NH House votes down Right-to-Work bill

The state House of Representatives defeated Senate-sponsored Right-to-Work legislation Thursday, 200-177, as 32 Republicans sided with a united Democratic caucus to vote against the measure.

In a subsequent procedural vote, representatives voted 193-184 to indefinitely postpone further action on the issue, precluding any vote on a House-sponsored Right-to-Work bill in the current session.

A motion to reconsider the postponement vote also failed, 194-183.

The loss came despite a full-court press by Republican Party leaders who enjoy a 50-vote majority in the 400-member chamber.

Gov. Chris Sununu made passage of the bill one of the priorities in his business-friendly policy package, while GOP leaders suggested at a press conference Wednesday that Republican representatives had a duty to support the party platform upon which they were elected.

Sununu said he was “deeply disappointed,” but would move on.

“Right to Work, though important, is just one piece of a broader effort to promote economic development, signaling to our nation’s business community that New Hampshire is open for business,” he said.

Democrats and union officials reveled in the victory.

“Republicans and Democrats in the State House stood together and made clear that this issue is above partisan politics,” said Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. “Thousands of working families made their voices known throughout this process and our politicians heard them loud and clear.”

Close vote predicted

Supporters and opponents of the bill had predicted a razor-thin vote in the House, after it narrowly passed the Senate in a 12-11 vote and was defeated last week in the Republican-dominated House Labor Committee on a 14-7 vote.

Had the bill become law, New Hampshire would have been the only state in the Northeast with a Right-to-Work law, which prohibits unions from collecting any payments from non-members.

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