There are only a small number of bills left to discuss and vote on, but House members will have their hands full this week when the Legislative Ethics Committee presents its recommendation for the fate of former House Speaker Gene Chandler. The seven-member committee last week voted unanimously to expel Chandler from the Legislature for not reporting the more than $64,000 in gifts he received from lobbyists at a series of "corn roasts" since 1998.

The report states: "To do otherwise would demean the ethical standards established by the Legislature for its membership. Representative Chandler chose to solicit and take financial gifts from donors who had business before the Legislature. He may have been unaware of the guideline requirements or he may have disregarded them. Either circumstance is equally egregious."

The House will vote on the committee's recommendations on Wednesday. The general opinion among the state's political watchdogs is that Chandler will avoid getting the boot, but exactly what kind of punishment he'll receive is unclear. Despite having formal ethics complaints filed against him in the fall of 2004, Chandler still won re-election to the House, though he was removed from his position as speaker.

Also on Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee will take another look at HB 541, a measure by Hooksett Republican Rep. Dick Marple to repeal the incorporation of the New Hampshire Bar Association. Marple believes the yearly fee the NHBA charges attorneys to practice law in the state amounts to an unconstitutional monopoly, which he feels is a good reason to revoke the organization's charter. In a post-NHBA era, Marple said attorneys would be free to form their own city, county or statewide organizations without fees and court-issued licenses.

"The free market for the products of law will be available for competitive bidding by all attorneys," Marple said in an earlier interview. "And those of incompetence will be weeded out by their own actions."

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, the Transportation and Interstate Cooperation Committee will discuss motorcycle noise legislation. Under HB 326, bikers would not be able to have a straight pipe exhaust system on their bike. Violators who continued to use straight pipes would be fined between $100 and $300.

On Thursday, the Senate will vote on HCR 6, a resolution urging Congress to make English the official language of the United States. Previous proposals to make English the official language of New Hampshire appeared before the Legislature in 1989, 1991 and 1995, but were not passed. However, a law was passed in 1995 requiring that all state government business be conducted in English.

As the Legislature approaches its June end date, here's a quick look back at a few pieces of legislation "Under the Dome" has been following. Sen. Iris Estabrook (D-Durham) will hold a ceremonial signing on Tuesday for SB 171, which establishes a legislative committee to study how the state provides funding for HIV/AIDS education and prevention. Gov. John Lynch signed the bill into law earlier this month. A controversial bill to raise the state's minimum wage by a dollar over the next year did not fare as well, however-the Senate Banks and Insurance Committee voted to kill the bill earlier this week. The Senate Transportation and Interstate Cooperation Committee also killed last week a bill that would have doubled the rates of mileage reimbursement for legislators. The bill would have raised the rates from 38 cents for the first 45 miles and 19 cents for each additional mile to 76 and 38 cents, respectively.

All meetings are open to the public. For the low-down on voting results and a full calendar, visit http://gencourt.state.nh.us.