Two controversial bills were shot down in the Senate last week.
The first, HB 162, would have established speed limits of 45 mph during the day and 25 mph at dawn and dusk on New Hampshire lakes. The bill was initially introduced in 2005. However, public outcry convinced the Legislature to hold a series of public meetings in the Lakes Region last summer to gauge public opinion. While the House narrowly passed the bill last month, the Senate was not so kind, voting it down 15-9.

Also nixed was the Senate’s bill dealing the disbursement of emergency contraception medicines. SB 343 would have required girls under the age of 18 to obtain the consent of their parent or guardian before a pharmacist could prescribe them emergency contraceptives; the bill also would have given pharmacists protection from civil liability and disciplinary action if they chose not to fill a prescription for emergency contraceptives. A similar bill failed in the House last week.

The Senate is also still considering a bill that would require fire-safe cigarettes to be sold in the state. Fire-safe cigarettes are made from a special kind of paper that will extinguish itself if left unattended. The Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee recommended the measure pass; the bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee to determine its impact on cigarette tax revenue for the state.|

Among the slew of bills that the House will vote on this week are two measures that aim to increase funding for land conservation and fuel assistance for low-income residents.

On Wednesday, March 22, the full House will vote on HB 1167, which would appropriate $7.5 million to the Land Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). Some lawmakers are still smarting over the drastic funding cut LCHIP received during budget talks in 2005—Gov. John Lynch had asked for $10 million to be sent to the conservation program between 2006 and 2007, but Republican legislators trimmed that down to $1.5 million. This time around, the House Finance Committee has come out in support of the bill.

Also up for a vote this week is a bill that would require the tax revenue attributable to an estimated $1.7 million in illegal sales of tobacco to minors be earmarked for the state’s tobacco use prevention fund. Rep. William Knowles (D-Dover) sponsored the bill at the request of Dover Youth to Youth, an organization of Dover students that lobbies against the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco by teens. New Hampshire does not spend any money on youth tobacco prevention programs.

 Gov. John Lynch has been stumping for HB 1692, which would strengthen state laws against child sex offenders, since last October. However, the House Criminal Justice Committee removed one of the governor’s key provisions from the bill. The committee eliminated a requirement for a mandatory 25-year sentence for first-time sex offenders before voting to recommend passage of the bill.

On Thursday, March 23, the Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 626, which updates the state’s “right-to-know” law to include electronic forms of communication. Also on Thursday, the Senate Internal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1125, Rep. Jim Splaine’s (D-Portsmouth) measure to allow the secretary of state flexibility in scheduling New Hampshire’s presidential primary.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, March 28 will look at more legislation designed to squelch the spread of methamphetamines in New Hampshire. HB 1713 would restrict the sale of cold medicines containing pseudophederine, an ingredient common in the making of meth. Under the provision, consumers would not be able to purchase more than two packages of cold medicine at a time, and the medicine could not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. The bill would also establish a legislative commission to study the feasibility of an electronic tracking program for pseudophederine-based medicines.