Out In The Mountains : News

      Concord, NH – A commission originally appointed by then-Governor Craig Benson, a Republican who was defeated after one term, voted in early October to support a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in the state, even though its final report is not due for another month.
        The commission had been holding hearings in different regions of the state on the issue. Its mission was to consider various civil-union-type arrangements other states have enacted or are considering.
        According to an AP report, state Sen. Jack Barnes (R-Raymond) short-circuited that process by proposing a motion that the commission back a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. The motion passed 7-4. There were two abstentions reported, and two commissioners were absent.
       Such a bill has not yet been introduced in the legislature, though Barnes has reportedly agreed to sponsor it. To amend the state constitution, a measure would have to garner a three-fifths majority in both houses of the New Hampshire legislature and pass by a two-thirds majority of votes cast in a public election.
        A report in the Boston Globe suggests that current Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, is opposed to a constitutional amendment on the issue of marriage, although the gist of his remarks is that he doesn’t have time for the issue when the state is facing a large deficit and other economic and policy issues.