A vote is expected later today on HB 1623 — a bill reducing penalties for possessing less than .25 ounces of marijuana from a class A misdemeanor (punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 or up to a year in jail) to a violation punishable by a $200 fine.
HB 1623 is currently being considered by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. The subcommittee met Feb. 14, and the bill emerged from the subcommittee with a recommendation of “Ought to Pass” (OTP).
Next, the whole committee (20 reps) will vote on the bill in an executive session today, or perhaps Wednesday or Thursday. From there, the bill goes to the floor with a recommendation of OTP or ITL (”Inexpedient to Legislate”) from the full Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. This recommendation will carry a lot of weight with the full house (400 reps), so we are very focused on earning a positive recommendation from the committee.
We are optimistic about our prospects of earning an OTP from the committee, but the vote may be very close. It would certainly help for these representatives to hear from you, especially if you live in one of their districts. Contact info for the 20 reps can be found at NHCommonSense.org.