Getting out of the House: Masked legislators meet in arena
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire lawmakers donned masks and submitted to temperature checks Thursday as the first session of the 400-member House since the start of the coronavirus pandemic — and its first meeting outside the Statehouse since the Civil War — got underway.
Members arrived at staggered times for the historic session at the University of New Hampshire Whittemore Center Arena. The House moved the session from its usual home at Representatives Hall, which isn't big enough to allow 400 lawmakers to sit the requisite 6 feet from one another to help contain the spread of the virus.
The decision to hold the session in an arena most often used for hockey games has sparked plenty of jokes about the UNH fan tradition of throwing a dead fish on the ice after their team scores the first goal.
“The penalty box is not available today,” UNH President James Dean said in welcoming lawmakers to Durham.
While there are about three dozen bills on the calendar, it’s unclear how many, if any, will be voted upon. Changing the rules to allow action after deadlines that have already passed requires support of two-thirds of those voting, and the Republican minority has signaled an unwillingness to go along with the Democrats’ proposed timeline. The first vote, to suspend the rules and extend the deadlines, failed.
Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth, said he wasn't very confident that Democrats would make much progress Thursday, though he's hopeful other efforts to get key legislation attached to bills in the Senate will succeed.
“The situation with the Republicans, they’re going to do what they’re going to do, but our focus is to get as much good done as we can today and in the next session day we’re going to have later in the month,” he said. “I'm grateful to have this experience, and that we were able to put together a session, finally, because three's so much work we had to leave on the table.”
Rep. Lynne Ober, R-Hudson, said she likely will vote against efforts to change the deadlines, in part because she thinks Democrats have failed to communicate with her party.
“I don't think my constituents want me to vote without knowing what I'm doing,” she said.
Lawmakers were required to wear either face masks or plastic face shields on the floor, though there were separate sections in the stands for those who couldn't do so for medical reasons, and another section for those who refused.
Those entering the arena were asked about their travel, symptoms and contact with anyone who had been sick. Ober said she thinks they also should have been asked whether they attended any of the many protests held in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“If the purpose is to keep people safe, then they should ask the relevant questions,” she said.
The last time the House outside its usual home, it was in 1864 at a Concord courthouse during Statehouse renovations.
___
This story has been corrected to show that Rep. Meuse's comments were made Thursday, not Wednesday.