State lawmakers have a little more than one month left to wrap up the 2005 legislative session. Legislators this week will look at a panoply of bills on everything from a committee to study biodiesel energy to a resolution condemning the genocide in Darfur.

On Wednesday, the Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 126, a measure that would protect public employees from discharge or reprisal should they act as whistleblowers. According to the bill, state employees can speak out on "a matter that is public interest concerning his or her employment" without fear of being fired or punished; however, any speech that reveals trade secrets, patents, confidential information or the details of a fiduciary relationship is not covered by the bill.

Also that day, the Senate Transportation and Interstate Commerce Committee will hold a public hearing on a bill that would establish a commission to study the uses of biodiesel as a source of fuel for cars and home heating. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel source made from items such as vegetable oils, animal fats and algae. It's the second alternative-energy bill to make it through the House this session. A measure to establish a committee to study the potential uses of geothermal energy is already being looked at by the Senate's Energy and Economic Development Committee. While biodiesel uses organic products as a fuel source, geothermal energy is harvested from "hot spots" in the earth, places where underground reservoirs of water are super-heated by the lava below the planet's crust. If the bills are passed, the respective committees would examine ways the state could promote and encourage the use of renewable, alternative energy resources.

On Tuesday, May 10, the Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing on HCR 6, a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to make English the official language of the country. Rep. Elbert Bicknell (R-Northwood) is the bill's sponsor.

"Declaring English the official language of the U.S. is essential and beneficial for all Americans. English unites all Americans ... by providing a common means of communication," Bicknell said in an earlier interview with The Wire.

A number of bills previously reported on in Under the Dome got the endorsement of their respective House committees last week. The Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs committee unanimously recommended to pass SB 171, which would establish a committee to study how the state delivers services for people infected with HIV/AIDS. Federal funding for HIV/AIDS services is expected to decrease, and the state currently does not provide any funding to AIDS service groups like AIDS Response Seacoast. Once established, the commission would look at the existing service delivery models in the state, draw comparisons to service models in other states and provide alternative service models. Also recommended to pass were bills that would up the penalty for peeping toms caught peering into windows to a misdemeanor (it was previously only a violation) and would make it a crime to make an unauthorized recording of a film in a movie theater. The three bills now only need to be voted on by the full House before they pass.

On Thursday, May 5, the House State, Federal and Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on HR 13, a resolution that would condemn the genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan in Africa. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell officially acknowledged the genocide in Darfur last year.

For a full meeting schedule and the low-down on all voting results, visit the N.H. General Court's Web site: http://gencourt.state.nh.us.