Jan. 8—During opening day of the 2025 legislative session, New Hampshire House Republican leaders embraced looser rules for armed lawmakers at the State House, but they backed away from a controversial plan to end the practice of having a public hearing on every piece of legislation.
With expanded majorities after the Nov. 5 election, House Republicans did hold sway on several parliamentary matters over Democratic objections, including a move to strengthen the rights of lawmakers to carry concealed weapons.
That change would allow weapons to be carried in Representatives Hall, the House gallery and committee rooms even if they become “inadvertently” visible to the public.
“The goal of the policy was always to prevent intentional display of firearms,” said Rep. Jeanine Notter, R-Merrimack.
Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth, said the change would render the rule unenforceable.
“Adding this one word, unfortunately, can become a license to become careless with the carrying of a deadly weapon,” Meuse said.
The House approved the change, 216-164.
The House Rules Committee had also recommended permitting committees by a three-fourths vote to decide that a proposal was so unworthy that it should simply be put upon the table and not acted upon by the panel or the full House.
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, said the leadership decided it was best to simply put that idea “on the table,” which means it will eventually die when the session concludes.
Since House Republicans picked up more than 20 seats, the leadership asked and the membership endorsed going back to practices regarding public notice and committee work that were changed two years ago when the House was the most closely divided politically it had been in more than 150 years.
klandrigan@unionleader.com