The House, Thursday, June 11, 2020

Rep. Steven Smith (R - Sull 11)Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise in opposition to the motion and in support of House Rules as they stand. The procedures are there to protect us from making mistakes. With a matter of this weighting, how can we do this without having a full vetting process? Here's an example of where the House procedures saved us on a really simple matter. I had a really easy bill. It was just to allow disability placards for women in their third trimester of pregnancy. I got bipartisan sponsors. Everybody thought it was a wonderful idea and then we had the hearing. The hallway was full. What are all these people doing here? Well they are here to protest your bill. It turned out I hadn't considered something. Now, if we are going to do this and create an order of succession and allow appointment power, we cannot do this without finding out what mistakes we could make. So, Madam Speaker, what's the urgency? What calamity is going to happen between now and January that requires this to be an emergency? I don't see it. So, Madam Speaker because I believe in the house procedure, I ask everyone to please oppose this motion.

Rep. Karen Ebel (D - Merr 5)The question before the House is on the motion to suspend the rules. The Chair recognizes Speaker Shurtleff of Penacook to speak in favor of the motion.

Rep. Steve Shurtleff (D - Merr 15)Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise today to ask the House to vote to allow late introduction of this Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution. The reason this comes in as a late bill before the House is because up until a few months ago, I never thought I'd see the day that we, Members of the New Hampshire House, would not be able to meet in our historic Chamber. And, I know that this meeting today would not have taken place without the outstanding work of our own legislative staff and without the tremendous cooperation we have seen from the University of New Hampshire. As the Clerk mentioned, the New Hampshire House has only twice in its 200 year history met at a remote location. First, during the American Civil War and now today here at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. I grew up in Concord and as a kid in Concord up until my teens, the State House dome was always painted green. That happened, as you know, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The United States the following day declared war against Japan and the axis powers. In 1942, the dome was painted green. I remember as a kid growing up in Concord my dad telling me the reason New Hampshire's dome was green is because it was done during the war. There was a tremendous fear that New Hampshire itself would be attacked by enemy planes and they didn't want the State House to be an easier target with a gold dome and secondly, he said they also didn't want enemy planes to use the dome as a navigational aid. Well something else happened in 1942. The legislature made an amendment to Part II, Article 5-a of the New Hampshire Constitution and they said if an enemy attacks New Hampshire, because of that emergency, the legislature may take whatever means are necessary in order to, for one thing, allow the meetings of this body. What this amendment to the constitution does, it maintains part II, Article 5-a of the constitution, but it strikes out those few words to say, "if attacked by an enemy." That's all it does and I want to thank the House Clerk and our House Counsel for help and assistance in preparing this amendment that I bring before you today. As I said, I can see a future Speaker in a similar circumstance saying that the New Hampshire House has done it's work, we cannot meet. As I said earlier, if not for our staff and for UNH, we would probably not be able to be here today. I want future legislatures if different events happen like we have seen in the last six months to have that flexibility to be able to bring people together without possibly putting them in harm's way. So I would ask you to please support this amendment. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rep. Karen Ebel (D - Merr 5)Representative Baldasaro has requested that this be a roll call vote. Is that sufficiently seconded. This is a roll call vote. Members will take their seats. The vote is open. I didn't think so. Sorry for the confusion. All members in their seats? This will be a roll call vote. If you are in favor, you'll press the A button. If you are opposed, press the E button. Voting stations are open. The Chair recognizes Rep. Rice to speak in opposition to the motion. Parliamentary inquiry. Could I get anything else wrong? Representative Rice: Thank you, Madam Speaker. If I know that we have public hearings so that legislation can be thoroughly vetted. And, if I know that CACR 21 has not had the thorough process it needs. And, if I further know that CACR 21 is complex and could have serious unintended consequences, would I now press the red button and vote against this rules suspension? Thank you.

Rep. Karen Ebel (D - Merr 5)The motion before the House is on the rules suspension. The Chair recognizes Speaker Shurtleff for a parliament inquiry to speak in favor of the motion.

Rep. Steve Shurtleff (D - Merr 15)Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, if I know that this constitutional amendment only strikes out 5 or 6 words in Part II, Article 5-a of the constitution, those words being "periods of emergency resulting from disasters caused by enemy attack." And, if I know that this constitutional amendment will give future legislators the opportunity to take whatever action is necessary to bring representatives together for a chance to vote without putting them in unnecessary risk, would I now push the green button and support this amendment? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rep. Karen Ebel (D - Merr 5)This will be a roll call vote. If you are in favor, press the green A button. If you are opposed, press the red E button. Voting will now be open for 30 seconds. Have all members had an opportunity to vote? With 197 voting in favor and 143 voting against, the motion fails.