In many ways, House Bill 71 is a case study in successful bipartisan legislative work. Ring a bell?
The often adversarial nature of politics — this session in the New Hampshire Legislature being no exception — begs the question of what it takes to find common ground. The reality is complicated. For all their public bickering, lawmakers often do get along, especially at the committee level. But that fact of life doesn’t make many headlines.
Enter the pharmaceutical drug take-back program.
The bill, which we’ve tracked since January, creates a new way for New Hampshire cities and towns to confront the issues of pain medicine addiction and water supply degradation. Several state agencies collaborate in setting guidelines for how communities and private entities, in conjunction with law enforcement, can collect unused medications. It’s “enabling” legislation, or a law that allows communities to take part in the program on a volunteer process. The goal is keeping prescription drugs off the street and out of the water supply (which happens when people flush old meds).
An earlier proposal had called for pharmacies to establish take-back programs, but a study committee recommended against it due to corporate liability issues. Lesson learned, a new mechanism was created. House Bill 71 is the product of a successful pilot program last fall — in which more than a ton of unused pharmaceuticals was collected statewide — followed by fine-tuning from legislative interim study recommendations.
Later today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 71, which passed uncontested by a voice vote in the House last month. Sponsored by Rep. Chris Nevins (R-Hampton), the bill enjoys significant bipartisan support.
>> Thursday, April 7, 1:00 p.m., Senate Health and Human Services Committee public hearings on HB 71 and other bills (Legislative Office Building, Room 102).
This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord, with contributions from Hilary Niles.
What’s your impression: Is the bipartisan time, effort and study that went into HB 71 the exception or the rule in New Hampshire’s legislative process? As a reader and a citizen of the Granite State, would you like to hear more of the success stories, or should media focus on the fights?
Share your thoughts in the comments box below (see policy first, please)!