CONCORD, N.H.—The New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to stall votes on two bills that would repeal the state’s law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.
The House’s decision will delay a vote on the bills until early in next year’s session (legislative rules do not allow committees to dispose of bills entirely). According to the Associated Press, “nearly 600 people had signed up to testify at a hearing on the bills last month, with most opposed to repeal,” and many of them urged the committee to vote on the issue and kill the proposed legislation.
“Lawmakers just kicked the can down the road, only to come back again next year to take up marriage, yet again,” said Lew Feldstein of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, a group that opposes repeal of the state’s marriage equality law.
Democratic Gov. John Lynch, who signed marriage equality into law, said he will veto bills to repeal it, but social conservatives hope they will see enough votes in the Legislature to retract the legislation and overturn the governor’s veto now that Republicans have supermajorities in the state House and Senate.
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