Today, we learned that session days can be very long as we toiled over Senate bills from 9:00 a.m. until 7:10 p.m., with time, of course, for an hour-long lunch break. All in all, we slogged through 45 bills on the regular calendar and two more taken off consent. I can’t report on all of them, but I will try to share some highlights, both good and bad. Today, we surely earned our $100 for the year (wink).

We learned that we had around 28-floor amendments that we hoped to tack onto some of the Senate bills before us. These were amendments created from the language of House bills that the Senate recently killed through ITL or Interim Study. Not all 28 were voted to be added onto Senate bills, but for those that did, the House decided to send the Senate a strong message back to them that our work shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. Their favored bills will now include our favored bills. Let’s see what they will do with them. It’s an annoying little game both bodies play at this time of the year and during Committee of Conference season. Seeing as they are also still holding some of our bills hostage, I am sure those House bills will come back to us with many unwelcome surprises.

We learned that we special ordered our first bill to be done after lunch break, only to come back from lunch to Table it 325Y-32N. That was SB558, a bill that would require insurance companies to cover fertility treatments. The Commerce Committee recommended Interim Study because there was some questions about whether insurance companies cover those procedures or not, so either way, the bill ended up yielding no fruit… so to speak.

We learned that CACR22 failed to garner 3/5th of votes needed to pass, as the votes were 195Y-165N on a Roll Called vote. If this had passed, then a question would have been posed on November’s ballot as to whether or not we should establish the New Hampshire presidential primary (FITN) as the first such electoral contest in the nation in our State Constitution. We needed 216 yes votes for this CACR to pass. Apparently 21 House members did not trust the people enough to make that decision. I appreciated comments made by Deputy Speaker, Steve Smith (R-Charlestown), about presidential candidates, “It’s not cute when candidates come here and serve our coffee and cook our eggs. It is a reminder to the powerful people who want to be a leader of the free world that their first job, their only job, is to be a public servant.” He was spot on.

We learned that after all the tons of emails House members received about SB440, which made our eyes blurry, we tabled the bill 224Y-137N. This expanded the scope of what procedures optometrists could perform that they are not currently permitted to do. There were stipulations in the bill regarding required education, training, supervision and certification, but there was lots of push back by many organizations, ophthalmologists, and eye surgeons, warning legislators of horrible consequences that could happen to people if these procedures are not done properly. People who had gone blind from botched laser surgeries came to testify against the bill, as this type of optometry expansion has been allowed in other states. The bill was intended to help increase access to eyecare and procedures because there is a lack of ophthalmologists in our state, especially in rural areas. The thought was to allow optometrists to take on some of the procedures and make them more available for patients. There was no data to suggest that with optometrists performing some laser surgery treatments there would be higher rates of complications or malpractice suits. We also didn’t really know if this move would truly increase access to care and make it less expensive. In the end, the House saw fit to Table the bill.

We learned that SB417 passed 361Y-3N. This bill was a reaction to some horrific things that happened to kids that were placed out of state after being removed from their abusive or troubled homes. SB417 revises criteria for out-of-home placement of children under the child protection act and other juvenile statutes and establishes an order of preference based on placement with the child’s siblings, when possible, and proximity to the child’s community of origin. The committee amendment to the bill was a tighter Roll Called vote of 186Y-178N with all but 2 Democrats against the amendment (because remember… it’s for the kids). The amendment did many things to streamline the process of placement and to help facilitate getting children into homes where their unique needs can be met. For one thing it updated the standard for evidence from “a preponderance of the evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence.” Increasing the standard slightly to the clear and convincing evidence standard will help reduce the number of spurious cases heard by the court and allow the Judicial Branch to focus on the cases where there are real concerns. The amendment also addressed parental ownership of firearms and made it clear that mere ownership does not make a home “unsafe” and that this one factor should not be weighed against the parent. This was a good bill from the Senate… and the House made it even better with its amendment.

We learned that SB476 was the bill that approved a capital appropriation to the Department of Corrections (DOC) in the amount of $40 million for architectural, engineering, programming, design and construction documents for a replacement state men’s prison. This is a must have bill for the Senate. Rep. Terry Roy, (R-Deerfield) offered as a floor amendment the language to HB1711 to be added onto the Senate bill. HB1711 is considered by some, including many gun groups, to be a “Red Flag Law” bill and was recently killed in the Senate with a Tabling motion. It adds mental health records to gun background checks, and was a response to the shooting of Chief Bradley Haas at the NH Hospital. The floor amendment passed 202Y-165N, and the amended Senate bill passed 212Y-155N. Personally, I am not a fan of a $40 million expenditure in an “off budget year”, especially since we in the House keep getting chastised by the “folks on the other side of the wall” regarding bringing “money bills” to the Senate in an “off budget year” (hence their reason for killing some of our House bills…but I guess their money bills are betterer)… and I certainly didn’t support the floor amendment. It will be really interesting to see what the Senate does with this.

We learned that there was “House Drama” after the passage of SB476. Loud words were had between Rep. Terry Roy (R-Deerfield) and Rep. Cyril Aures (R-Chichester) about the HB1711 gun bill language. Afterwards, there were Motions made to Reprimand both House members for their unruly conduct, but the House decided to Table both Motions to Reprimand and get on with the days business. It was a good move, because we still had tons of work ahead of us, and the Reprimand really is nothing more than a “finger-wagging, don’t do that again boys” gesture. The House had already been in recess for a half hour to sort through the aftermath of the “kerfuffle” and decide how to deal with it all and we didn’t really need to waste more time on that. People need to chill… it’s just legislation the Senate will likely kill again anyway.

We learned that SB591, modifying definitions, claims procedures, and funding relating to the youth development center settlement fund and claims administration, passed on a voice vote. That was after an amendment was tacked onto it by Rep. Dan McGuire (R-Epsom). This bill makes various changes to settlement terms, and adds $60 million to the settlement fund for the YDC lawsuits.and will cover our expenses until July 1, 2025. There’s a $75 million cap on the state’s annual settlement costs, and a 5% interest rate on settlements that are paid over time, and that is going to be a level of expense to continue for many years. The amendment removes the ability of those funds to be borrowed and instead will have to be budgeted with the state’s other operating expenses. While it is appropriate to borrow when necessary for capital projects such as roads, prisons or other infrastructure that will be used for many decades, it is not appropriate to borrow to pay current expenses such as this settlement fund. The amendment passed 187Y-173N. Can you imagine that 173 House members would borrow money to pay structured settlements? That would just be a policy of insanity…taking out debt to pay more debt.

We also learned that SB431 relative to Wake Surfing was passed with an amendment 214Y-148N. This bill and its amendment restricts the activity of wake surfing on lakes and ponds that are less than 50 acres in size, codifies provision of existing wake surfing education by the Department of Safety, and mandates a 300-foot distance from shorelines and docks, versus the present distance in statute, which is 150 feet. The hope is that this will enable some progress with the mitigation of the cumulative environmental and recreational challenges. The motorsports industry has a “Wake Responsibly” campaign, to educate about the erosion of shoreline, damage of docks and boats, and interference with other lake recreational activities. For some wake boaters, passing this bill will surely make some waves.

We learned that SB358 was killed 176Y-174N on a Roll Called vote. It should have been passed. With this bill, New Hampshire would not honor out of state driver’s licenses issued exclusively to people unable to prove lawful presence in the United States. We have no problem with legal immigrants, but we know some of our neighboring states are issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. That’s not cool. We heard arguments that allowing people who are unlawfully in our country to obtain driver’s licenses improves the safety of our roadways, but there’s no real evidence to support this. We also know that licenses (a government ID) given to unvetted individuals poses a much greater risk to public safety. Those licenses also confer certain privileges. Why would we give privileges to law breakers? The rule of law is important and should not be discarded. Allowing and condoning illegal immigration by honoring licenses specifically issued to unlawfully present individuals is not in the best interest of this state and is an affront to the millions of immigrants who have legally come to this country. Changing the status quo of state reciprocity on driver’s licenses is not to be taken lightly, but we have a duty to protect the rule of law and safeguard the citizens of our state from the bad policy decisions made by some of our neighboring states.

Finally we learned that SB501 was passed on a roll called vote of 181Y-169N, and that should have been killed. This bill will grant licenses to non-citizens residing in New Hampshire. The bill changes the term “Non Resident Alien” to “Non-Citizen.” Second, it mentions the term “granted conditional residence” but does not describe what it means. Third and most importantly, the bill states that “once licensed, the individual shall be subject to the same provisions of the law as all other licenses.” This is a back door to allowing non-citizens to vote. The minority feels that this bill will have an adverse effect to election integrity. One can only hope that the Governor will veto this horrible bill. This just underscores the need to stop using licenses as ID to vote in our state. We really need to find another way to validate voters.  I am amazed this bill came to us from the Senate!

Next week we’ll have Concurrence Week – The House will vote on all the bills coming back to us from the Senate with their marvelous changes. We can hardly wait to see all the presents they will send back to us in our House bills. I’m sure there will be some surprises and disappointments… like when you get socks or coal for Christmas.

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (5/23/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

It wasn’t as if Harrison Butker addressed the students of Yale, Harvard, or some other nefarious communist institution! Rather, Butker spoke to the graduating class at the Christian-oriented Benedictine College, located deep within the heart of America’s “fly-over country!” So, why all this ruckus?

The reason is obvious, yet many shy away from listening. For the longest time, our institutions of higher learning have been overrun with Marxist doctrinaires. Unfortunately, this fact alone qualifies their detrimental status.

Still, every year, hardworking parents send their children off toward these higher learning centers, thinking the best but eventually suspecting and then experiencing the worst. However, as the new freshman class arrives, they fill the ranks left open as the senior class graduates, dispersing to infest our business/corporate sectors and, in general, our country’s well-being.

This rotation has been ongoing throughout my adult life, and yet the routine apparently called for some sprucing up; so along came our public schools with studies that implanted the hammer and sickle doctrines. Now, future freshmen have a running start at being full-fledged and pledged comrades.

All this sounds like a writer with a gifted imagination, but stop and compare what was to what is now being forced fed. Examples are endless, too numerous to detail, yet one recent event, cited above, seemed to rock this mental thievery process, if the reaction it caused in our so-called journalistic world is any indicator. And to think that this caliber of nastiness is being directed at what is still America’s shining traditions and foundational supports.

Harrison Butker’s commencement speech respectfully highlighted motherhood, family, and Christianity. This is in addition to a general acknowledgment of the degrees earned and his best wishes for all the graduates’ future endeavors. Nevertheless, the three topics noted above claimed the media’s ire, along with official lambasting from NFL officials who now enforce this restrictive “woke” stranglehold.

Without delving into the individual quotes from Mr. Butker’s messaging, it needs to be repeated that his commencement invite came from a Christian-based university and that the section of his speech that generated all this ridicule was his revelation of personal experiences and how he and his wife enjoy a rich and rewarding life—one revolving around her being his wife, mother to their children, and homemaker. I might add that this particular section of his speech received an eighteen-second applause!

After listening to all the verbalization and printed rebuke against Mr. Butker, I am once again reminded of journalism’s apparent adoption of Sol Alinsky’s playbook for radicals. To quote one of his “rules,” “pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Within its eight-plus page speech, his advice encompassed a broad array of recommendations for the newly minted graduates to ponder upon. Given his self-professed adherence to God, his comments were richly interspersed with faith and his own personal rewards derived from his chosen lifestyle.

This topic, while also on the hatchet list, was too broad-based, so the “target” “picked” was the more personal one-on-one of mother and homemaker, which directly challenges what has been the routine lecture that condemns being held back by male superiority versus a woman’s “be all you can be” career potential. In other words, it has more of a direct, nerve-hitting effect that can easily be expounded upon, given the infamous chauvinist illusion of “keeping her barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen!”

The purpose of ridiculing his wife’s role is meant to dampen Mr. Butker’s entire spiel since he basically champions traditions that are counter to this communist/globalist theorem. To ridicule a part is to condemn its entirety!

The media’s tactic is actually a knee slap protection of it new aged priorities. No longer can concerns be of an individual matter since this is the age of inclusion and equality. Since his words speak of the proven traditions and personal fulfillment from an inner belief, Mr. Butker’s ordeal is just beginning. There is even talk of his possible exile from the NFL!

Not only are the forces of fairness and inclusion denouncing his one-time oratory, but now they intend to penalize him to the point he will no doubt run their gauntlet until he is financially ruined and socially ostracized! All that is now lacking is an open courtroom and an agreeable “judge” so that Mr. Butker’s act can never become a replay!

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Cloned meat, one of several names I’ve bandied about for Lab-grown meat (mystery meat is another), is not better for the environment, it is not better for people, and it is not the future of beef in America if actual Americans have anything to say.

Or is it?

I’ve had my share of encounters with people at the grocery store who buy fake meat. I see them looking at the packages for the right one, which must be a holdover from their real meat days. They are all the same. There’s no difference—identical weight, shape, texture, everything. Other than the expiration date, I can’t imagine what might be of so much interest.

KFC launched fake chicken (vegan) nuggets two years ago and is still selling them. Of course, these are plant-based fabrications – laboratory concoctions, nonetheless, but not synthesized from base matter into something meant to look and taste like the real thing. But the impossible stuff, like the lab-grown, isn’t better for the planet. Lab-grown meat is, in fact, several orders of magnitude worse than beef on the hoof.

In the study, the scientists estimated the energy required for stages of lab-grown meat production, from the ingredients making up the growth medium and the energy required to power laboratories, and compared this with beef.

They largely focused on the quantity of growth medium components, including glucose, amino acids, vitamins, growth factors, salts, and minerals.

They found the “global warming” potential of lab-grown meat ranged from 246 to 1,508 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of lab-grown meat.

The figure is four to 25 times greater than the claimed average “global warming” potential of retail beef.

But that’s not why Alabama has joined Florida in prohibiting the manufacture or sale of lab-grown meat.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “cultivated food product” means any food product produced from cultured animal cells.
(b)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale. or distribute anv cultivated food product in this state.

SB23 was signed into law two weeks ago and takes effect October 1st of this year.

The Alabama bill, proposed by Republican state Sen. Jack Williams, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey on May 7, prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of food products made from cultured animal cells. State Rep. Denny Crawford also had a hand in the legislation.

Nutritionists not on-the-take have expressed concerns about “plant-based” and lab-grown meat.

[Registered dietitian Diana] Rodgers told the Post that she is concerned about a lack of publicly-available nutritional information regarding lab-grown meat. When asked whether lab-grown meat was healthy or not, Rodgers said, “We just don’t know.”

“I’d rather eat my shoe than lab-grown meat,” Rodgers told the Post. “McDonald’s is still better because the meat is a better option for vitamins,” she added later.

The plant-based variety makes claims about nutrition that are unlikely, if not themselves, fraudulent.

‘Among these products, we saw a wide variation in nutritional content and how sustainable they can be from a health perspective. In general, the estimated absorption of iron and zinc from the products was extremely low. This is because these meat substitutes contained high levels of phytates, antinutrients that inhibit the absorption of minerals in the body,’ says Cecilia Mayer Labba, the study’s lead author

To be clear, you can chew on plant-based or lab-created meat. I’m not telling you what to eat. But these are not better for the planet (consider the entire components-to-table carbon footprint of facilities, equipment, growing, prepping, synthesizing, and producing the product).

Fertilizer runoff for the plant-based product. And hey, isn’t farming bad for the planet?

But hey, the same government agency that lied about the COVID vaccines being safe and effective, completely abdicating its obligation to ensure informed consent about the risks, is responsible for ensuring fake and lab-grown meat provides accurate nutritional and ingredient details about what’s in it and the rest.

What could go wrong?

The post Another US State Has Banned Lab Grown ‘Meat’ appeared first on Granite Grok.

Would you believe me if I told you, less is more? Less government would mean more prosperity? You’d be at least 30% richer if we eliminated the bureaucratic red tape strangling our economy today. Tammy tells us about the new documentary, Flynn, we discuss the upcoming elections, shocking RTK prosecutions, and more!



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