The New Hampshire House voted Wednesday to give lawmakers more leeway to “inadvertently” display guns in Representatives Hall or committee rooms, but rejected several other controversial rules proposed by Republican House leaders.
The display of any weapon – purposeful or accidental – had been outlawed under previous House rules, and Republicans say the new rule honors that intent.
“The goal of the policy was always to prevent intentional display of firearms,” said Republican Rep. Jeanine Notter of Merrimack, the House Majority Whip.
Rep. David Meuse, a Democrat from Portsmouth argued the new rule would make it effectively impossible to enforce weapons limits at the State House.
“Adding this one word, unfortunately, can become a license to become careless with the carrying of a deadly weapon,” Meuse said.
The House adopted the GOP-backed change by a 216-164 margin.
But GOP leaders fell short in adopting other rules, including a proposal to allow lawmakers to scuttle bills without holding a public hearing. Current legislative practice is that every introduced bill receives a formal public hearing.
Another rejected change aimed to codify the House’s power to issue subpoenas and hold people who didn’t comply in contempt.
A third rejected rule aimed to require lawmakers to wear “formal business attire” in the House chamber and committee meetings.
All of these proposals were backed by Speaker Sherman Packard, and all had drawn public pushback. But top House Republicans got their way on other rules changes, including ending the notice requirement to inform the public of when a committee was scheduled to vote on a specific bill.
“I think it is deplorable that we would not give a time certain for the public to come and watch us do their work,” said Democratic Rep. Lucy Weber of Walpole.
The House voted 199-181 to end the notice requirement on committee votes.
Republicans also held ranks to reject numerous rules proposed by Democratic lawmakers. These included a proposal to limit gendered language by simply calling a committee leader a “chair,” rather than a chairman or chairwoman.
