All -
The NH House of Representatives Fish & Game & Marine Resources committee
will have the public hearing on SB 89 on April 25. The time has not been
set as yet. In all likelihood 2 hearing rooms (305-307)will be used in the
Legislative Office Building (LOB).
The LOB is located just West and across the street from the gold dome
StateHouse
Take exit 14 off I-93. . . go West on Loudon Road and turn right onto N. State street and look
for parking (free) on the right side. There is also some parking on Union
Street. If you drive 2 blocks South from the State House on N. State Street,
there is a parking ramp with meters. Get there early to insure you get a
parking spot closer to LOB.
Please let everyone you know (like all of your club members) how important
it is to make arrangements to attend the hearing. You do not have to
testify orally, but do find the sign-in sheet inside the hearing room and
sign in as "opposed" to SB 89. If you do want to speak to make a point,
fill out a pink card and give to the clerk to pass forward to the committee
chairman. Keep an eye on some of the loonies who will not only sign in with
their own name, but will also try to enter the name of a neighbor or friend
who isn't even present.. . . challenge them if you observe this as it is a
form of "stuffing the ballot box" . . . also known as cheating.
Attached are some of the key points,
You do not need to wear a suit and tie . . . business casual, clean and neat
is just fine.
We had a joint meeting several weeks ago with both bass federations and we
have speakers lined up to cover all the major points. If you are called to
speak, but someone before you has already done a good job of covering that
point, you can simply state that you agree with that point and that you will
just hand-in your written testimony.
About written testimony . . . use brief bullet points . . . try to keep to 1
page. Make 21 copies and 3-hole punch them so it is easy for these 19
legislators to insert into their notebooks. Give the clerk 20 copies and
keep 1 copy for yourself when you are called on to speak.
Please keep in mind that these legislators are just like you and I. They
are our neighbors and you are likely to see them at the grocery store.
So far about 8 of the members of this committee are on our side.
It is CRITICAL that everybody who wants to keep using their traditional jigs
contact as many of the 19 members of this committee as you can. MAKE THE
EFFORT !!!! e-mail blasts with a form message do not work very well . . .
most are deleted immediately without reading. However, if you use your own
words (brief and to the point is good) and use their name in the subject
line, it will likely be opened and read. Even more effective is to mail a
handwritten note to the legislator's home address. Go to this link and then
click on each committee members name to get their contact info:
http://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H42 The loonies will be making an ALL OUT effort to take away your traditional
fishing jigs.
We need to show up in force at the hearing and also let these committee
members know what you think/feel about SB 89 by e-mail, written note
delivered in the mail, or a phone call to them (they expect and want phone
calls).
I'll let you all know what time the hearing is set for the 25th as soon as I
know.
Here to help,
Dick
Richard "Dick" Smith
Conservation Director
New Hampshire Bass Federation
