg. TBA
SB 163-FN, relative to the New Hampshire health benefit exchange. 01/18/12, pending motion Committee
Amendment (0164s), Commerce, SJ 2, pg. TBA
SB 201, apportioning state senate districts. 01/25/12, pending motion Committee Amendment (0271s),
TUESDAY, January 31
CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW AND STATUTORY RECODIFICATION, Room 206, LOB
1:00 p.m. HB 1146, requiring pupils to stand during the pledge of allegiance.
2:00 p.m. HB 1194, relative to the text of Article 73-a of Part II of the New Hampshire Constitution which would eliminate "The rules so promulgated shall have the force and effect of law." after " The chief justice of the supreme court shall be the administrative head of all the courts. He shall, with the concurrence of a majority of the supreme court justices, make rules governing the administration of all courts in the state and the practice and procedure to be followed in all such courts."
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 1706-FN, expanding the applicability of the capital murder statute.
1:00 p.m. HB 1667-FN, This bill amends several statutes to increase the age of minority for juvenile proceedings from 17 to 18 years of age.
ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
1:00 p.m. Executive session on HB 1136, relative to special state elections, HB 1161, establishing a committee to study permitting nonresident property owners to vote in local elections, HB 1291, prohibiting compelled speech, HB 1559, relative to political committees, HB 1683-FN, relative to political advertising by business organizations, HB 1684-FN-A, relative to campaign contributions and expenditures, HB 1354, relative to a person's residence for voting and all other legal purposes.
WE OPPOSE HB354
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2
EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:30 a.m. HB 1713-FN, abolishing the department of education and transferring all functions, duties, and responsibilities to the commissioner of education and the state board of education.
11:30 a.m. HB 1712, relative to the teaching of the Bible in public schools. This bill requires the state board of education to establish an elective bible literacy course for pupils in grades 9-12. Any version of the Bible can be used by the student.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
2:00 p.m. HB 1218, relative to state authority to accept federal aid. This bill requires the governor to obtain the approval of the executive council and the general court before seeking federal aid for emergency assistance or any other purpose intended to relieve distress.
JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
1:30 p.m. Rescheduled public hearing on CACR 26, relating to administration of the Supreme Court. Providing that the article authorizing the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to make rules governing the administration of all the courts of the state shall be repealed.
2:00 p.m. Rescheduled public hearing on CACR 28, relating to the allocation of authority between the legislative and judicial branches. Providing that the Supreme Court shall determine the constitutionality of judicial acts and the legislature shall determine the constitutionality of legislative acts.
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
9:30 a.m. HB 1545, relative to control of land received or acquired by a conservation commission. This bill specifies that conservation commissions do not have the power to convey interests in real property that they receive or acquire. This bill also limits conservation commission contracts to manage interests in real property to a term of 5 years.
10:30 a.m. HB 1586, relative to the acquisition of land for conservation purposes. This bill requires the selectmen of a town to hold public meetings before the acquisition of land or a lesser interest in land for conservation purposes.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION FUNDING REFORM, Rooms 210-211, LOB
9:00 a.m. Full committee work session on HB 1473-FN-L, relative to the calculation and distribution of adequate education grants.
9:15 a.m. Continued public hearing on HB 1321, establishing a committee to study the relationship between public funding of postsecondary education and workforce development.
9:20 a.m. HB 1564, establishing a committee to study and recommend solutions for simplifying the calculation of the cost of public education through the combination of adequate education, school building aid, and catastrophic aid funding.
9:25 a.m. HB 1649-FN-A-L, relative to collection of the education property tax and establishing a program to rebate certain excessive property tax payments of eligible taxpayers. This bill transfers the authority to collect the education property tax from the municipalities to the department of revenue administration. The bill establishes a program for the rebate of excessive education property tax payments made by eligible taxpayers in the state. Claims for rebates shall be made to the department of revenue administration and qualifying claims shall be paid from the interest which accumulates on education property taxes collected by the department. Beginning July 1, 2011, and every fiscal year thereafter, the commissioner of the department of revenue administration shall set the education tax rate at a level sufficient to generate revenue of $363,000,000 when imposed on all persons and property taxable pursuant to RSA 76:8, except property subject to tax under RSA 82 and RSA 83-F. The education property tax rate shall be effective for the following fiscal year. The rate shall be set to the nearest 1/2 cent necessary to generate the revenue required in this section.
II. The commissioner of the department of revenue administration shall determine the state portion of the education tax owed by each taxpayer under this section.
revenue administration and qualifying claims shall be paid from the interest which accumulates on education property taxes collected by the department.
Executive sessions will immediately follow the public hearings on these bills.
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING, Room 308, LOB
10:15 a.m. Subcommittee work session on HB 1670, apportioning executive council districts.
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