NEW HAMPSHIRE: House Committee Tables Marriage Repeal Bill For 2011

We won't have to worry about marriage repeal in New Hampshire for the rest of the year.

A House committee voted today to take repeal of the state’s same-sex marriage off the table this year. The 15-0 vote of the House Judiciary Committee effectively means two bills repealing the 2009 law won’t return to the full House of Representatives until early next year.There was no debate in committee about the move. House Majority Leader D. J. Bettencourt, R-Salem, had decided that this divisive issue would distract from GOP priorities to adopt a balanced budget, change the education funding constitutional amendment and alter pension programs. The committee decided to retain the bills (HB 343 and HB 437), which keeps them in its custody until early in 2012 without a further vote of the Legislature. The panel unanimously recommended killing a third bill (HB 569) that would have replaced marriage with domestic unions for all adult partners, be they heterosexual or homosexual couples.

The haters are gonna be furious! Hah.