As Legislative Session and School Year Come to an End, Lawmakers Poised to Vote on Slate of Bills that Impact Public Education
Next week it’s all about the House and Senate sessions taking place on Thursday, June 5. Lawmakers have an agenda ahead of them that could have a huge impact on public education. From universal vouchers to culture war issues to the state budget, there is no shortage of issues that will be addressed. For some of these issues (like vouchers), this could be your last chance to take action – so don’t delay!
HB 115 & SB 295 – Two Universal Voucher Bills Heading to the Floor
The House Finance Committee is sending an amended version of SB 295, the Senate’s universal voucher bill, to the floor. Simultaneously, the Senate is sending the exact same language to the floor in their amended version of the House universal voucher bill, HB 115. Both bills eliminate the income cap entirely for families to qualify for the school voucher program. While the language includes a soft enrollment ceiling, it is not really a ceiling at all because it automatically increases and eventually goes away. As the Legislature makes difficult budget decisions, it is irresponsible for our elected officials to prioritize private education subsidies for the ultra-wealthy health care for low-income children and child protection programs.
SB 72 & HB 10 – Parental Bill of Rights Floor Votes
The House and Senate will also vote on two so-called “parental bill of rights” proposals put forward in SB 72 and HB 10. While parents and educators already communicate well to support their students, some anti-public education and anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers want to insert their personal politics into these critical relationships.
SB 96 – Mandatory Disclosure Bill
Tangential to SB 72 is SB 96, which would require educators to be agents for the forced “outing” of a student. Like the unconstitutional “banned concepts” law, this culture war bill targets educators with the threat of a violation of the Educator Code of Conduct. There are related requirements about answering written inquiries in the two parental rights bills, but the language is different as to the required number of days to answer written inquiries as well as the standard used for which those responses will be assessed. The parental rights legislation language is: “To inquire of the school or school personnel and promptly receive accurate, truthful, and complete disclosure regarding any and all matters related to their minor child, unless an immediate answer cannot be provided when the initial request is made, in which case, the answer shall be provided no later than 10 business days after the request.”
The SB 96 amendment language has a tighter timeframe, specific to certified educators only, and carries language that explicitly makes violations an Educator Code of Conduct matter: “Educators credentialed by the New Hampshire department of education shall have a duty to respond to written inquiries by parents regarding material information relating to their child enrolled in that educator’s school. Such response to a written request shall be sent within 5 school days of its receipt and be answered completely and honestly to the extent permitted by state or federal law.”
Neither the language of SB 96 nor the parental rights bills are necessary and would only further complicate an educator’s job.
SB 54 – House Floor Vote on Mandatory Firearms Training Held in Schools
The entire House will also vote on the non-germane amendment to SB 54 that would add a requirement that firearms safety training be taught annually in all public schools as part of the health, physical education, or civics curriculum, beginning with the 2026 – 27 school year. Under this amendment, the training would be mandatory for every public-school student unless a student’s parent or legal guardian receives an exception. If you want to contact your state representative(s) to urge them to oppose government mandated firearms safety training in public schools, click here to find their contact information.
SB 206 – Full House Vote on Bell-to-Bell Ban on Cellphones in Schools
Finally, the full House will vote on SB 206. As amended in Committee, this bill would require school districts to have a policy around the use of personal electronic communication devices in schools, including cellphones. The amendment meets some of the core principles we urged the Legislature to address in a state law around cellphones in schools.
State Budget Update
The state budget is still being worked on by members of the Senate Finance Committee as of the writing of this report. Thus far, the Committee actions have been mixed, but we are pleased to see the Senate has:
- Put special education costs back under the education trust fund
- Eliminated some of the ancillary bills that the House stuffed into HB 2
- Removed mandatory open enrollment language
Unfortunately, the Senate Finance Committee has also:
- Low-balled the cost of a universal voucher program that will be to the detriment of the budget and public education funding broadly
- Kept in a slightly modified version of the provision inserted by House lawmakers to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools
- Written language explicitly declaring that the state support for public schools is whatever the legislature says it is and courts don’t have a role to play
There are some outstanding issues that remain to be resolved, including the below questions:
- Will the Senate require low-income Granite Staters to pay a portion of their income for Medicaid if they want to keep their health care?
- Will the Senate restore huge cuts to the University System?
The Senate Finance Committee will wrap up officially by Tuesday and have a final package for the Senate to vote on June 5.
Questions?
If you have questions on any of these bills or ones not mentioned here, please feel free to contact Brian Hawkins, NEA-NH Director of Government Relations at bhawkins@nhnea.org.