NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE REPUBLICAN ALLIANCE PRESS RELEASE
December 17, 2009

Contacts, HRA Co-chairs:
Representative Nancy Elliot – Tel. 424-4566; nancy_elliott@elliott-controls.com
Representative Robert Mead – Tel. 673-3203; meadrd@comcast.net
Representative William O’Brien – Tel. 673-0960; WilliamLOBrien@gmail.com

NH House Democrats: “Nothing Terribly Significant Happened in Mont Vernon on October 4, 2009”

NH House Democrats on the Rules Committee voted unanimously today to reject the late filing of the Kimberly Cates Capital Murder Law for the 2010 session, outvoting the four Republicans on the committee.

House Rules allow late filing of bills if they address significant events following the filing period, which for the House 2010 session ended nine days before the Cates murder. The Democrats on the Rules Committee apparently viewed the events of October 4, 2009 as so insignificant that they do not warrant a legislative discussion.

Rep. William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon), the sponsor of the legislation, was quoted as saying in response to the vote, “I am particularly disappointed by Rep. Linda Foster of Mont Vernon, who voted against her constituents’ wanting the Kimberly Cates Law to come before the NH House. She would have had a chance to have her negative roll call vote recorded later, but this attempt to avoid debate and being counted was wrong.”

Rep. Robert Mead (R-Mont Vernon) also said, “We will still get this bill into the Senate, but House Democrats took a walk today on the Kimberly Cates law.”

The House Republican Alliance wants to congratulate Republican Representatives Clinton Bailey, David Bates, Jenn Coffey, Dee Hogan, Frank Holden, Bob Mead and Bill O’Brien, who appeared at the Rules Committee hearing to support the bill, and Republican House leaders on the Rules Committee, who voted unanimously to support the Kimberly Cates Law. Let the voters decide whether the House Democrat leaders who make up their party’s delegation on the Rules Committee should be congratulated for dodging this issue.

The NHHRA is comprised of members of the NH House of Representatives striving for legislative support for bills supporting the NH and U.S. Constitutions and NH Republican party platform. For more information, please log onto www.nhhra.org