NH Legislative Engagement Temporary Officiants 2020
Special Marriage Officiants
An Unfair Fight
Efforts to have meaningful conversations with members of the House of Representatives fell short. The majority of Democrats got in line behind the bill’s sponsor, Representative Renny Cushing. Although in private they acknowledged the bill’s shortcomings, almost none wanted to use any political capital on the matter. Then the pandemic struck, and process and procedure be gone! After a two month hiatus, the General Court resumed session and notification to constituents be damned. The bill passed with virtually no discussion.
Legislative Engagement
- JPus submitted a written statement to the House Judiciary Committee in February.
- Fiscally focused testimony to the House Ways & Means Committee on March 4th compelled a discussion between committee members
- An Action Alert prepared JPus members to engage their senators, including a Zoom discussion
- Another step to get ready, we developed Talking Points to support JPs’ conversations with their Senators.
Op-Ed in the Union Leader
- JPus submitted an Op-Ed to the New Hampshire Union Leader asking Governor Sununu to issue an executive order blocking temporary officiants
Related Links
- A summary of JPus opposition in the special marriage officiant bill.
- Read all about the behind-the-scenes details of what happened during the 2020 spring session.
- JPus proposed alternative language for the 2020 special marriage officiant bill
- JPus submitted a One-Day Rule white paper to MA Governor Baker’s office that summarizes the problems with temporary officiants in the state. These problems would likely happen in New Hampshire too, if the bill was enacted.