House Passes Gun-Free School Zones, Cannabis Legalization, and More
“For many teachers and students, it’s impossible to tell the difference between a gun-toting parent picking up the kids and a damaged person whose only goal is to pick off the kids.”
On Thursday, several bills passed earlier in the session by the New Hampshire House of Representatives, but referred back to a second House committee for additional review, made the trip back the House floor for new votes. With the deadline to act on all non-budget bills also falling on Thursday, we knew we were in for a long day. Here are the highlights. (Unless otherwise noted, I voted with the majority).
HB-564–the gun-free school safety zones bill—passed 213-159 . If approved by the Senate (likely) and signed by the governor (who has promised to veto it), New Hampshire communities would be empowered to ban carrying guns on public school property. Originally passed by the Education Committee and then by the full House, the amended bill simplifies and clarifies the definition of “school property”. In addition to exemptions for law enforcement officers, it also gives local school boards the power to authorize exceptions for trained school personnel. I spoke in favor of this bill on the House floor and was quoted in this news article. My full remarks are at the bottom of this post.
Cannabis legalization and regulation is also on the way to the Senate after a contentious debate on the amended bill’s revised taxation and regulatory provisions. HB-481 cleared the House 200-163 in a vote that was less along party lines and more along generational lines. The amended bill removes the original bill’s $30/ounce excise tax on cannabis flowers at the wholesale/grower level and replaces it with a 5% tax on the wholesale cultivator sales price and a 9% tax on retail sales. These changes would make cannabis taxation closer to the model used for tobacco legislation. Much of the focus of the debate was on the mixed experiences of other states in hitting revenue projections. Unfortunately, the bill also passed by a smaller margin this time around, dimming its prospects in light of a promised veto by the governor. You can read more here.
In a vote that requires some explaining, the House voted to kill a bill 203-165 that would have established a citizen’s right to know commission and a right to know ombudsman. While increasing the responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of government are never bad ideas, there are times when a good idea comes packaged with details that make it difficult to vote for. Unfortunately, HB-729 would have appropriated only $48,000 (including benefits) to pay an ombudsman required to have a minimum of 10 years legal experience and extensive knowledge of right to know case law both in New Hampshire and across the country. This is a highly unrealistic level of compensation given the needed qualifications. The bill also would have created membership requirements for the commission itself that would have ruled out many of the most qualified New Hampshire residents from participating. While I would have much preferred to have seen this bill either amended or retained for more work to correct its flaws, our choice was whether or not to approve it. I listened carefully to arguments on both sides and after more than a little internal debate voted with the majority to kill it.
Retirees in the New Hampshire retirement system, including teachers, police officers, firefighters, and state workers, are one step closer to a small, but much-needed, bump in their pensions. HB-616 passed 219-149. The amended bill provides a 1.5% cost of living pension increase on the first $50,000 of pension benefit to former state and municipal workers who retired before July 2014.
A new source of property tax relief is one step closer for taxpayers in cities, like Portsmouth, that serve as hubs for tourism, business, and higher education. By a 209-146 margin, the House passed HB-641. This bill returns a small measure of local control to New Hampshire cities and towns, who would now have the option of collecting up to a $2/night occupancy fee from operators of local hotel and room rentals. Combined with the restarting of revenue sharing from the state along with an upcoming House budget that promises even more property tax relief, we’re delivering on our promise of reducing the property tax burden while refusing to kick long-term problems down the road, such as adequate funding for public schools in the state’s poorer communities.
Coming up next week: The first vote on the new state budget as key details are starting to emerge.
Meuse Floor Speech: HB-564–Gun-Free School Zones
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in support of House Bill 564.
One of the thing that surprises many people who lead normal lives outside of the state house bubble is that there is no penalty for bringing a firearm onto the grounds of our public schools. Last November a group of parents in my district got three unwelcome surprises. The first came when a 3rd grader at Little Harbour Elementary School in Portsmouth turned in an ammunition clip—a clip that he found on school grounds. Apparently it had fallen out of the pocket of a parent dropping a child off at school. Later that day, came the second unwelcome surprise: the unnamed parent was allowed to pick up the clip at the Portsmouth Police Department and no charges were filed. But the third surprise was the one that shocked them most of all. That’s when these people learned that here in New Hampshire, it’s perfectly legal to carry firearms and ammunition onto school property and right into the school itself.
This bill would change that by making bringing a firearm onto school property a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum $2,000 fine and 1 year prison penalty. This is an appropriate penalty when you consider that there are provisions in the bill for school administrators to authorize exceptions not only to law enforcement officers, but also to any person authorized by the school board or school administrators. It’s one thing to be authorized to carry on school property.
But after NewTown, Columbine, Parkland and so many other incidents that have become burned into our brains, it’s a totally different thing to wander around a school zone with a firearm, even when you have the best of intentions.
Going into lockdown is a terrifying experience. For many teachers and students, it’s impossible to tell the difference between a gun-toting parent picking up the kids and a damaged person whose only goal is to pick off the kids.
With rights come responsibilities. This bill addresses both in a reasonable way that creates sensible exemptions and a sensible penalty.
Will HB-564 place a protective cone of invulnerability around our kids? No it won’t. Unfortunately, nothing we can do will ever offer complete protection in a society that seems to value the right to carry a gun over the responsibility to protect public safety. But it will be one small rational, realistic, and helpful thing we can do to minimize the risk of the unthinkable happening in our state.
So, please press the green button to send this bill on to our friends in the Senate—and to send a message that we’re finally willing to do something to protect our kids other than sending them our thoughts and prayers.