No help with refugees: If Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas and other city officials expected lawmakers to help with the city's refugee resettlement problems, they were very disappointed.

The House Municipal and County Government Committee voted, 15-1, to kill House Bill 1405, with only Goffstown Rep. John Burt in opposition.

Gatsas, Alderman and Rep. Pat Arnold and Manchester Reps. Win Hutchinson and Mike Ball all spoke in favor of the bill which would have allowed a one-year moratorium on refugee resettlements.

Gatsas has pushed federal officials for a moratorium, which he says is needed until the refugees who are here settle into the system, get jobs and become productive citizens. “We need to take a breath, step back and figure out how to do this right,” Gatsas told the committee last month.

Friday, Gatsas called the committee's action “too bad. They need to understand the people here need to get an opportunity to succeed, but when there are 200 or 300 more refugees every year, there is no opportunity. They don't know the language, they have a hard time finding a job and they put pressure on the schools, but we still have to test them.”

He noted there are 13 communities in the state designated under the federal resettlement program, and they all could face what Manchester does now.

“We will continue to ask for a moratorium and ask the President and Secretary of Education for waivers from the testing,” Gatsas said.

The city school department has asked the federal department for a waiver under the No Child Left Behind law, but to date have been unsuccessful.

One glitch in the push for the legislation was University of New Hampshire Law School professor Albert Scheer, who told the committee the moratorium provision raised constitutional questions, both because it singled out a particular class of legal residents and because states cannot pass laws that conflict with the “federal framework.” The refugee resettlement program is under the direction of the State Department.

Said Rep. Kris Roberts, D-Keene, Municipal and County Government Committee member: “This is one of those well-intentioned bills introduced to solve a problem where the sponsors see a problem, but aren't really sure what they are trying to address is even a major factor.

“This matter needs to be pro-actively addressed at the city-state level with the state then addressing local concerns with the United States State Department and the Office of Homeland Security, not by New Hampshire enacting a law that could reflect negatively on the honest concerns of some local communities”

Gatsas said he believes the Manchester House members will “make a valiant effort to overturn the committee's report.”

The bill is expected to come before the full House on Wednesday or Thursday.

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Waking a sleeping giant: The pushback begins Wednesday at 8 a.m. as lawmakers enter the State House and face “A Day of Action for Women's Health.” Concerned about recent attempts by legislators to restrict access to contraceptives, abortion and other birth control services, NARAL Pro-Choice NH and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England are sponsoring an event to greet lawmakers and a rally at 11:30 a.m.

“Don't let extreme legislators send women back to the dark ages!” says a flier for the event.

Seven of the more than 170 bills on the calendar for Wednesday and Thursday this week have something to do with birth control in one form or another.

Pushed by House Speaker William O'Brien, HB 1546 would exempt employers with religious objections from having to offer contraceptives as part of their health insurance plan.

O'Brien said the bill would prevent the federal government from trampling on the state's long-standing tradition of religious freedom. He said his proposal is not about conception, but about not forcing religious organizations to pay for something they morally oppose.

However, opponents see the bill as a return to the days of gender inequality in health insurance.

Jennifer Frizzell, senior policy adviser for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said the bill would give employers permission to discriminate, something that ended with Senate Bill 175 passed 12 years ago.

Another key bill is HB 1653, which would allow health care providers to refuse to provide services on religious, ethical, moral or philosophical grounds.

Frizzell said: “This Legislature has launched a full-scale attack on birth control, last month voting to defund Planned Parenthood and women's health providers that serve low-income women and women on Medicaid and focusing their efforts to eliminate contraceptive coverage for women who have private health insurance.”

Other bills of concern include one requiring women seeking abortions to receive information about the procedure known as “partial birth abortion”; making technical corrections to the parental notification law; and restricting abortions after 20 months of pregnancy.

Frizzell said the bills have served “as a catalyst for new and dormant activists to step up and speak out.”

She called Wednesday “a day of action.”

Laura Thibault, interim executive director of NARAL Pro Choice NH, said many people contacted her organization about the bills and asked what they could do. The event is really a response to that growing interest.

“This gives voters across New Hampshire an opportunity to come and learn more about the bills being voted and opportunity to watch the House in session and an opportunity to find and speak with their own representatives,” she said.

She noted a couple hundred people have already said they will be at the events Wednesday.

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Long time coming: After years and years of trying, Rep. Derek Owen, D-Hopkinton, will see his bill legalizing the growing of industrial hemp pass the House next week, likely on a voice vote.

Writing for the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, which approved House Bill 1615 on a 15-1 vote, Manchester Rep. Phil Greazzo said: “The committee recognizes the historical significance hemp has played in the establishment of our great nation and believes it's time for New Hampshire to take a stand in urging the federal government to allow our farmers, industries and businesses to once again put this crop back into service. If one cared to translate the name ‘New Hampshire' to modern English, you would realize we're living in New Hemp County.”

He went on to say Hemp was last grown in New Hampshire during the 1950s. “It's time to return this invaluable crop to our agriculture.”

However, the same committee was not willing to exempt the cultivation of marijuana from the manufacturing of a controlled drug section of the law.

The committee voted, 15-1, to kill HB 1527. Greazzo said the bill would be a mistake and “would open up a flood gate of growing operations which would likely fund the criminal element instead of law abiding citizens.”

The House is not only expected to legalize hemp growing but also could decriminalize marijuana possession.

The committee voted, 9-7, to approve HB 1526, which would make the possession of less than a half-ounce a violation that only carries a fine. Originally, the bill would have decriminalized possession of less than 1 ounce.

The first two offenses would be a violation, but the third would be a misdemeanor that could bring a year in jail.

Committee member Rep. Kyle Tasker, R-Northwood, said the change would bring the state in line with its neighbors.

But the committee had no taste for legalizing the sale and possession of marijuana, as HB 1705 would do, voting, 10-7, to kill the bill.

The bill would not only legalize marijuana but also have the state regulate its sale and tax it.

Rep. Mark Warden, R-Manchester, a bill sponsor, said: “Taxing and regulating marijuana would lead to an increase in revenues into state coffers, allowing for reduction of taxes elsewhere or adding to the Rainy Day Fund. Tax receipts would far surpass regulatory and enforcement costs, as we see today with sales of tobacco and alcohol. People in the Live Free or Die state should be free to engage in activities they enjoy, as long as they are not harming others or infringing on others' rights.”

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Wearing the green: The granddaddy of all St. Patty's Day festivities with a political connection, Bobby Stephen's St. Patrick's Day Celebration, will begin at 5 p.m. at the Executive Courtyard Banquet on March 17.

The event, in its 34th year, is a fundraiser for the Bobby Stephen Fund for Education, a 501c3 that provides scholarships through the NH Jobs for America's Graduates program. Last year, the event helped pay for 41 scholarships for New Hampshire students, Stephen said.

“My wife asks me why I keep doing this after 34 years. I say, ‘That is why,'” Stephen said, referring to the 41 students.

The scholarships are for disadvantaged students, he noted, but also can help older folks who have fallen on hard times and want to further their education.

Along with the usual entertainment and an appearance by Gov. John Lynch, Stephen said, a scholarship recipient from last year will speak.

The $50 ticket includes a full corn beef and cabbage dinner. The event usually draws between 600 and 700 people.

“Everyone's welcome,” Stephen said.

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Another award for Garcia: Rep. Marilinda Garcia, R-Salem, has been appointed to the Business and Economic Development Task Force for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

House Speaker O'Brien said: “She is an ideal choice to reach out to Hispanics nationally to remind them of these ideals, and New Hampshire Republicans are proud that Rep. Garcia is participating in this conversation nationally.”

Garcia is serving her third term in the House. She is the co-chairman of the House Republican Alliance and serves on the House Finance and House Legislative Administration committees.

Garcia was a member of the New Hampshire Union Leader's “40 Under Forty” 2011 class.

Garry Rayno writes State House Dome for New Hampshire Sunday News. E-mail him at grayno@unionleader.com.