CONCORD, NH — Yesterday, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the New Hampshire House Education Policy and Administration Committee voted 10-8 to pass an amendment to Senate Bill 33, which would force overly broad and sweeping restrictions and complaint processes regarding the content public school teachers, librarians, and students can use. SB 33 would not be limited to book bans and would also apply to web pages, videos, artwork, performances, and other school materials.
Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed a similar bill, HB 324, earlier this year amid concerns about a chilling effect on teachers and government overreach. In her veto message, Governor Ayotte affirmed that “the State of New Hampshire should not engage in the role of addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness” and recognized that current law already provides a meaningful avenue for parents to ensure their children are not exposed to materials they find objectionable. The Governor, a former State Attorney General, added, “I do not believe the State of New Hampshire needs to, nor should it, engage in the role of addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness.” She cited the risks of “subjective standards” and “extensive civil action…from out-of-state groups,” underscoring the practical and constitutional dangers HB 324 posed. That decision was widely celebrated as a win for academic freedom. SB 33, as amended, goes even farther than HB 324.
These bills are part of a nationwide trend to limit academic freedom. They rely on vague, subjective language and add burdensome local procedures that create confusion, fear, and the potential for sweeping censorship. These types of bills require school districts to pre-define categories of materials “not authorized” for students and would effectively deputize individuals to file complaints that can lead to removal or restriction, putting school boards and educators in an impossible position.
Granite Staters have made their views clear: in an April 2025 Granite State Poll by the University of New Hampshire, 56% of voters said local decision makers, such as school boards, should set library and curriculum policies, not state politicians.
Advocates warn that SB 33, like HB 324 before it, undermines local control and opens the door to censorship that silences marginalized voices in classrooms and libraries. With the committee’s recommendation now moving to the full House in early January, advocates urge the full NH House of Representatives to reject SB 33 and to stand with students, educators, and families.
Statements from members of the NH Freedom to Read Coalition:
Jacquelyn Benson, NH Regional Leader, Authors Against Book Bans, said: “Every book that's banned is a voice that's silenced and a child that struggles unseen. That's why Authors Against Book Bans cheered Gov. Kelly Ayotte when she used the veto pen to protect the freedom to read in New Hampshire last year. We are disappointed that the committee has ignored the governor’s example and instead moved to recommend SB 33, a blunt instrument that would facilitate book banning in the Granite State. We hope the House will stand together with Gov. Ayotte and say no to SB 33.”
Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director, NH Outright, said: “NH Outright serves LGBTQ+ young people, their families, and their allies all over New Hampshire. Accessible classrooms with a diversity of literature and viewpoints create stronger communities, and a stronger sense of belonging for all students. Every student deserves to see themselves reflected in their learning environment. I join my colleagues in asking the House to support Governor Ayotte’s leadership, and just say no to SB 33. All Granite Staters deserve to be able to live free and read.”
Louis Esposito, Executive Director, ABLE NH, said: “SB 33 says it’s about protecting students, but it actually puts students at greater risk, especially students with disabilities. Many disabled and neurodivergent students need clear, honest teaching about their bodies, boundaries, identity, and healthy relationships. This bill creates vague rules that make it easy to remove those materials from the classroom. When we take away that information, we take away a student’s ability to understand themselves and to speak up for their own safety.”
Tanisha Johnson, Executive Director, Black Lives Matter NH, said: "Stories are powerful and it is important to protect access to diverse voices and truthful history. SB 33 threatens to further censor education in New Hampshire. It is a dangerous step toward censorship, erasure, and state-sanctioned educational inequality. It is a book ban and classroom censorship in disguise, one that threatens to silence stories, restrict access to knowledge, and deny students a full, honest education. The impact will fall hardest on marginalized students; Black students, queer students, students of color, immigrant youth, and others whose histories and identities are already minimized or attacked in the classroom. This legislation would give power to the loudest voices of opposition, often rooted in racism, homophobia, or political agendas, to decide what all students can learn. It undermines local control of curriculum, erases essential lessons on race, identity, and justice, and continues the long history of keeping truth out of our schools. Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed HB 324 in July, citing concerns about its chilling effect on teachers and government overreach. That veto was widely celebrated as a victory for academic freedom. Now, as certain politicians continue to push forward on SB 33, advocates once again urge the state legislature and Governor Ayotte to stand with educators, families, and students by rejecting this bill. Parents, school leaders, and civil rights groups have already raised their voices and we join them in demanding that our schools remain spaces for learning, not censorship."
MacKenzie Nicholson, Senior Director, MomsRising in New Hampshire and mom of two children in public schools said: “Yesterday’s committee vote moves us closer to a sweeping, vague book ban with dire consequences for our kids’ access to an honest education. The amended SB 33 forces every district to adopt broad ‘materials’ policies and a fast-track complaint process that can target far more than books, including web pages, videos, artwork, and school performances. New Hampshire families do not need a one-size-fits-all law that encourages censorship and silences diverse stories and viewpoints. Parents already work with teachers and local school leaders to make choices for their own children. The Governor vetoed a similar bill, HB 324, this year for good reason. We urge the New Hampshire House to reject this recommendation, vote no on SB 33, and stand with families, educators, and the freedom to read.”
Christina Pretorius, Education Justice Campaign Director, Engage NH, and mom of three children in public schools, said: “The committee vote on SB 33 brings back the same failed ideas Gov. Ayotte already vetoed in yet another attempt to undermine our students, teachers, and parents. These politicians are laser focused on book bans and classroom censorship, instead of working to solve the real issues Granite State families and students are facing, like rising local property taxes, food insecurity, housing affordability, and a cost of living that outpaces our family incomes. We need real leadership to support and strengthen our public schools and communities. The majority of Granite Staters and even Governor Ayotte have already rejected book bans, and we urge lawmakers to focus instead on the issues that really matter to New Hampshire families.”
Louise Spencer, Co-Founder, Kent Street Coalition, said: “The breadth of this bill is staggering. It seeks not only to ban books, but in extending its definition of “materials” to virtually any form of expression, it seeks an outright ban on certain ideas per se. Early this year, Governor Ayotte rightly vetoed HB 324, a bill that was much more limited in its scope. We sincerely hope the Governor will do the same if this extreme bill reaches her desk. It is our greater hope that the NH House will vote SB 33 inexpedient to pass.”
Deb Howes, President, American Federation of Teachers-NH, said: “Advancing this content censorship and book banning bill for a full House vote is yet another example of how out of touch the majority of legislators in Concord have become. Instead of addressing the unconstitutionally low level of state school funding—which is forcing districts across New Hampshire to raise local property taxes beyond what most Granite State families can afford and causing local school districts to cut essentials like classroom teachers, paraeducators, music, art, electives, and sports—the extremist majority is doubling down on a rejected policy that the Governor already vetoed and voters have clearly don’t want. Stop wasting public school students’ learning time. Fix school funding. And let local school boards, in collaboration with educators, administrators, and parents, determine policies locally for selecting and reconsidering instructional materials. That is the only way that protects constitutional rights, students’ freedom to learn and avoids more lawsuits.”
Megan Tuttle, President, NEA-New Hampshire, said: “Every student deserves the freedom to read and to see themselves reflected in the pages of their books. Book bans like SB 33 infringe upon the right to read for youth in our state. NEA-New Hampshire is discouraged that some anti-public education lawmakers continue to ignore their constituents and push out-of-touch and unpopular classroom censorship efforts. However, we remain hopeful that the majority of lawmakers will listen to Granite State voters, who overwhelmingly believe curriculum and classroom material decisions are best handled at the local level by the people who know their communities and schools best.”
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