After Republicans won control of the New Hampshire House and Senate with enough votes to override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch, LGBT groups became concerned that conservatives may overturn the states’ same-sex marriage law, which was enacted in 2009. But yesterday, House Republican Leader D.J. Bettencourt confirmed to The Associated Press that “jobs and the economy will be the top priorities on an agenda” and said that “there’s widespread agreement that social issues will have to take a back seat.” The party is expected to introduce its priorities later today. The Advocate has more details:
“The social issues must take a backseat,” said Bettencourt.
Bettencourt did say an abortion issue will be on the agenda, but declined to elaborate. [...]
Republicans declined to say whether they plan to delay a bill to repeal marriage equality until next year. Under the rules, committees cannot kill bills but can hold them for the first year of a two-year session.
“We hope press accounts are accurate that House Republicans have decided not to pursue a repeal of New Hampshire’s gay marriage law this year,” New Hampshire Freedom To Marry, the state-wide LGBT advocacy organization, said in a statement. “If so, we applaud the Republican leadership for listening to the people of New Hampshire.” An April 2009 poll by the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College found that 44.8 percent opposed same-sex marriage, while 40.8 percent supported it, but a more recent survey from 2010 put support for same-sex marriage at 55 percent in the state
Republicans have drafted at least four anti-marriage bills, including two to “return the marriage law to exactly what it was four years ago.” The right-wing ‘Let New Hampshire Vote‘ group is also pushing for “a constitutional amendment to take up a vote on the law in 2012.” There might be some wiggle room in the GOP’s commitment. From the Union Leader: Bettencourt would not specify what, if any, steps House leaders might take to slow the bills down and delay them until 2012, which is an election year. Repeal, he said, “is not on the Republican agenda. We’re committed to advancing and working hard to accomplish those things that are on the Republican agenda,” he said
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