House Bill 113, which passed the House 263-102 in February, has received closer scrutiny in the Senate. Sponsored by Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester), the measure would stop all state funding for NHPTV (Channel 11), including contracts with state agencies for educational and broadcasting services.

Vaillancourt and supporters of HB 113 have said that NHPTV does not fit into the state’s budget priorities. Vaillancourt has also staked out ideological ground, saying the state has no business using taxpayer money to fund public media.

The debate here in New Hampshire is not isolated, as a handful of states and Republicans in Congress have introduced proposals to either cut of defund public radio and television.

Impact

The fight is more than whether Big Bird will survive on free television in the state. At stake for NHPTV is a loss of an estimated $5.5 million over a two-year budget cycle, along with other funding that is jeopardized if NHPTV isn’t allowed to contract with state agencies. NHPTV is also involved in the state’s enhanced 911 system used by public safety agencies, in expanding broadband in the North Country, and in offering free educational programming to school systems throughout the state.

“HB 113 will have far-reaching and negative impacts on our other sources of support,” said Peter Frid, NHPTV president, in testimony to lawmakers. “Our work with state agencies is supported by general funds, and if we were to do a project with them we couldn’t receive revenues.”

Fate

The Senate Finance Committee has recommended against passing HB 113, in part because the station does not received funding directly from the state; NHPTV is funded and overseen by the University System of New Hampshire, which receives money from the state.

Senate Finance Committee member Robert Odell (R-Lempster), one of three Republicans to recommend killing the bill, told New Hampshire Public Radio that lawmakers shouldn’t tell the university system how to run its operations. “We didn’t want it in the budget that way. And it’s not going to be,” Odell said.

We ask readers for feedback on whether the state should the state defund New Hampshire Public Television, including barring it from service contracts with state agencies. Should lawmakers tell the university system how to budget its operations? How Senators answer those questions likely will determine the fate of HB 113.

(Comments below, policy here.)

>> Wednesday, May 6, full Senate session beginning at 10 a.m. at the State House.

This Daily Briefing was written by Michael McCord.

In this Dispatch, we highlight two public hearings on bills we have tracked this legislative session.

Big Bird in the Hot Seat

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a public hearing and perhaps hold an executive session vote on House Bill 113, which would prohibit any state funding for New Hampshire Public Television.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester) passed the House 262-102 along largely partisan lines (a handful of Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill). NHPTV, which is overseen by the University System of New Hampshire, could lose more than $5 million in funding for the 2012-2013 biennium if the bill becomes law. The station said that it received $2.7 million — or about one third of its budget — from the state for its current 2010-2011 budget cycle.

Rail Authority Fate

The Senate Transportation Committee will consider repealing the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority.

A move by Rep. Dan McGuire (R-Epsom) to repeal the NH Rail Transit Authority will see its first test in the Senate today.

House Bill 218, sponsored by Rep. Dan McGuire (R-Epsom) was strongly pushed by House Republican leaders. It passed the House earlier this month by a 190-119 vote. More than two dozen Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill.

As we noted in an earlier Daily Dispatch, the 2007 legislation that created the NHRTA, which is not state-funded, was co-sponsored by Senate President Peter Bragdon (R-Milford). The committee could take executive session votes on any or all of the bills it will consider today.

>> Senate Finance Committee public hearing on HB 113, Room 103 in the State House, 1:00 p.m.

>> Senate Transportation Committee public hearing on HB 218, Room 103 in the Legislative Office Building, scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

Altogether, there are 19 Democrat-sponsored floor amendments to the House Finance Committee’s version of House Bills 1 and 2, which together comprise the Granite State’s budget.

In particular, the amendments would provide more money to community college and university systems, mental health services, three programs in Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture (to stop three proposed job cuts), and to the consumer protection division in the Department of Justice.

Other amendments also propose alterations to retirement system changes, a measure to restore more funding to reimburse hospitals for uncompensated care, and — importantly — revised revenue estimates, which would allow for the increased funding.

Here are a few floor amendments, in particular, that caught our eye:

• Listing the scores of highway construction and improvement projects in dozens of towns that would be eliminated due to reductions in the Finance Committee’s budget. The projects total $378,000, and all had been approved in 2010 as part of the 2011-2020 Ten-Year Transportation Plan. (HB 2)
• Remove Rep. Neal Kurk’s (R-Weare) amendment that would make public employees “at will” when their contracts expire, giving employers (ie: the state, municipalities) the upper hand in negotiations. (HB 2)
• Restore more than $25 million in payments to community mental health centers. (HB 1)
• Add $12 million to the community college system and $50 million to the University System of New Hampshire budgets. (HB 1)
• Restore $5 million for employment–related childcare programs. (HB 1)
• Fund seven state police detective positions. (HB 1)

>> The debates will begin in earnest today at 9 a.m. when the House meets in full session at Representatives Hall to consider the main budget bills, the floor amendments, and more than 25 other bills on the consent and regular calendars.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

With the deadline to “Crossover Day” on March 31 fast approaching, both the House and Senate are in session this week to finish work on their remaining bills.

The two main budget bills are the top remaining bills in the House. The Senate will clear its docket of more than 49 bills and amendments. The Senate will be in session Wednesday and the House is scheduled for two days, Wednesday and Thursday.

Education Funding Amendment

“Responsibility” is the key difference between the House and Senate versions of a constitutional amendment related to education funding.

An amended Senate proposal, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton) reads, “the general court shall have the authority, responsibility, and discretion to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education, to establish reasonable standards of accountability therefor, and to mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity.” {emphasis added}

The word “responsibility” is absent from the House version of basically the same measure. This causes some to be concerned that merely “allowing” for targeted state aid, as the House version does, won’t get the job done. Gov. John Lynch is among those who wants to see the Legislature’s responsibility for education funding made explicit.

The Senate votes this week on their version of the measure, CACR 14 (the amended version can be read here). The House passed theirs, CACR 12, sponsored by Rep. David Hess (R-Hooksett), March 16.

Payday Loans

Is there a market a for high-interest installment loans? Some senators think so, and don’t believe the Legislature should get in its way.

The Senate votes this week on a measure to revive two types of high-interest, installment loans, including the so-called “payday loans” that lawmakers either banned or modified in 2008.

Sponsored by Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry), Senate Bill 160 passed the full Senate by a narrow 13-11 on March 16 and was given a second approval by the Senate Finance Committee.

Voter ID

A move to require photo identification from all voters is also making its second trip to a full Senate vote this week.

Republican supporters say the measure will prevent voter fraud, while opponents say it attacks a problem that doesn’t exist and discourages voting. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry).

Senate Bill 129 is sponsored by Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry). It passed the full Senate by an 18-6 vote on March 16 and was given an ‘ought to pass’ recommendation by the Finance committee in a 4-3 vote.

>> Full session of the New Hampshire Senate, the State House, Wednesday March 30, 10 a.m.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord, with contributions from Hilary Niles.

Today we start a new, semi-regular feature called “They Said It.”

Our goal is to capture a sampling of legislative and state government quotes that we hope illuminate, educate, entertain and reflect the tone of the current legislative session.

Here are our Top Six of recent vintage.

Drop Out

Gov. John Lynch was none too pleased on Tuesday that the House approved House Bill 429 by a 210-134 vote. The proposal would return the high school dropout age to 16, repealing one of Lynch’s top priorities in office.

“Today’s action by the House of Representatives sends absolutely the wrong message to our young people and threatens our ability to maintain a skilled and educated workforce, which would limit future economic development,” Lynch said in a statement after the vote. “The people of New Hampshire would be justified if they asked themselves, ‘Just what is our House of Representatives thinking?’”

They were thinking about mom and dad, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich). “This bill is not about the dropout age. This bill is about parents,” Parison said during the floor debate.

Boardwalk for Sale

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) took offense to Lynch’s criticism that the House Finance Committee’s budget cutting strategy was taking too much from essential government services.

“This isn’t a game of Monopoly — this is taxpayer’s money,” Bettencourt said. “Governor Lynch has lost all credibility to lecture Republicans on the difficult choices that must be made in our economy.”

Picture This

Senate Democrats (and one Republican) opposed Senate Bill 129, the voter photo ID measure, which passed the Senate 18-6. Sen. Amanda Merrill (D-Durham) said the bill was unnecessary because as far as anyone knows, there has been only one case of proven voter fraud in the state in the past ten years.

“We don’t have voting fraud,” Merrill said. “We do have citizens for whom this bill creates obstacles to the most basic civic right.”

Remain Calm

House leadership gave a strong thumbs-down to a so-called “birther” bill amendment that would have required presidential primary candidates to submit their birth certificates proving American citizenship. Amendment supporter Rep. David Bates (R-Windham) was not pleased when opponents said such a measure would undermine the state’s hallowed first-in-the-nation primary status.

“The hysterical claims that we are going to jeopardize the first in the nation primary, it’s just utter nonsense,” Bates said in an interview with Talking Points Memo.

The measure the amendment was attached to, House Bill 421, was set aide, or “laid on the table.” Sponsored by Rep. Robert Kingsbury (R-Laconia), it would have required not voters but lawmakers to nominate U.S. Senate candidates to the New Hampshire primary. Voters, though, would still be able to write in candidates.

Staying Put

After the House Legislative Administration Committee ended the two-month-long process to remove him from office on alleged ethics violations, Rep. Michael Brunelle (D-Manchester) had this to say:

“I am grateful to attorneys Paul Twomey and Bob Backus, House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli, my Democratic colleagues in the House, and to the hundreds of people of both political parties across the state who were supportive of me during this outrageous attempt to have my election by the voters of Manchester’s Ward Three overturned,” Brunelle said in a statement. “I consider this unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources completely concluded and I am happy to be able to continue working for the people of Manchester.”

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich) has sponsored a bill to lower the permissible school drop-out age to 16.

In this last of three parts, we look at three bills that are part of the so-called Regular Calendar that are subject to floor debate and roll call votes. They’re measures regarding death penalty, the school drop out age, and voting.

To help you follow along, the committee names in red are linked to previous Front Door Politics dispatches on these bills.

Death Penalty

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

House Bill 147, sponsored by House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon), would expand the state’s death penalty statute to “include murder committed during home invasions where the killing is premeditated.” The vote comes during the trial in Nashua of a 21-year-old charged with the home invasion murder of a Mont Vernon woman in October 2009. The measure received a majority Ought to Pass recommendation by a 14-2 vote in committee.

Drop-Out Age

Education Committee *

It’s uncommon for a bill that doesn’t get any committee recommendation to still have a House roll call vote, but that’s just the case with House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich). The bill would allow students 16 or older to drop out of school with only parental permission and would reverse a 2007 law that raised the drop-out age to 18. The committee split 8-8 on a recommendation vote. Last week, Gov. John Lynch announced that the statewide drop-out rate had dropped below one percent in 2009-2010 — a 61 percent reduction since 2007-2008.

*Our original dispatch mistakenly reported that House Bill 429 would also require superintendent permission and an alternative learning plan. It would not, and that dispatch has been corrected.

Who Can Vote

Election Law

It’s also not often that a House roll call vote is scheduled for a bill that gets a majority Inexpedient to Legislate recommendation, but House Bill 176 is an exception to that rule. If passed, it would prohibit voting in New Hampshire for those who serve in the military or go to college and have so-called temporary “domicile” status in the state. It’s sponsored by Rep. Gregory Sorg (R-Easton). The committee rejected the bill 13-5. Look for an interesting floor debate.

>> The full House will be in session on Tuesday, March 15; Wednesday, March 16; and Thursday, March 17; all beginning at 9:00 a.m.

>> The Senate will meet in session on Wednesday, March 16, at 10:00 a.m.

>> Check the status of ALL the bills Front Door Politics has covered this session with our new 2011 Bill Tracker.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

To prepare for the flurry of activity, today we begin a series of dispatches looking at some of the bills we’ve followed from early stages through public hearings and committee votes. We start with bills that are on the “consent,” or voice vote calendar.

This process bundles up scores of new pieces of legislation and lets lawmakers agree to the committee recommendations on each bill, all by voicing just one vote. The official name for killing a bill is voting it “Inexpedient to Legislate,” commonly shortened to ITL. Short for “Ought to Pass,” an OTP recommendation means the committee supports the bill in question.

To help you follow along, the committee names in bold are linked to previous Front Door Politics dispatches covering these bills.

Education

The committee gave a unanimous Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) recommendation for House Bill 39, which targeted the state’s curriculum requirements for an adequate education.

Election Law

House Bill 223, which would eliminate election-day voter registration, received an ITL recommendation.

Executive Departments and Administration

Back in November, we highlighted the progress of a study committee looking into establishing a state meat inspection service. House Bill 339 would establish just such a service, and received a unanimous Ought to Pass (OTP) committee recommendation.

Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Two pharmaceutical take-back bills are headed for passage after receiving unanimous OTP committee recommendations. House Bill 71 would allow communities and private entities to establish drug take-back programs, and House Bill 426 would allow for institutions such as nursing homes and correctional facilities to re-allocate unused drugs.

Municipal and County Government

House Bill 144, a proposal to repeal the PACE, or clean energy district legislation from last year, has been amended to changes some funding mechanisms in a way that satisfied committee concerns about the new program. The PACE changes are headed for passage after a unanimous OTP recommendation by the committee.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

House Speaker William O'Brien

House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) has decided to have no full House sessions this week, allowing more time for committees to make their annual mad rush to beat the legislative calendar. In particular, there’s the March 10 (tomorrow) deadline to report all bills (except those in their second committee, like Finance). Meanwhile, the Crossover deadline of March 31 — when all House bills cross over to the Senate and vice versa — is creeping closer by the day.

This week’s meetings aside, beginning next Tuesday morning (March 15), O’Brien will crack the proverbial whip and keep lawmakers busy with three straight full House sessions, all beginning at 9:00 a.m. In that spirit, today we turn the spotlight on three of today’s executive session committee votes on bills we have followed this season.

Election Law Committee

Last month we highlighted the debate over two controversial bills: House Bill 176, which would not allow college students to vote in local or statewide elections if they weren’t originally residents of the town they live in for college; and House Bill 223, which if passed would disallow election day voter registration. We recommend listening to the audio files from the public hearings of both bills (HB 176 and HB 223).

>> Executive Session, House Election Law Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 308, March 9, 10:30 a.m.

Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

We highlighted House Bill 228 last month and today the full committee will vote on the measure to eliminate all state funding to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The organization provides family planning services and other health care programs and if the measure passes, it will save the state an estimated $365,000.

>> Executive Session, House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 205, 10:00 a.m.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Back in December we initially reported that Speaker O’Brien had sponsored a measure to expand the state’s death penalty statute. House Bill 147 proposes to include a capital murder provision that reads “a person is guilty of capital murder if he or she knowingly causes the death of another, while in another’s residence, while attempting to enter another’s residence, or as a consequence of having been in another’s residence, without invitation or right.” O’Brien’s home town of Mont Vernon was the location of an October 2009 home invasion murder of a 42-year-old mother, whose 11-year-old daughter survived the same attack.

>> Executive Session, House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 204, 10:00 a.m.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

The move comes midway through an extended public hearing on one of New Hampshire’s most challenging public policy debates: a constitutional amendment on education funding. The public hearing continues Wednesday in the House Special Committee on Education Funding Reform.

Sponsored by Rep. David Hess (R-Hooksett), CACR 12 would also allow lawmakers to target education funding to smooth financial disparities among different communities. The amendment attempts to move beyond the state Supreme Court’s 1997 Claremont decision. If approved by the Legislature, CACR 12 would go before New Hampshire voters in 2012.

In his January inaugural address this year, Gov. John Lynch, who has long supported a constitutional amendment to allow for targeted education funding, said such a measure would affirm “our responsibility for education; but gives us the flexibility we need to give every child in every town the opportunity for a quality education.”

In The Nashua Telegraph, Kevin Landrigan reported Sunday on the bid to find the right language that will appeal to Lynch and Senate Republicans. In 2007, Lynch and then-House Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) made a hard push for a targeted funding amendment. However, a majority of Democrats balked at taking oversight authority away from Supreme Court, which currently has final say on whether the state is living up to its constitutional obligations on education funding.

>> Wednesday, March 9, House Special Committee on Education Funding Reform, public hearing on CACR 12, Legislative Office Building, Room 207.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich), would allow students 16 years of age or older to withdraw from high school with parental permission. The revised law defining truancy would not require students to get permission from the school superintendent or have an “alternative learning plan for obtaining either a high school diploma or its equivalent.” *

In 2007, Gov. John Lynch saw this top legislative priority passed when lawmakers approved Senate Bill 18, a bipartisan measure that broadened educational programs to lower the dropout rate and keep students in school until age 18. The debate was strong as opponents cited local control and freedom of choice for students and families, while proponents said that a high school diploma was the minimum necessary to succeed in a global marketplace. Senate Bill 18 passed in the House by a slim margin — a 183-170 roll call vote.

The House Education Committee held its only public hearing on HB 429 yesterday. Lynch wrote to the committee, urging them to oppose the measure.

By a 213-134 vote last Wednesday, the House rejected a proposal to repeal a different 2007 education reform law, a mandate for statewide public kindergarten.

The Education Committee will also make recommendations on 14 other bills, including one that would require 45 minutes of daily physical education for public school students (House Bill 377) and another to  establish a study committee on abolishing the state Department of Education (House Bill 219).

>> Thursday, March 3, executive session of the House Education Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 207, begins at 10 a.m.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

*Our original dispatch mistakenly reported that House Bill 429 would also require superintendent permission and an alternative learning plan.