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Committee votes to advance bill naming Virginia opossum New Hampshire's state marsupial
Summary
Senate Bill 30, introduced by Sen. Donovan Fenton and prompted by fourth-grade students, was recommended 'ought to pass' after lighthearted testimony emphasizing civic engagement by students; committee approved the measure 12–2
The Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted 12–2 to recommend Senate Bill 30, a bipartisan, largely symbolic bill that would designate the Virginia opossum as New Hampshire’s state marsupial.
Senator Donovan Fenton, who introduced the bill, said the proposal originated with a fourth-grade class in Chesterfield that petitioned to make the opossum the state marsupial. “These students were able to come and testify at the senate hearing,” Fenton said, and he urged the committee to support a measure that engages young Granite Staters with the legislative process.
Committee members treated the item as a lighthearted but civics-oriented bill. Representative Howard, who moved the committee’s recommendation, called the proposal “a very lighthearted bill” and said it presents “an amazing opportunity to show our young Granite Staters that they can be involved in the legislative process.”
Some members spoke against devoting legislative time to symbolic measures. One member said such bills “trivialize the legislature,” but the prevailing view favored passage to acknowledge student engagement. The committee recorded a roll-call vote of 12 in favor and 2 opposed on the motion to recommend the bill.
The measure, as amended by the Senate in committee discussion, directs that any opossum found within New Hampshire’s borders be called a “New Hampshire opossum” for purposes of the designation; testimony noted that the animal’s Latin name includes “virginiana.” The hearing included no technical agency objections; the committee moved the bill forward.
