North Country

Seven North Country legislators were among the majority passing a bill on Thursday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks.

Three North Country representatives voted against the bill while six were excused from voting.

The bill, HB 1660, passed 190 – 109. It now goes to the Senate.

Here are the legislators who voted in favor of the bill:

* Lyle Bulis (Republican) of Littleton

* Larry Rappaport (Republican) of Colebrook.

Ten out of 13 North Country representatives voted against a bill that would have abolished the State Art Fund.

According to the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts the fund is also known as the Percent for Art Program and it was established by the legislature in 1979.

That 1979 action “authorizes one-half of one percent of the capitol budget appropriation for new buildings or significant renovations to be set aside in a non-lapsing account for the acquisition or commissioning of artwork.”

In unusual alliances Democrats and Republicans from the North Country paired up for and against a bill that would have allowed gambling.

The bill failed on a 118 – 226 vote.

Eight representatives – including five Republicans and three Democrats – voted in favor of the bill.

Six representatives - including four Republicans and two Democrats – voted against the bill.

As NHPR’s Todd Bookman reported:

Nine North Country representatives voted in favor of a bill that requires women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion and three voted against.

As NHPR’s Josh Rogers reported:

The so-called women’s right to know bill had to be pared back to win final house passage.

Sen. John Gallus, a Republican from Berlin who represents the North Country, was among 19 senators voting last week in favor of a new and more restrictive voter identification measure.

Sen. John Gallus,  a Republican from Berlin who represents the North Country, was among those voting last week not to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of so-called payday loans.

As NHPR reported “The measure would have lifted the current 36% interest rate cap on small loans. In place of that cap, Senator Matt Houde told colleagues companies could charge borrowers up to 403% interest.

The Conservation Law Foundation has joined in a request that newly appointed Public Utilities Commissioner Michael Harrington be disqualified from hearing a case involving the Merrimack  Station powerplant because it feels there is a conflict of interest involving Public Service of New Hampshire.

The issue is that Harrington has a pension from Northeast Utilities, the parent company of PSNH, which routinely goes before the three-member commission.

Nine of sixteen of North Country legislators voted against a bill that would allow for-profit specialty hospitals to avoid going through the certificate of need regulatory process.

As reported by NHPR “the bill also exempts these hospitals, most of which do not take Medicaid patients, from paying the state's Medicaid Enhancement Tax.

Ten North Country representatives were among those who voted Wednesday to kill a bill that would have repealed gay marriage. 

Only four North Country representatives voted to keep the repeal alive.

Two others were excused from voting.

As NHPR reported the Republican-controlled House decided to keep the state's gay marriage law in place on a 211 – 116 vote.

The Associated Press is reporting:

The New Hampshire Senate has approved exploring leasing ski operations to a private vendor at the

state-owned Cannon Mountain.

  The Senate voted by voice Wednesday to pass a bill requiring the Department of Resources and Economic Development to develop a master plan for Cannon Mountain and Franconia State Park.