It’s only been one week since legislators swarmed back to the State House, but work on this year’s batch of bills is already in full swing.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will look at how to change the state’s laws to deal with illegal immigrants. Measures up for discussion include HB1642, which establish felony charges for anyone caught bringing an illegal alien to the state; HB 1137, which modifies the state’s criminal trespass law so that it includes illegal immigrants; and HB 1482, which establishes criminal penalties for anyone who helps illegal aliens obtain a vehicle registration. Sponsoring the bills are members of the House Republican Immigration Caucus, many of who are from the Hudson/New Ipswich area, which was thrust into national headlines in 2005 after local police chiefs arrested illegal immigrants on charges of trespassing. The charges were later dismissed. Rep. David Buhlman (R-Hudson) said the Caucus wants to pick up the slack from federal officials who aren’t doing enough to enforce immigration laws.

The Judiciary Committee will also have a big day looking at a quintet of bills dealing with the state’s eminent domain laws. The bills all seek to clearly define the concept of “public use,” so as to ensure that private property can’t be seized for economic development.

The Executive Departments and Administration Committee will hear testimony on HB 1559, which reduces the training requirements for barbers, cosmetologists, manicurists and estheticians. The bill would require barbers and cosmetologists to have 600 hours of training, not the 1,000-plus currently required, before getting a license. The bill is a response to Newmarket resident Mike Fisher’s “outlaw manicurist” event in May 2005, which was a protest of what he called excessive state licensing requirements. Also on Wednesday, the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee will examine a bill restricting the over-the-counter sale of pseudeophedrine-based drugs. These types of drugs are often used as an ingredient in making methamphetamines. The bill, HB 1713, would also establish a commission to study the feasibility of creating an electronic tracking system for the drugs.

Other bills up for discussion on Wednesday include HB 1293, which would set up a procedure for towns to change county affiliation. Rep. Harry Gale (R-Sunapee) is sponsoring the bill, which stems from requests from Sunapee town officials in 2005 to secede from Sullivan County. Residents and town officials were unhappy that tax revenue from property-rich Sunapee makes up almost 25 percent of Sullivan County’s budget, even though the town only has 8 percent of the county’s population.

Gale said he modeled the bill after RSA 194C, which allows communities to withdraw from school administrative units. Gale is unsure about the outcome of the bill, but he said equalizing the tax burden for property-rich towns is a widespread concern.

“If the education community has the wherewithal to withdraw, then that same authority should be granted to cities and towns in our state, in respect to county relationships,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll find a way to relieve this pressure and make things more equitable.”

Also on Wednesday is Rep. Paula Johnson’s (D-Nashua) bill HB 1270, which would prohibit drivers from using cell phones while on the road. This will be the third time for such a bill to come before the Legislature. Previous attempts in 2000 and 2005 to force drivers to hang up their phones failed.
The New Hampshire primary will take center stage on Thursday, Jan. 12, when the Election Law Committee will hear testimony on HB 1125, Rep. Jim Splaine’s (D-Portsmouth) bill that gives the New Hampshire secretary of state flexibility in scheduling candidate filing periods for the primary. In the 1970s, Splaine sponsored the legislation that cemented New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status; this time around, he says he wants to make sure the secretary of state has plenty of wiggle room in scheduling the contest so that it remains first.

Thursday will also see the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee looking at HB 1390, which makes “official oppression” a misdemeanor. In other words, if a government official violates a person’s constitutional rights, they could face a misdemeanor charge. This is the bill’s second time around in the Legislature—Rep. Daniel Itse (R-Fremont) originally sponsored a similar bill in the 2005 session, but it was killed in committee. Itse said he proposed the bill because no legal penalties have been established for violating someone’s constitutional rights.

Finally, expect smokers, restaurateurs and everyone else to turn out in force on Tuesday, Jan. 17 for the hearing on HB 1177, Rep. Sheila Francoeur’s (R-Hampton) bill that would ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Though the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association has backed away from its opposition to the bill, the hearing could still be contentious. Previous legislative attempts to prohibit smoking in restaurants, in 1997, 2000 and 2002, all failed.

All meetings are open to the public. For more information and a full calendar, visit the General Court’s Web site at gencourt.state.nh.us.