NH makes peeing in public a violation

[twoplustwo]

From today's Citizen... "peeing" in public as a headline? I suppose it's a bigger attention grabber than the yawnworthy "urinating"

NH makes peeing in public a violation


Article Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Ringing in the New Year in New Hampshire by peeing in public could cost $1,000.

Gov. John Lynch signed a law this week adding a new section to the state's public indecency statute making public urination or defecation a violation punishable by up to a $1,000 fine. It goes into effect on Jan. 1. To be guilty, the person would have to know the act would affront or alarm someone else.

The legislation was to correct a gap in the law. Currently, there is no state law specifically addressing public urination; it's prosecuted under a patchwork of local and state laws, indecent exposure among them.

Because indecent exposure is a sex offense, multiple convictions could land habitual public urinators on a sex offender registry, a penalty lawmakers felt was too severe for the crime.

I'm wondering just who these habitual public urinators are??

[wildwoodfam]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

I'm wondering just who these habitual public urinators are??

If there were adequate potty stops (porta-pottyy do not qualify as adequate) we would not have to pull over to the side of the road and use the scrub pine trees as a shield!! Actually - I recall a place on 125 way way back 1960's that my grandparents called "Leaky Valley" we actually looked forward to stopping there - it was a halfway point between home and the summer compound at Province Lake!! The NHSPD would have made a killing at Leaky Valley!

[Resident 2B]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

From today's Citizen... "peeing" in public as a headline? I suppose it's a bigger attention grabber than the yawnworthy "urinating"


NH makes peeing in public a violation


Article Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Ringing in the New Year in New Hampshire by peeing in public could cost $1,000.

Gov. John Lynch signed a law this week adding a new section to the state's public indecency statute making public urination or defecation a violation punishable by up to a $1,000 fine. It goes into effect on Jan. 1.

This is going to make it very tough on our wildlife!

[Skip]

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight

AN ACT establishing the offense of public urination or defecation.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; Public Indecency; Public Urination or Defecation. Amend RSA 645 by inserting after section 1 the following new section:

645:1-a Public Urination or Defecation. A person is guilty of a violation if such person urinates or defecates in a public place, other than a public restroom, under circumstances where the person knew or should have known would likely cause affront or alarm to another.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2009.

Gee, maybe they should have tied the offense towards your driving record...if they really wanted to get tough on serial offenders!

[twoplustwo]

I have 2 girls. Neither one will go near a porta potty, let alone a tree

[WINNOCTURN]

Twoplustwo,

This Law could have real negative effect on Snowmobiling. I think WEEE as Snomobilers may have to take a different "STANCE" on this mater.

I feel it very important the word get out to all Smowmobilers before the next Season is upon us.

WINNOCTURN

[twoplustwo]

A person is guilty of a violation if such person urinates or defecates in a public place, other than a public restroom, under circumstances where the person knew or should have known would likely cause affront or alarm to another.

I'm sure if the only place you habitually publically urinating snowmobilers wee is on a snowmobile trail, you won't be likely to cause affront or alarm to another.

[phoenix]

maybe the Governor can help reduce the state deficit at $1000 per incident

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

From today's Citizen... "peeing" in public as a headline? I suppose it's a bigger attention grabber than the yawnworthy "urinating"

NH makes peeing in public a violation

Article Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Ringing in the New Year in New Hampshire by peeing in public could cost $1,000. {snip}
Because indecent exposure is a sex offense, multiple convictions could land habitual public urinators on a sex offender registry, a penalty lawmakers felt was too severe for the crime.

That's a good idea (recognizing that the punishment should fit the crime).

For those habitual violators, you now have until January 1st to get it out of your system .

Now that we have this new improved law we will need to enact a more strict law. One more specific to banning all outdoor urination or defecation because you can not prove a violator knew their actions would alarm or affront another. We need to make it more specific, not something that is reasonable and safe considering the circumstances and conditions. . Don't forget the environmental concerns. How about the sounds? Is there a noise limit on defecation accompanied by loud alarming flatulence? Not to mention the nauseating odor considerations.

We will need a study to determine the extent of the problem relative to the public. A more strict law should help campers, kayakers, other boaters, the water supply and the environment. Floating violating substance could clog jet boat impellers or be like unseen obstacles knocking kayakers off track. Maybe we will need SCUBA teams checking the sandbar anchorages to catch the beer drinking scoundrels who should know better than violate this law. This new law does not hold enough water.

Besides, how can you enforce this "selectively" as the new law stands? What distance from others is reasonable to see, hear or smell? Is there a 150' rule? What if the viewer is going faster than their ability to see (until it's too late) that a violation is in progress? This law does not go far enough. Did this law receive funding to train the officers to deal with these violations?

What police officer is going to collect the evidence and present it to a judge? Yes, we need yet another more strict law than the one starting Jan 1. Yep.

[Skip]

....there is definitely no truth to the rumor that this legislation was secretly backed by a lobbying group known as WIZZfabs!

[chipj29]

I have read that the average human pees at a rate greater than 45 gph*. Slower rates are hard to enforce, or so I hear.

*gallons per hour

[tis]

I think there must already be a law to cover this, like 'reasonable and prudent"!

[Coolbreeze]

This conversation reminds me that I need to do something...be right back

[SIKSUKR]

I know that I,for one,am very relieved about this new law.

[SAMIAM]

I suppose that inclides phone booths......darn it all!

[ITD]

It's like the "Wild Wizz" out there...

[chipj29]

Can I still pee in the water?

[John A. Birdsall]

Chipj29, recall their is no "P' in swimping

We told my grandson that there were no P in swimming so he got out of the lake and peed on the pine tree!

[neckdweller]

Originally Posted by chipj29

Can I still pee in the water?

You mean in Lake Winnipeesaukee?

[jetskier]

This whole thing is just starting to piss me off.

Jetskier

[camp guy]

Well, Jetskier, you'd better do it in private or else it will cost you $1000.00 to get mad at anyone.

[SAMIAM]

This bill was so needed.Thank God our governor is on top of this tragic problem.Everywhere I go people are urinating....restaurants,stores,gas stations,the mall.....the other day I stopped at Starbucks and several people were urinating on the floor.....same in the supermarket. It's terrible.Maybe it will stop now that there is a law against it.

[tis]

But ironicly so true.

[Gilligan]

Strange as it may seem this may be a better law compared to current law. If you pee in public today you can be arrested for a sex crime and could wind up on the Sex Offender registry. Don't laugh, I know someone it happened to. They are forced to be on the public list and must disclose they are an offender to potential employers, and landlords and the local police where he works and lives.

That is no joke. His life is basically ruined because people run far away from those on that registry list. He can't even get a job at McD's. NIMBY.

You can have convicted murderers or compulsive batterers live next door and not know it. I want to know when there is a potentially dangerous person in my neighborhood no matter what they did.

While the new pee law may be funny it is an overdue look at what is and is not a real hazard to the community.

BTW, how do kayakers take care of business when they are out on our scary lake for hours and hours?

[Seeker]

My dog better start a pee club savings plan as he's very easily tracked in the winter by his yellow holes in the snow. At least he can't write his name.

[Weirs guy]

Is this about PEEtered out? Bikeweeks gonna be along, long week....

[gtxrider]

Originally Posted by WINNOCTURN

Twoplustwo,

This Law could have real negative effect on Snowmobiling. I think WEEE as Snomobilers may have to take a different "STANCE" on this mater.

I feel it very important the word get out to all Smowmobilers before the next Season is upon us.

WINNOCTURN

Just don't sign your name or have some else write it!

[jetskier]

Just claim that the dog did it.

[Jeti]

One over turned Walmart tractor trailer on route 93 North with a 1000 car backup... Lets see how many people keep it in their pants!!!

[codeman671]

Well, after seeing a bagpiper in the Patrick's Pub parking lot on Saturday afternoon lift up his kilt (with nothing on underneath) and take a leak facing Route 11 as we were driving by, maybe this law won't be so bad after all...

I honestly couldn't believe it!!! What was that idiot thinking???

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by codeman671

Well, after seeing a bagpiper in the Patrick's Pub parking lot on Saturday afternoon lift up his kilt (with nothing on underneath) and take a leak facing Route 11 as we were driving by, maybe this law won't be so bad after all...

I honestly couldn't believe it!!! What was that idiot thinking???

Give him a break. He had to drain his bagpipe.

[HUH]

Just another step twoards all out fascism.

[Jeti]

Originally Posted by codeman671

Well, after seeing a bagpiper in the Patrick's Pub parking lot on Saturday afternoon lift up his kilt (with nothing on underneath) and take a leak facing Route 11 as we were driving by, maybe this law won't be so bad after all...

I honestly couldn't believe it!!! What was that idiot thinking???

We could only hope that knuckledragger was pee~ing in the wind!!

[fatlazyless]

.....well.....u-know......it is not totally uncommon to occaisionally have the need to take a leak someplace where there is just no bathroom available, at the time.....but let me tell you that thissy here thread here, from about five years ago, was very informative to me and I made a mental note at the time to no longer take the risk of breaking this "indecent exposure law" by peeing in public in New Hampshire..... good grief.....nobody wants to go get themselves into that type of trouble if you know what I mean.....

Back around 2006; a very attractive, tall, blonde NH lady highway patrol officer gave me a good stern call-down when she asked me from a distance of about 100-yards if I was taking a leak, when in fact, all I was doing, was positioning myself on the other side of the guard-rail and a little down the embankment in one of the Rt 93 truck, weigh stations, close to Exit-3, while she administered the tractor-trailer truck, road test and I wanted to be able to watch someone very clearly align the truck and back it up without hitting the orange highway cones during their NH-CDL road test. I was not, and that was the end of that very brief heads-up with the lady state trooper.......but I know I sure as heck learned a good lesson from that brief encounter with the law.......when nature calls in New Hampshire....you better be finding a proper bathroom.....than to risk getting caught in that NH blue-lights zone and then need to hire some swarmy defense attorney who wants a whole lot of CASH up-front!

[8gv]

In the words of Forrest Gump:

I gotta pee!

[BroadHopper]

So my pets and older grandchildren needs to wear diapers? WOW!

Looks like we are going to find money for those public urinals you find in the European cities........................

We don't have the money to enforce the law!

[Ride & Dive]

I hope his doesn't include golf courses. 5 hour weekend rounds are long enough, I can't imagine what will happen if we have to find a proper head.

[Argie's Wife]

Y'all are taking this just a wee bit too far...

[upthesaukee]

...you have to mind your P's and Q's no matter where you go.

[Skip]

...I guess urine a heap of trouble if you violate this particular ordinance!

[Merrymeeting]

I was SO hoping that no one would take the bait dangled on a five and a half year old thread

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

I was SO hoping that no one would take the bait dangled on a five and a half year old thread

I've done it before. You see a comment pop up and just start posting without ever looking at the date the threat was started.
Hey at least this ones funny, look at the one for the old Wide Open saloon, do you think that you could beat that dead horse any more then it already has been?

[riverat]

Time to stick a catheter in this thread, it is flowing to freely.

[Lakesrider]

So I guess this gets rid of the "stand your ground" law......

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

I've done it before. You see a comment pop up and just start posting without ever looking at the date the threat was started.
Hey at least this ones funny, look at the one for the old Wide Open saloon, do you think that you could beat that dead horse any more then it already has been?

You've never read the thread about the truck that rolled into the lake one summer have you? It makes this look really tame. It's also one of the punniest threads we've had... I'll see if I can dig it up...

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

I suppose that inclides phone booths......darn it all!

This law could have come about through Concord's powerful phone booth lobby!


On the other hand, it could have been Concord's powerful Porta-John lobby!

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

I was SO hoping that no one would take the bait dangled on a five and a half year old thread

WHAT???



...make this thread void?

[SAB1]

I have not read this thread entirety but peeing in public is automatic level one sex offender if they the cop wants you. Kiss your license to carry goodbye.