It was a bittersweet week for Rep. Jim Splaine. The Portsmouth Democrat scored a victory when the House Election Law Committee voted 15-2 in favor of HB 1125, Splaine’s bill that would give the New Hampshire Secretary of State leeway in scheduling the filing period for the presidential primary. Splaine filed the bill in response to efforts by the Democratic National Committee to schedule other presidential primaries and caucuses close to New Hampshire’s primary.

“With approval of this bill, all states and the national political parties should be put on notice that New Hampshire will do what is necessary to preserve our tradition,” Splaine said in an e-mail to The Wire.

However, the House Judiciary Committee wasn’t as fond of Splaine’s bill that would lower the drinking age to 18 for members of the armed forces. The vote was 17-2, with the majority of the committee stating that the bill would have “tragic and unintended consequences if passed.” Both of Splaine’s bills will go before the full House for a vote this week.

Another bill that didn’t fare well last week was HB 1148, which called for a $7,500 appropriation to the Seacoast Shipyard Association every two years. The House Finance Committee unanimously voted to kill the bill, stating that the Legislature can’t single out nonprofit programs for appropriations. The Legislature awarded the SSA $100,000 during the 2005 session to aid in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s fight against closure by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Also nixed was HB 1559, which would have lessened the training requirements for barbers, cosmetologists, manicurists and estheticians. Rep. Paul Hopfgarten (R-Derry) sponsored the bill in response to Newmarket resident Mike Fisher’s “outlaw manicurist” protest in May 2005. The Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted against the bill, saying that the changes would “put consumers at risk by having under educated, inadequately trained professionals in salons and spas.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee will look at a pair of bills that aim to prevent animal cruelty. Sen. Sheila Roberge (R-Bedford) is sponsoring both bills. The first is SB 320, which would strengthen laws relating to investigations of cruelty to horses. Under the bill, horse owners would be required to provide shelter for horses at all times; in addition, law enforcement officers who have taken an “equine investigators course” will be allowed to seize a horse if there’s evidence of mistreatment. The bill also ups the penalty for equine cruelty from a violation to a misdemeanor, or, if the horse dies, to a felony.

The second is SB 329, which would prohibit owners from leaving dogs alone in cars “in a manner that endangers the dog’s health or safety.” Owners could be charged with a violation if found guilty of leaving Fido alone in a hot car, for example.

Get ready for a rumble in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 7. That day, the Judiciary Committee will begin work on an amendment to the state’s constitution that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. A majority of members of a legislative study commission formed last year to study same-sex marriages recommended the amendment as a way of curbing any possible judicial challenges to the state’s marriage laws. The debate should be heated—arguments and in-fighting among commission members themselves attracted almost as much attention as their final recommendation. While it’s unclear if there’s any overwhelming support in the House or Senate for the amendment, Gov. John Lynch has said he opposes it. New Hampshire state law already restricts marriage to one man and one woman.

Also on Feb. 7, the House Election Law Committee will look at a series of bills that seek to clarify residency requirements for election laws. The first bill up for discussion, HB 1547, sets more restrictive limits on what counts as a domicile. Under the bill, nursing homes, hospitals and group homes are listed as acceptable residencies, while college dorms, hotel rooms and jails are not. Meanwhile, HB 1577 provides a more relaxed definition of a domicile, allowing those who reside in a “shelter, park or underpass,” among other places, to register to vote.

Over in the Senate, the Energy and Economic Development Committee will hear testimony on HJR 1, Rep. Richard Marple’s (R-Hooksett) attempt at having the state recognize the Piscataqua River and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as within the boundaries of New Hampshire, not Maine. The bill was originally introduced in January 2005, but was retained by the House State, Federal and Veterans Affairs Committee until the full House passed it in early January 2006.

Also on Feb. 7, a pair of House committees will look at three resolutions in support of some big topics. The Health and Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee will hear testimony on HJR 20, a resolution in support of stem cell research. Over in the House State, Federal and Veterans Affairs Committee, representatives will tackle two resolutions—HCR 23, which urges President George W. Bush to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to alleviate fuel prices; and HCR 25, which asks that the United States stop funding the United Nations should the UN adopt any resolutions that violate the U.S. Constitution.