The debate on underage drinking was in full swing in the House last week when the Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB 1647, Rep. Jim Splaine’s (D-Portsmouth) bill that would lower the legal drinking age to 18 for members of the armed forces.

In his testimony before the committee, Splaine called not allowing 18-, 19- and 20-year-old members of the military to drink “unconscionable.” He also said he’s in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18, regardless of military service.

“You’re going to hear considerable testimony on this issue about data that indicates that lives have been saved from having the drinking age at 21,” Splaine said in written testimony submitted to the committee. “What I believe is that we have forced 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds, including those in the military, to go underground to drink, and those statistics are likely not tracked accurately.” The committee has not voted on the bill.

Lawmakers will further discuss the imbibing of potent potables this week. On Thursday, Jan. 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on SB 355, which would make it illegal for minors to consume any alcohol. Sen. Shelia Roberge (R-Bedford) is sponsoring the bill. Currently, New Hampshire law states that it’s illegal for a minor to be intoxicated; if passed, SB 355 would establish penalties for minors who drink any alcohol, regardless of intoxication.

Also in the Senate on Thursday is a hearing on SB 318, Sen. Peter Bragdon’s (R-Milford) bill that would allow a person the right to use deadly force wherever they are. The current law limits the use of deadly force to a person’s home.

Over in the House, the Commerce Committee will hear testimony on HB 1413, which would set daylight-saving time in New Hampshire two hours in advance of the regular time, instead of one hour. Daylight-saving time would also be extended from March until November, in compliance with the Energy Policy Act passed by Congress in 2005. Rep. Peter Schmidt (D-Dover) is sponsoring the bill at the request of a constituent. Schmidt said the constituent argued that in the spring, the sun rises long before people actually get out of bed. By setting clocks ahead two hours, that daylight wouldn’t be “wasted” and people could take advantage of more light in the evening. The extra hour would also be carried over into the fall when the clocks are set back an hour. If the bill makes it out of committee, Schmidt said the state would have to coordinate with lawmakers in Maine and Massachusetts to discuss synching up the time zones.

“It seemed like an idea worth exploring,” he said.

Also on Jan. 19, the Health and Human Services Committee will examine HB 1742 and HB 1741, a pair of bills sponsored by Rep. Leo Pepino (R-Manchester) and Rep. Paula Johnson (D-Nashua), respectively, which would require hospitals and nursing homes to regularly report on the rates of infections acquired at the facilities, and the Environmental and Agricultural Committee will hear testimony on HB 1123, a bill requiring first-time horse riders to wear helmets.

Finally, the Resources, Recreation and Development Committee will most likely get thirsty while hearing about HB 1737, which would establish a “beverage fee” to be paid by beverage makers and distributors. Everything drinkable except alcohol and water would be included in the new rules, which would require manufacturers and distributors to pony up two cents for bottles under a gallon and five cents for bottles over a gallon. Rep. Richard Cooney (R-Salem) is sponsoring the bill.

Once the revenue is collected, it will trickle into various funds in state coffers. Thirty percent would be earmarked for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program; 10 percent would be deposited in the state’s dam maintenance fund; 10 percent would go toward water resources and water supply protection; 10 percent would go to the maintenance of in-stream river flows in the state, and the remaining money would go to the state’s general fund.

But even if lawmakers don’t like the idea of LCHIP getting a boost from soda sales, they’ll have another chance to discuss how much state funding should go to the conservation program. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Finance Committee will look at a pair of bills making appropriations for the state’s fuel assistance program and LCHIP. First, HB 1626 would send another $5 million to the heating assistance program, which helps low-income families pay for winter heating and energy costs. HB 1167 would send a total of $7.5 million to LCHIP’s fund, with $2.5 million going in for the fiscal year ending in 2006 and $5 million for the 2007 fiscal year. During budget talks last year, lawmakers kept LCHIP’s funding at $1.5 million for the 2005-2007 budget cycle, despite requests from Gov. John Lynch to boost funding to $10 million. Between 2002 and 2004, funding for LCHIP was reduced from $13 million to $1.5 million.

Also on Tuesday, The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hear testimony on HB 1639, which would prohibit authorities from confiscating legally owned firearms during a state of emergency.

And finally on Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee will hear arguments for and against SB 268, which would raise the required age of attendance in school from 16 to 18 years old. Sen. Dick Green (R-Rochester) is sponsoring the bill; last fall, Gov. John Lynch asked lawmakers to consider such a bill to combat the state’s school dropout rates.