Tagged: State House

It's called Organization Day at the Statehouse - it's the day lawmakers are sworn in, leaders are elected, and, as they say, the future is yet unwritten.

NHPR's political reporter Josh Rogers joins All Things Considered host Brady Carlson with more on the House and Senate leaders and whether their calls for a new tone in the legislature were comments on the previous legislative session.

Races for State House and Senate were still wrapping up early this morning. Republicans lost some ground in the House, but we’re still learning how many seats were gained by Democrats.To start with, the Speaker of the House, Bill O’Brien, was reelected. He finished second to a Democrat in a two-member district.

Gov. John Lynch has made no secret of his opposition to medical marijuana in the state. He says Senate Bill 409 poses health dangers to patients, lacks oversight and could lead to more pot in the hands of minors.

The governor vetoed a similar measure in 2009.

We sit down with a panel of Statehouse leaders to discuss the 2012 Legislative year.  We’ll hear from top members of the State House and State Senate about what they say are their biggest accomplishments and disappointments of this session.  We’ll also get their thoughts on how what happened at the Statehouse this year will affect what happens at the ballot box this fall. 

Guests

Enacting any constitutional amendment is tough. It requires a three-fifths vote by both House and Senate, and two-thirds support from voters at the polls.  Add to this the fact this amendment deals with school funding and that lawmakers have killed 80-odd  Claremont-inspired amendments over the past 14 years, and the guardedness of even the boldest of lawmakers is understandable.

June’s longer days also signal the end of the legislative session, but critical votes remain before the summer break.   The House and Senate have been trying to work out their differences on some difficult policy issues and on top of that, the House had a sudden change in its leadership team, with the resignation of Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt.  We'll get the latest on what's going on at the Statehouse as lawmakers wrap up their final month of law making.  

Guests