The sponsors of HB 544 are pursuing the passage of legislation in secret. They have maneuvered the progress of their bill through legislative steps that made HB 544 disappear in name while hiding its full language in the largest budget bill of the biennium, a bill that traditionally arises out of the governor’s budget proposal. The sponsors of HB 544 have applied their own convictions about making divisive concepts disappear from public discourse by making the divisive concepts in their bill vanish. The irony must be lost on them.
HB 544 is now hiding in front of the Senate Finance Committee. Committee members know that it is there. The public probably doesn’t. Reference to the language of HB 544 can’t be found in the Senate calendar or the Senate’s remote hearing sign-in webpage. Committee members know that hearings on HB2-FN-A-Loca are scheduled for May 4th. They know that HB 2 contains Chapter 10-C starting on page 155 addressing the “Propagation of Divisive Concepts Prohibited.” Committee members know they have the power to remove Chapter 10-C and stop HB 544 from continuing its secret journey. The Senate’s opposition to the language of HB 544 would be a critical message to the citizens and businesses of New Hampshire and our nation. Their opposition would send an equally critical message to colleagues in the House: The NH Senate will not be used as a tool for law-making in secret.
David Coursin
Northwood