Following his Oct. 30 arrest for underage alcohol consumption, New Hampshire State Rep. Brian Poznanski, D-Hillsborough, has been dropped as the primary sponsor of the "Good Samaritan" legislation crafted by Dartmouth College Democrats and the New Hampshire House of Representatives will now not be able vote on the legislation this session, according to Ryan Tincher '12, the New Hampshire College Democrats communications director. The New Hampshire College Democrats were unable to find a replacement sponsor for the bill before the Nov. 12 deadline to introduce new legislation, Tincher said.
"His arrest pretty much killed [the bill]," Tincher said. "It was really unfortunate. Underage drinking is definitely something I or the other Democrats wouldn't have done if we were introducing this legislation in the state House."
Poznanski, a 20-year-old junior at St. Anselm College in Manchester, was one of 22 people arrested at a party in Bedford, N.H., the Union Leader reported in early November.
Poznanski and David Pierce, D-Grafton, who was a secondary sponsor of the bill, did not respond to comments by press time.
Poznanski and the New Hampshire College Democrats agreed that he would be dropped as the sponsor of the bill, according to New Hampshire College Democrats President Dave Imamura '10.
"It wouldn't be feasible for someone who was arrested for underage drinking to advocate for a bill that, at least in a small way, grants amnesty to underage drinkers," Tincher said.
The legislation modeled on the College's Good Sam policy would allow intoxicated students in need of medical attention to get help without being automatically arrested, The Dartmouth previously reported.
The Dartmouth College Democrats unsuccessfully sought another representative to sponsor the bill before the deadline, Tincher said. The College Democrats contacted approximately 20 to 40 representatives, but they all "had their own legislation they were already working on," Tincher said.
"It was pretty much a desperation move on our part, trying to find anyone who might sponsor a bill like this, or someone who is friendly with the College Dems," he said.
The New Hampshire College Democrats plan to find a different sponsor for the bill and reintroduce it to the state house in November 2010, according to Imamura. The next legislative session begins in January 2011.
Imamura said the New Hampshire College Democrats believe that the extended time now available to campaign on behalf of the legislation will only help garner support for the bill.
"It was really unfortunate because we had a lot of organizations on board," Imamura said. "Numerous organizations on campus were ready to push the bill. It's unfortunate that it has been postponed, but I'm confident a year from now the bill will go forward."
Other College Democrat groups including those at the University of New Hampshire, Colby-Sawyer College, Franklin Pierce University and St. Anselm publicly supported the legislation, Imamura said.
The "bipartisan" bill had also gained support from the Dartmouth College Republicans, according to College Republicans President Daniel Kim '11.
Dartmouth College Democrats will continue to work toward implementing a Good Samaritan policy for the town of Hanover, but the statewide policy will be "put on the backburner," Tincher said.
Poznanski's arrest might hinder the success of the legislation once it is introduced next year, according to Rep. Scott Merrick, D-Lancaster.
"There's now this negative connotation with this bill because the time frame in which he was arrested and the time frame he filed the bill are so close," Merrick said.
Merrick added, however, that, even if the bill fails, its introduction will help to stir dialogue for future legislation.
"It's going to be tough regardless, but you have to start somewhere. Even if it doesn't pass, it'll start the conversation," he said.
Merrick, who is also the assistant majority leader, said that he does not think that Poznanski's actions reflect negatively on New Hampshire's Democratic party.
"Republicans and Democrats make mistakes," Merrick said. "Often people try to blame the party when things like this happen. Mistakes happen regardless of party and regardless of age."
