Universal Voucher Bills Go Down, but Expansion to Voucher Eligibility Squeeks Through by One Vote!
The New Hampshire House of Representatives cast a series of mixed votes on three bills that would expand education voucher eligibility in our state, diverting more public money toward private and at home education costs. Thank you to all the members who e-mailed or called their state representatives. All these votes were close, and we stopped the very worst bills from passing.
- HB 1561 would have expanded the definition of who can qualify for vouchers to such broad categories of students that it is also effectively a universal voucher program. The House voted “Inexpedient to Legislate” on HB 1561 on a voice vote, following a failed “Ought to Pass” vote (185 – 197). The bill is now dead.
- HB 1634 would have established a universal voucher program in New Hampshire. It removes any income qualification making vouchers available to any child who is eligible to go to public school, even if their parents are millionaires and the student already attends private school. The House voted “Inexpedient to Legislate” on HB 1634 on a voice vote, following a failed “Ought to Pass” vote (186-194). The bill is now dead.
- HB 1665 would raise the income eligibility from 350% of the federal poverty level to 500%, which for a family of four is $150,000 per year. This would also be a significant expansion of the program. The House voted “Ought to Pass” on HB 1665, 190-189. The FN (fiscal note) on HB 1665 was waived by the House Finance Committee Chair despite this bill potentially costing the state as much as $66 million per year, triple the current cost. HB 1665 will next go to the state Senate for further consideration where we will have to fight it there.
Two More Voucher Expansion Bills to Be Voted on in the House Next Week!
The last two additional voucher expansion bills are scheduled for a full vote in the New Hampshire House at their session on Thursday, February 15th.
- HB 1652 would create the ability for a school district to adopt a local school district voucher program, committing your locally raised property tax dollars to private schools.
- HB 1677 extends eligibility for the voucher program to students who participated in the program in the preceding year, students whose enrollment transfer requests were denied, and to students in school districts which performed at 49 percent (25 percent if the proposed amendment is adopted) or below in statewide assessments, with no income limit.
Book Ban Bill Headed to the House Floor Next Week!
Recently, NEA-NH testified in opposition to the latest attempt by extreme politicians to ban books in our public schools to fit their political agenda. The public overwhelmingly opposed this bill at the public hearing, including President Megan Tuttle, along with leaders from the NH-ACLU, AFT-NH, librarians, and others. HB 1419 would ban unnamed books from our public schools by using vague standards accompanied by a convoluted process that is difficult to piece together and potentially very harmful to an educator caught in the middle of this unnecessary legislation.
Major Hearing Next Week: Giving Commissioner Frank Edelblut Subpoena Power in Code of Conduct Investigations
It may be Valentine’s Day on February 14th but there is no love happening in the House Judiciary Committee where the Commissioner Edelblut will be making his second attempt in the last year to obtain extraordinary subpoena power in educator code of conduct cases. Last year, this committee opted to retain the first attempt and ultimately opted not to move forward, because the Commissioner’s efforts were clearly tied to his efforts to investigate “banned concepts” cases.
However, this time there is a major push by the Commissioner’s allies in the legislature to pass yet another version of this educator intimidation bill.
HB 1353 is:
- Too broad – the way it is written would allow its authority to be abused.
- Does not set out a process that is fair to credential holders or designed to properly achieve the stated results its proponents claim.
- Unnecessary – by the Department’s own account from past hearings, the subpoena authority is not needed to properly conduct investigations.
ACTION REQUESTED: Sign in to OPPOSE HB 1353, which is being heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 14th at 9:00 a.m. Please find step-by-step instructions to sign in below.
NH Senate Proposes $1 for New Rural and Underserved Area Educator Incentive Program for Higher Education
This week, the New Hampshire Senate once again voted in support of establishing a rural and underserved area educator incentive program for high education. While the bill as filed set aside $3 million over two years to create and fund a student loan forgiveness program for educators who work in rural and underserved areas, as amended, this bill sets aside $1. The bill next goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Following the vote, NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle released the following statement: “As school districts across the state struggle to fill positions amidst an educator shortage, it is encouraging to see lawmakers acknowledge the state has a role to play in addressing this crisis. SB 217 as amended takes an important step forward to helping address this shortage; NEA-New Hampshire looks forward to continuing dialogue and work with lawmakers to provide meaningful funding to alleviate the burden of student loan debt for Granite State educators.”
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. You can also follow all the bills we are watching next week and check on a bill’s status by visiting our NEA-NH bill tracker.
Need help signing in on legislation? Follow these comprehensive instructions (details for public hearings are contained in each action request).
For House bills:
1. Visit this link: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx
2. Enter your personal information
3. Select the hearing date
4. Select the committee
5. Choose the bill
6. I am – A member of the public
7. Choose who you are representing – Myself
8. Indicate your position on this bill
9. Upload remote testimony (Optional)
10. Review information and click submit