New Hampshire House Republican Leader Reiterates That Fight To Repeal Same Sex Marriage Law Be Postponed Until 2012

New Hampshire House Republican leader Representative D.J. Bettencourt told the Associated Press Friday that he will ask the committee responsible for bill to repeal the state’s same sex marriage law to retain the bill until 2012. Bettencourt said that the National Organization for Marriage sent a direct mailer to his district in Salem stating that he does not support traditional family values, and that the mailer was the result of a statement he made last week that the House Republican agenda did not include a repeal of same sex marriage. Bettencourt says the incident demonstrates how controversial the issue of marriage equality is and reinforces his contention that the House is better to focus of fiscal issues in 2011. In a letter to House Speaker William O’Brien, Bettencourt said that the National Organization for Marriage and its supporters in New Hampshire know the repeal bill will be acted upon because legislative rules require floor votes on bills. “This assault on our agenda has the potential to take important focus and energy away from our focus on the budget,” Bettencourt wrote O’Brien. “Therefore, it is my belief that the same sex marriage repeal must be retained in the Judiciary Committee this year so that our full and undivided attention is focused on New Hampshire’s outstanding financial issues.” Bettencourt added that his office will make that position clear in testimony it provides at any hearing on the bill.