New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan (D) has reportedly vetoed a bill seeking to allow alcohol beverage labels to depict minors as long as the advertising is not intended to promote underage alcohol consumption. Introduced by Rep. Keith Murphy (R-Hillsborough), the measure (H.B. 122) would have struck language from the state’s rules on alcohol beverage advertising that prohibits “any reference to minors, pictorial or otherwise.” Although Murphy pointed to several labeling designs that use images of children or babies but do not promote underage consumption, New Hampshire Liquor Commission Director of Enforcement and Licensing James Wilson opposed the revision on the grounds that it obscures the agency’s “bright line standard” for labeling. As Hassan argued, “Substance misuse, including alcohol misuse, continues to be one of the major public health and safety challenges facing us as a state. Moreover, statistics suggest that New Hampshire has among the highest rates of underage drinking…
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New Hampshire lawmakers reportedly voted 185-162 against legislation (H.B. 660) that would have required food distributors to label foods that contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients. According to news sources, the vote not only puts a damper on the labeling fight in New Hampshire, but also sets back similar campaigns in Maine and Connecticut. Both states passed legislation requiring GM food labeling in 2013, but their laws cannot be enacted until at least four other Northeastern states enact similar statutes. Details about Maine’s GM bill appear in Issue 504 of this Update. See ConcordMonitor. com, January 23, 2014. Issue 511
Legislation (H.B. 660) in Maine that would require food manufacturers to label products containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients is reportedly in jeopardy after New Hampshire lawmakers voted 12-8 against a similar labeling bill. Although Maine’s law passed earlier this year with broad bipartisan support, it can take effect only if five contiguous states pass similar laws. “I was not surprised,” said the New Hampshire bill’s sponsor Maureen Mann (D-Deerfield) in a news article. Evidently, while a subcommittee that spent the summer working on the bill recommended its approval, members of New Hampshire’s House Environment and Agriculture Committee expressed reservations about the measure, citing difficulties with enforcement because food labeling is a federal matter. According to sources, unlike in Maine, the vote in New Hampshire broke along party lines, with Republican committee members largely opposing it. Democrats have a 42-vote majority in the New Hampshire House, while Republicans have a two-seat…
