CONCORD — Representatives of several entertainment venues in the state testified in favor of House Bill 1369 on February 7 before the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee. The measure would grant them authority to establish their own health and safety policies.
Peter Ramsey, who operates the Palace Theatre in Manchester, pointed out that many of the acts they book specify what precautions must be imposed for them to appear. He cited the example of New Hampshire native Seth Meyers who will appear there on February 9.
“He has said to me, ‘I’m proud to come, I’m proud to perform, but I would like everybody in the venue to have a mask,” Ramsey said. “That challenge, as all of you know, is how do you enforce it? I do not want to be a police officer.”
Having the state behind the policy makes it that much easier to put such policies in place, he said.
Some speakers questioned why the bill is necessary if the venues already have such policies in place.
Rep. Niki Kelsey, R-Bedford, said, “So, basically, you want this in statute as an enforcement mechanism.”
Also speaking in favor of the bill were Andrew Pinard, executive artistic director of the Claremont Opera House, Salvatore Prizio of Capitol Center for the Arts, and Rep. Timothy Lang, R-Sanbornton, who works with entertainment venues.
Many testified against the bill on the basis of personal choice, saying that health mandates will exclude some patrons, while others said it would make them more safe.
Rep. Betty Gay, R-Salem, asked whether supporters would consider removing references to vaccines from the bill, limiting the safety measures to masks and physical distancing.
“You do realize there’s strong opinions on both sides,” Gay said, “and if you want to get this bill through, it’s probably going to have to undergo a compromise.”
Pinard said, “I think compromise if very important. That’s what we do every day in our business. … The performing arts are a lightning rod for people who choose to refute individual opinions or beliefs. And so anything we program in our space can be interpreted as a political message when the reality is we’re just trying to conduct business and bring the public something that they might need, and something they may not even know they want.”
This story originally appeared at InDepthNH.org.