Name: NH Legislature gets off to chilly start
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NH Legislature gets off to chilly start

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You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Rep. Keith Ammon, R-New Boston, argues with the House sergeant-at-arms about not wearing a mask. Ammon later moved to the section assigned to members without masks.State representatives get sworn in during Organization Day, which was held outside on Memorial Field in Durham on Wednesday.State Rep. Mary Griffin, R-Windham, left, chats with Rep. Phyllis Katsiakores, R-Derry during a chilly Organization Day at UNH in Durham. Griffin swears in to her 13th term in the House and Katsiakores starts her 18th term. Behind the pair talking in the photo also are from left, new House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, with Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry. The Legislature convenes for Organization Day as state representatives sit spaced out on the field hockey field in front of the Whittemore Center at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020.With Thompson Hall towering in the background, state representatives sit spaced out on the field hockey field for Organization Day at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020.Rep. Nicole Klein Knight, D-Manchester, uses a clear umbrella to avoid the spead of COVID-19 during the Legislature’s Organization Day. Knight said she was taking extra precautions because of vulnerable family members.State representatives who chose not to wear face masks sit in a socially distanced separate section during Wednesday’s Organization Day session outdoors at the University of New Hampshire.State Rep. Nicole Klein Knight (D-Manchester) uses a clear umbrella to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during Organization Day for the State Legislature at the field hockey field at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020. She was taking extra precaution she said because of vulnerable family members.Rep. Keith Ammon, R-New Boston, argues with the House sergeant-at-arms about not wearing a mask. Ammon later moved to the section assigned to members without masks.State representatives get sworn in during Organization Day, which was held outside on Memorial Field in Durham on Wednesday.State Rep. Mary Griffin, R-Windham, left, chats with Rep. Phyllis Katsiakores, R-Derry during a chilly Organization Day at UNH in Durham. Griffin swears in to her 13th term in the House and Katsiakores starts her 18th term. Behind the pair talking in the photo also are from left, new House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, with Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry. The Legislature convenes for Organization Day as state representatives sit spaced out on the field hockey field in front of the Whittemore Center at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020.With Thompson Hall towering in the background, state representatives sit spaced out on the field hockey field for Organization Day at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020.Rep. Nicole Klein Knight, D-Manchester, uses a clear umbrella to avoid the spead of COVID-19 during the Legislature’s Organization Day. Knight said she was taking extra precautions because of vulnerable family members.State representatives who chose not to wear face masks sit in a socially distanced separate section during Wednesday’s Organization Day session outdoors at the University of New Hampshire.State Rep. Nicole Klein Knight (D-Manchester) uses a clear umbrella to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during Organization Day for the State Legislature at the field hockey field at UNH in Durham on Dec. 2, 2020. She was taking extra precaution she said because of vulnerable family members.DURHAM — The newly elected New Hampshire Legislature, officially now in Republican hands, got off to a chilly start on several fronts on Organization Day at the University of New Hampshire.Taking their oaths of office Wednesday on an outdoor field hockey surface, House members frequently got up from their chairs to pace and stay warm as a light, steady breeze kept the wind chill in the high 30s for much of the 3½-hour ceremony.After a “very small number” of House Republicans tested positive for COVID-19 following an in-person caucus at the McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester on Nov. 20, nearly a third of the new House members — most of them Democrats — decided not to show up.Gov. Chris Sununu had told all House members that anyone who didn’t feel safe attending the UNH event in person could take the oath virtually before him and the Executive Council Thursday morning.Meanwhile, those House members in attendance briefly battled as the new majority rammed through rules changes erasing a State House gun-carrying ban and mandatory in-person sex harassment training that Democrats had adopted when they took over the House two years ago.Rep. Timothy Smith, D-Manchester, protested that new House leadership traditionally has only extended existing rules on this ceremonial day and has not imposed new ones until regular business sessions begin in January.“This is foolish political theater,” Smith said.In 2019, the Democratic-led House censured 13 GOP members who failed to attend harassment training sessions.Rep. Andrew Prout, R-Hudson, was the only one cleared by colleagues of any punishment after telling them he took the course through his employer.He stressed the in-person mandate was even more problematic given the pandemic and said the rules can be debated further in January.“It’s time to make these changes,” Prout said.The standing vote approving the rules change was 180-63.House Democratic Leader Renny Cushing of Hampton, who opted not to attend because of a history of cancer, criticized new House Speaker Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, for permitting several dozen House Republicans to sit in a separate section on the field while not wearing face coverings.“The blatant disregard for public health is unconscionable, especially as daily case numbers in New Hampshire are the highest they have ever been,” Cushing said after the session.“Granite Staters are sick, dying, and struggling to pay bills and provide for their families this holiday season. While Granite State businesses are working around the clock to adhere to ever-changing safety protocols and stay afloat, House Republicans are unabashedly clinging to their senseless and dangerous anti-science narrative.”In a conference call with reporters, Cushing said he was told “at least three” House Republicans contracted the virus following their in-person caucus.Hinch has not confirmed how many members were affected.Two weeks ago, House Democrats met virtually for the caucus at which Cushing was named their leader for the next two years.Before taking the gavel, Hinch lashed out at critics, insisting his leadership worked with state health officials to ensure all who attended the UNH event were kept safe.“There are no persons present who either tested positive or who were close contacts. This meeting day is required by the state Constitution, and we were able to get it off the ground while keeping people safe,” Hinch said in a statement.Later, Hinch, 71, became emotional as he accepted the House leadership post on a voice vote motion made by his predecessor, former Speaker Stephen Shurtleff, D-Penacook.“It is my honor to accept the nomination and I am humbled by your support,” said Hinch as he choked up.Hinch, a seven-term legislator, urged lawmakers to work together.“Now is not the time to resort to petty political attacks or pointless spectacles. That is not what the voters sent us to do,” he said. “They want results, not tweets, not drama, but results.”Rep. Andrew Bouldin, D-Manchester, complained to Hinch twice during the session that Rep. Keith Ammon, R-New Boston, was sitting near him without a mask.Hinch said Ammon was assigned the “wrong seat,” and he moved to the section where members sat without masks.Bouldin tried to change the rules to allow any House member to attend sessions or committee meetings remotely.“Let’s make this event the last super-spreader event,” Bouldin said.The House rejected the change by a vote of 182-56.The rest of Wednesday’s event went off without controversy as the state Senate elected Sen. Chuck Morse, R-Salem, as president, replacing Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, who became the Senate Democratic leader.Secretary of State Bill Gardner, the nation’s longest-serving state elections chief, won a 23rd term without opposition.State Treasurer Monica Mezzapelle won her first full two-year term after the former deputy took over the job last March following the resignation of then-Treasurer Bill Dwyer.Gov. Chris Sununu chalked up the uniqueness of the day to COVID-19 and 2020.“It’s like I always say, just wait to see what next week brings,” he quipped.© Copyright 2022 , 100 William Loeb Drive Manchester, NH&nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .Sorry, an error occurred.You are logged in&nbsp;Sign up withThank you .Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.Check your email for details.Sign in withSubmitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.×Thank you.Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.Rate:Begins:Ends:Transaction ID:A receipt was sent to your email.

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Rep. Keith Ammon, R-New Boston, argues with the House sergeant-at-arms about not wearing a mask. Ammon later moved to the section assigned to members without masks.State representatives get sworn in during Organization Day, which was held outside on Memorial Field in Durham on Wednesday.State Rep. Mary Griffin, R-Windham, left, chats with Rep. Phyllis Katsiakores, R-Derry during a chilly Organization Day at UNH in Durham. Griffin swears in to her 13th term in the House and Katsiakores starts her 18th term. Behind the...

NH Legislature gets off to chilly start

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