New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee deadlocks over "equal access to marriage" legislation

03/23/09 Brattleboro Reformer:

"The [House Judiciary] committee charged with making a recommendation deadlocked 10-10 whether to support making New Hampshire the third state to allow same-sex couples to marry. Some who voted against the bill said the state isn't ready for it while others opposed gay marriage altogether."

The proposed legislation is HB 436. Like proposed legislation in other states, it guarantees First Amendment protection of religious freedom with respect to solemnizing marriages and determing religious eligibility for marriage. (I consider proposed "marriage equality" laws under the 3/14/09 entry of my post on the recent Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.)

New Hampshire Marriage Equality reports that in "case of a tie vote the bill will go to the full House for a floor fight without a committee recommendation or report."