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Senate Commerce executive session advances several bills; military spouses measure re-referred
Summary
In a lengthy executive-session review, the Senate Commerce Committee acted on numerous bills on the committee sheet: several passed on consent or ought-to-pass motions while House Bill 225 (military spouses employment protections) was re-referred for further work after tied support.
The New Hampshire Senate Commerce Committee, meeting in executive session, considered a slate of bills and amendments and recorded a mix of approvals, holds and a re-referral.
Committee members voted to adopt an amendment to House Bill 225 (employment protections for military spouses) — amendment 15-73 from Senator Murphy — and then debated the underlying bill. After discussion about whether the amendment fully addressed testimony concerns (including questions about whether an involuntarily mobilized spouse’s leave would be unpaid), the committee’s votes produced a tie and members moved to re-refer the bill for further work.
Other bills on the committee sheet moved through with little opposition. The committee recorded ought-to-pass or consent actions on a number of measures, including a motion on a bill to allow certain license combinations for brewpubs, and approvals on bills related to optional electronic rent payments (House Bill 309, with amendment 15-38s), municipal regulation of on-site parking and certain vehicle financing provisions (House Bill 382, amendment 12-43s), and a measure addressing fraudulent business formations (House Bill 406). Several bills were placed on consent or held for amendment — for example, legislation on building permits for private roads (House Bill 296) was held pending further sponsor conversations.
Committee members repeatedly emphasized the committee’s flexibility while meeting in executive session and noted several items would return to the committee next week for additional drafting or to resolve hearing-report concerns. Senator Murphy and others volunteered to seek clarifications from other committees or stakeholders (for example, Labor) before reconvening votes.
The executive session concluded with the committee coming out of executive session and taking a brief recess before resuming public hearings later in the morning.
