New Hampshire House Passes Right-to-Work Measure, Governor Promises Veto
On Tuesday afternoon, the GOP-led House in New Hampshire voted 221-131 to make the Granite State the 23rd state in the nation to outlaw unions’ ability to have workers fired for not paying union dues. The bill to make New Hampshire a Right-to-Work state now moves to the New Hampshire Senate where Republicans enjoy a 19-5 majority. However, before the bill become law it must be signed by the Democratic Governor, John Lynch, who has said he would veto it.
According to Republican Steve Vaillancourt, overriding Democrat Lynch’s expected veto is possible, but it may be difficult:
House Bill 474, better known as the Right To Work bill (”relative to freedom of choice on whether to join a labor union”), will pass the New Hampshire House overwhelmingly this week (either late Tuesday or early Wednesday), but the number to watch is 31.
That’s the number of Republicans who could vote against the bill, and it would still survive Governor John Lynch’s promised veto when it comes back later in the spring.
Here’s how it works, and these numbers are based on all Reps being present for a given vote (something that never happens, of course). With Republican in control 297-102, if 31 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the bill, the margin would be 266-133, exactly enough to override a veto. Bearing in mind that Tuesday’s vote was 221-131, according to Vaillancourt’s comments above, overriding a gubernatorial veto is readily within the GOP’s grasp.