The House will vote on a flurry of bills in the next few weeks as the deadline approaches for the various legislative committees to issue their final recommendations. Expect to hear committee reports on the possible statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, as well as the state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Voting on many bills already started last week. Four of Rep. Jim Splaine’s (D-Portsmouth) bills made it to the House floor, where two were killed. The House voted against Splaine’s measures to lower the legal drinking age to 18 for members of the armed services and to abolish the death penalty in the state. However, House members did approve HB 1125, which allows the New Hampshire Secretary of State flexibility in setting the filing deadline for the state’s presidential primary. HB 1240, which would establish a position of “state ethics officer” was sent to a study committee for further review.

The University of New Hampshire also took a hit this week when the House voted on a pair of bills that directly impact the University. House members voted against HB 1743, which would require the state to reimburse the school, as well as Dover and Exeter, for costs related to Amtrak’s Downeaster train service. The state would have paid the University more than $40,000 over the next five years to cover costs associated with the train. However, the House did pass HB 1679, which allows towns to collect some property taxes on land held by state colleges and universities. The bill requires private vendors, like McDonald’s or Taco Bell, to pay municipalities property taxes on the spaces they rent at state schools.

Many of the bills “Under the Dome” has reported on in the last two months haven’t fared so well in their respective committees. And while the House doesn’t always follow a committee’s recommendation, it’s generally a safe bet that a bill that doesn’t carry the support of a committee won’t make it through the House.

The full House will vote this week on HB 1639, which would prohibit the confiscation of legally owned firearms during a state of emergency. Rep. Paul Hopfgarten (R-Derry) sponsored the measure in response to reports of law enforcement officers confiscating firearms during recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted against the bill 13-5.

“While the committee understands the concerns of the sponsors, there has never been an instance in New Hampshire where the concerns addressed by the bill have ever even remotely arisen,” said Rep. John Tholl (R-Whitefield) in the committee’s report. “The committee felt that although it may be an emotional issue for some, the bill is not needed.”

The committee also unanimously voted against HB 1643, which would increase penalties for those who commit assault in the presence of a minor. While the committee’s report said the bill is “well intentioned,” it noted that the bill was sponsored based on anecdotal evidence and adopting the bill could create needless complications in existing laws. Rep. Maureen Mooney (R-Manchester) sponsored the bill after hearing how an acquaintance’s daughter was adversely affected after seeing someone assault her mother.

Meanwhile, Rep. Richard Marple’s (R-Hooksett) bill to create a “common law court” got a thumbs down from the Judiciary Committee. The common law court would be made up of citizens and would be established outside the existing judiciary system. The committee’s report said HB 1641 is “unwarranted, unnecessary and an added expense for our citizens.”

Meanwhile, the Science, Technology and Energy Committee voted down Rep. Sam Cataldo’s (R-Farmington) request to establish a geothermal energy assessment project for the state. Cataldo is a proponent of geo-thermal energy, which uses water naturally heated and cooled by the earth to generate energy. The committee’s report stated that it is up to the state Department of Environmental Services to establish such a program.

Cell phone users who like to gab while they drive will most likely remain safe from fines now that the Transportation Committee has voted against HB 1270, which would ban the use of cell phones while driving. While the committee said it does not encourage the use of cell phones while on the road, there are many other distractions, including eating, reading maps and changing radio stations, that impair drivers’ abilities.

The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee also voted against HB 1151, which would prohibit businesses and homeowners from employing illegal aliens. Rep. Jordan Ulery (R-Hudson) and other members of the House Immigration Caucus sponsored the bill, which would create penalties for those caught employing illegal aliens; the bill would also hold employers liable for any medical costs illegal aliens might incur while working for them. The committee said the rules established in the bill would create a “chaotic environment” for businesses and would not solve the problem of illegal immigration.

Not every bill got rejected in committee, though. HB 1580, a measure to modify the state’s child support formula so that it takes into account the amount of time children spend in each parent’s home, narrowly received approval from the Children and Family Law Committee. While Rep. David Bickford (R-New Durham), the bill’s sponsor, said the new rules “hopefully will bring fairness to both parents and their children,” members of the minority in the committee said the bill is premature, since the state’s Child Support Commission has not made any recommendations on how the system should be changed.

Manchester Republican Rep. Leo Pepino was vindicated this week when the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee gave a nod to his bill that would establish an “unused prescription drug program.” The program would allow people to turn in their unused, unexpired prescription drugs and other medical supplies; hospitals, pharmacies and other health care providers could then re-label and re-dispense the drugs. Pepino’s wife passed away in April 2005 after a long illness. Following her death, Pepino said he had “thousands of dollars” worth of unused medicine in his house that he couldn’t do anything with.