And We're Off! Here Are Five Ways to Follow the Action
In the New Hampshire legislature, the beginning of January means more than cold days, blizzards, and cars with ski racks headed up I-93.
It also means the start of committee hearings on legislation.
In this session, I’ll be serving on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee with my Portsmouth colleague, Rep. Laura Pantelakos. On Tuesday January 8, we’ll be having a short orientation session. Then on Wednesday January 9, we’ll be holding public hearings on a full slate of bills.
If you’re not familiar with the work of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, here’s the description from the House of Representatives website:
“It shall be the duty of the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety to consider all matters relating to the criminal code; criminal justice, the Department of Corrections, sentencing, drug enforcement, bail, probation, parole, corrections facilities, DWI, domestic violence, firearms, fireworks, police and fire training, victims’ assistance and such other matters as may be referred to it.”
Each bill submitted for consideration in the legislature gets a public hearing before one of the 24 separate House Committees. This gives people affected by the legislation, advocacy groups, lobbyists, and the general public a chance to testify in favor or against the bill. A new wrinkle in this session is that citizens coming to Concord to testify for or against a bill will generally be allowed to speak before the usual conga line of paid lobbyists. This was a rule change championed by Rep. Tim Smith from Manchester that passed overwhelmingly on the first day of the new session.
Following the legislature can be a challenge even for the most engaged citizens. While the New Hampshire news media generally does a good job covering the most controversial legislation, over 800 bills are expected to be considered in this session. This makes it easy for many important bills and debates to slip through the cracks. While you can always contact me if you have a specific question, it’s not always easy to find out what’s happening on your own. Here’s how you can get the information you need.
Download the weekly House Calendar. It’s wordy. It’s long. It looks like it’s still being printed (and authored) by Benjamin Franklin on a bad hair day. But it lists ALL of the bills being heard in committee and being voted on for that week in the legislature. You can also monitor announcements. These can range from innocuous things, like caucus meeting times, to potentially not-so-innocuous things, like lobbyist invitations to free breakfasts, cocktails, lunches, etc. that are open to all House members.
Access the Daily House Calendar. This online calendar is a recent addition to the House website. It makes it especially easy to track committee hearings. But keep in mind that it’s not very phone screen-friendly and it’s also being constantly updated. So looking at dates more than a week ahead on the calendar might not give you a complete picture of all the hearings that will actually take place on that day.
Read Statehouse Watch. This page from the New Hampshire chapter of the American Friends Service Committee is updated weekly right after the House Calendar comes out. It highlights important hearings and votes in a more concise, easier-to-read style than the House Calendar. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with AFSC’s take on political issues, it’s an excellent and valuable source of information.
Follow legislators and State House reporters on Twitter. While Twitter isn’t a great place to get in-depth information, it’s a great source for breaking news and “hot takes” on important issues—especially while the legislature is in session. Legislators like Rep. Sherry Frost and Rep. Debra Altschiller often tweet the results of votes before many in the media. As for members of the media, Paul Steinhauser of NH1, Gary Rayno from InDepthNH, Adam Sexton of WMUR, John DiStaso of WMUR, Casey Montgomery of NHPR, Ethan DeWitt from the Concord Monitor, Dave Solomon of the Manchester Union Leader, Todd Feathers of the Manchester Union Leader, and Holly Ramer from the Associated Press are all on my personal not-so-short list. Also keep in mind that most legislators and reporters opining on New Hampshire issues and breaking news stories also use the hashtag #NHpolitics. So for an easier way to decide who you want to follow, just go to Twitter and search “NHpolitics”. When you do, you’ll see the latest posts and can decide which legislators and reporters you would like to hear more from. If you’d like to follow me, my Twitter handle is @JdmMeuse.
Watch House Debates Online via Livestream. When the House meets in Representatives Hall, you can watch and listen to the action as it’s happening on your phone, tablet, or computer. Just go to the House Website and look for the Livestream link on the home page. You can also watch recordings of any sessions you miss by going to http://gencourt.state.nh.us/media/default.htm.