New lawmakers start their orientation tomorrow, Gov. Lynch and the lame-duck Executive Council meet Wednesday, the next House Speaker will be chosen by Republican House members on Thursday and Lynch’s budget hearings commence Friday. There will be no shortage of activity at the State House this week.
The New England Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is one of New Hampshire's endangered species. Will Democrats be next? (photo credit Wikipedia)
Democratic Leaders
The shrunken Democratic caucus in the Legislature may require an endangered species designation, but on Friday and Saturday, they chose their leadership teams for the 2011-2012 legislative sessions. As expected, current Senate President Sylvia Larsen of Concord will become Senate minority leader on Dec. 1 when the next Legislature is sworn in. The other four returning Democratic senators also were given titles: Sen. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester will serve as Deputy Democratic Leader while Molly Kelly of Keene will become Assistant Democratic Leader. Sen. Matthew Houde of Plainfield will be the Democratic whip and Sen. Amanda Merrill of Durham will be deputy whip.
On the House side, current House Speaker Terie Norelli of Portsmouth, who was reelected to an eighth term, will be House minority leader.
Keene has seven Democratic House members and the Keene Sentinel took a look at what the changeover to Republican control could mean for the city, the region and the influence of the lawmakers who went from majority to minority status.
Inspecting Proposition
We are keeping an eye on a recent House study committee recommendation to create a new, state-run meat inspection service. Since the 1970s, there has been only one federal meat inspection site in the state in Goffstown. In theory, the proposed addition to the state’s Department of Agriculture office would help New Hampshire farmers sell their meat on the commercial market. According to the legislative services office, the initial financial cost to the general fund budget would be around $80,000, which supporters say could be paid by fees.
Even if a measure is approved by lawmakers and some of the many questions regarding implementation are answered, farmers shouldn’t hold their breath. A pending re-write of federal rules to include state-sanctioned meat inspections could be 18 months or more the making.
Bottom (Tax) Line
The Commission to Study Business Taxes meets again on Thursday and will issue an interim report on Dec. 1 (see our earlier post on the commission here.) Shira Schoenberg of The Concord Monitor had an interesting Sunday story about the election of Republican business owners to the Senate and what they have in mind for the next legislative session. (The Commission to Study Business Taxes will meet at 1:30 p.m. at Room 100 in the State House on Nov. 18).
Political Cognitive Dissonance
current House Speaker Terie Norelli
We couldn’t help but notice the distinct post-electoral perspectives in a pair of dueling statements following Norelli’s election as House Minority leader:
State Republican Party Communications Director Ryan Williams said “Terie Norelli’s election as minority leader proves that Democrats will support the same failed leaders and reckless policies that have driven New Hampshire to the brink of fiscal ruin. Democrats learned nothing from last week’s election and will continue on the same path towards higher taxes and out of control spending.”
On the other hand, state Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said “During the past several years, Terie Norelli has shown extraordinary leadership and our Democratic caucus in the House is united in support of her. She has a proven ability to work across party lines to without compromising the fundamental Democratic values our party stands for.”
Are they talking about the same person?
This Daily Update was written by Michael McCord.