Fourth-graders red-tailed hawk bill rejected by N.H. House

CONCORD — The red-tailed hawk will not be the official state bird predator of New Hampshire, as the House voted against the bill 160-133 on Thursday.

The bill, which was being sponsored by state Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, was being lobbied for by a group of fourth-graders at Lincoln Akerman School in Hampton Falls, with Jim Cutting as their teacher. The students started lobbying for the bill in order to learn more about government and the way a bill works.

Cushing was very disappointed in the decision, and felt the need to apologize to the students and their parents for the conduct of some of the legislators who spoke against the bill

On the floor, Rep. John Burt, R-Goffstown, mockingly said he was against the bill because he was sent by constituent "Big Chicken."

"We have a $10 billion budget," Burt said. "We should be working on that rather than worrying what our next bird is going to be."

Rep. Warren Groen, R-Rochester, talked about the vicious nature of the red-tailed hawk in dealing with its prey, noting that it basically “tears it apart limb by limb."

"It would serve as a much better mascot for Planned Parenthood," he said.

Leading the opposition against the bill was state Rep. Christy Bartlett, D- Concord, of the Environment and Agriculture Committee, who said that although it’s tough to oppose a group of fourth-graders, many members of the committee felt that New Hampshire did not need another state bird.

Bartlett also believed that there were other issues that should be focused on.

“During a budget year when our energy and efforts should be directed elsewhere, it would seem that a more valuable educational lesson would be that not all bills are passed,” Bartlett said.

Rep. Peter Bixby, D-Dover, was one of two who spoke in support of the bill and the research LAS students put forth.

“In our opinion, we think that the strongest reason is that both the female and male work together to raise their young," the students wrote in a letter to state representatives. "This includes, nest building, incubation, and feeding. This united approach to parenting is a great example for New Hampshire families."

They also noted birds of prey are majestic, inspiring, and deserve to be represented as a state symbol.

Cushing noted that a number of representatives were absent, which could have affected the bill's fate.

Cutting said he has no regrets about the experience the students gained. Cutting was not completely surprised by the decision because the House Environment and Agriculture Committee's recommendation to pass the bill was very close.

“Going in, I thought it was a coin flip,” Cutting said of how confident he was of the bill passing on Thursday.

While the students were also disappointed, Cutting said, he mentioned how disappointment is a part of politics, and that the students were open-minded about the decision and the whole process.

“It’s a life lesson in politics,” Bixby said. “One works hard and sometimes it succeeds and other times it doesn’t.”