Quote:
Originally Posted by fatlazyless
The article in the Citizen suggests that the tide of legislative opinion in the 400-seat House of Representatives could be turning, and that it well could be that SB-27 will be voted NO by a majority of the state reps.
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You are right
"fatlazyless", the tide is changing in a big way.
The Republican State Representative D. J. Bettencourt, the House majority leader, has just put this thing to bed. He is against SB-27.
This is what the Citizen article said:
Boat speed limit supporters buoyed by hearing
Posted: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 6:00 am
Boat speed limit supporters buoyed by hearing By JOHN KOZIOL
jkoziol@citizen.com citizen.com | 0 comments
CONCORD — Based on his and others' testimony, including a number of Lakes Region lawmakers, Warren Hutchins is optimistic that a bill to raise the daytime speed limit in The Broads on Lake Winnipesaukee will not succeed.
Senate Bill 27, which squeaked out of the Senate on a 13-11 vote, was the subject of four hours of hearings Tuesday before the House of Representative's Transportation Committee which will vote on the item sometime next month.
In addition to what he said appeared to be the committee's receptivity to the pro-speed limits argument, Hutchins, who is a Laconia resident and a member of WinnFABS — the Winnipesaukee Family Alliance for Boating Safety — also has an e-mail pledge from state Rep. D.J. Bettencourt, the House Republican leader, to oppose SB27.
SB27 represents a compromise presented by the Safe Boaters of New Hampshire, which has faced off against WinnFABS since 2006, that would have eliminated numeric speed limits on the Big Lake entirely, instead letting Marine Patrol officers determine whether a boat was traveling too fast for current conditions.
Having prevailed in getting the Legislature in 2009 to adopt a 45-mile-per-hour daytime limit and 25 mph nighttime limit on Lake Winnipesaukee, WinnFABS and its supporters were upset when the N.H. General Court last year raised the nighttime limit to 30 mph. When SB27 was introduced earlier this year, WinnFABS lined up against it and later against the compromise proposed by SBONH that would raise the daytime limit to 50 mph, but only in The Broads.
Last week, both WinnFABS and SBONH released studies that they said bolstered their respective positions. On Tuesday, Hutchins said he reiterated some of the points in his group's research which he noted found overwhelming support for speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee.
By his math, Hutchins thinks speed limit supporters outnumbered opponents by a factor of 10:1 on Tuesday, based on the number of people who noted their preference in writing to the committee; while in direct testimony, "and I try not to be prejudiced, but I believe it was close to 85 percent of speakers who wanted to leave the 45-25 as it is."
Among the speakers on behalf of the speed limits were Jeff Thurston of Thurston Marine in Laconia, as well as state representatives Alida Millham, R-Gilford, chair of the Belknap County Delegation, as well as Peter Bolster, R-Alton; and Harry Accornero and Bob Luther, both of whom are Republicans from Laconia.
Hutchins presented letters from both the Laconia City Council and the executive board of the Lakes Region Planning Commission supporting current speed limits.
A member of the Laconia Planning Board, Hutchins also pointed out that, of the 1,500 approved residential units in Laconia, 85 percent are in The Weirs "and the reason for that is the lake."
"We need buyers who want to come buy these properties," said Hutchins, and the buyers will come, he continued, if they know they will have safe access to the lake.
Hutchins said he called members' attention to the fact that the transportation committee has no one from the Lakes Region serving on it and said the committee needs to question the credibility of those who come before it to speak on behalf of SB27.
"I feel very confident" that SB27 will not get out of the committee to the full House, said Hutchins. "I felt that the committee members were paying attention and could discern credible evidence."
He added that he was further encouraged by a reply he received to an e-mail he sent to Bettencourt.
In his April 10 answer, a copy of which Hutchins provided to The Citizen, Bettencourt concedes that, while he previously opposed speed limits, that no is longer the case.
"Since this issue directly affects an area outside of my district, I am going to be deferential to those voices who experience and live with this issue everyday.
Therefore, it is my intention to oppose Senate Bill 27."
Bettencourt said feedback "indicates the limits have been a success and that the lake has not lost its fun or enjoyment. It is also clear that the speed limits have not stopped ANYONE from boating. In fact, they have instilled and reinforced a sense of proper behavior on our state's most important and well-known waterway."