Second Full Week of Hearings Brings Next Wave of Attacks and Opportunities
The second full week of legislative hearings involves a wide range of impactful bills for educators and students, including mandated firearm curriculum, a state safe school zones law to protect members and students, elimination of the enrollment cap on the unaccountable school voucher program, and more efforts to artificially cap school budgets from extreme House leadership.
HB 1300 – Congressional Redistricting Plan Replaced with Tax Caps
The original version of HB 1300 is one that would prematurely require the state to redistrict our congressional districts as they are attempting in other parts of the country. Rep. Ross Berry, who is part of the House Republican Leadership, is proposing a non-germane amendment to gut that proposal and require that at every even-year November general election, a question would be placed in each community’s state ballot whether to cap local property tax increases for the next two fiscal years using yet again another artificial formula. This follows the House Republican leadership’s recent failed attempt to artificially cap school budgets across the state (HB 675). This latest amendment would cut funding for local communities for schools, police, and fire services.
Let’s be clear—we don’t want or need state politicians hurting public services by forcing budget cap mandates on our communities.
Please SIGN IN to OPPOSE HB 1300 and the non-germane amendment (2026-0093h) before the House Election Law Committee public hearing on January 20 at 10 am for HB 1300 and at 10:15am for the non-germane amendment. Please find step-by-step instructions to sign in below.
SB 463 – Prohibiting Firearms in Safe School Zones
SB 463 is a simple bill that would finally establish a state law prohibiting the carrying of a firearm in a safe school zone. In New Hampshire, there is no state law prohibiting firearms in K-12 schools by community members; federal law provides more protections but guidance from the NH Attorney General’s office leaves school and communities in vulnerable situations in the wake of the legislature having weakened our state firearm regulation laws. This bill would create a needed state law for gun-free schools.
Every student in New Hampshire deserves a welcoming and safe learning environment, free from the fear of gun violence in their school or community.
Two Bills to Mandate Firearms Curriculum in Schools
HB 1830 would task the NH Department of Education with developing or adopting standardized firearms safety training for students in grades K-12 and require the training be integrated into the health, physical education, or civics curriculum, requiring at least one instructional hour per school year.
HB 1122 would mandate that all high school students in New Hampshire learn about hunting, wildlife management, and responsible firearms usage and require the State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Fish and Game Commission, to develop and distribute policy guidelines for school districts regarding these educational courses for students aged 16 and older. The bill provides no additional funding or support from the state to ensure safety. At a time when some school districts are having to cut important core programing because of a lack of funding from the state, we should not adopt another unfunded mandate for our schools.
SB 581 – Eliminating Enrollment Cap on School Voucher Program
SB 581 would lift the cap on enrollment for the private school voucher program—with no proposed oversight or accountability measures. This year alone, vouchers are diverting nearly $60 million in public dollars out of public schools. New Hampshire can’t afford further expansion of this runaway program.
HB 1355 - Eliminating Default Budgets
HB 1355 is yet another attempt to cut public services by eliminating the default budget as a backup in the case that a proposed budget fails at an annual school district meeting. Under this proposal, if the proposed budget fails, it would require a special meeting that could ultimately result in a 10% reduction to a school or town budget. This is just another attempt to defund public services and public education.
NEA-NH Action Center
Most of the tools and information you need to be a legislative advocate for public education are right at your fingertips through NEA-New Hampshire. Check out our NEA-NH Action Center to get all the information you need about issues we’re tracking at the State House, how to communicate with your lawmakers, and how to take action on specific bills.
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 [email protected].
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
For Senate bills:
1. Go to https://bit.ly/3S4Cof1 and click the date that the bill you are interested in is being heard
2. Select the committee that is hearing the bill
3. Select the bill you are interested in
4. Select a category – Member of the Public
5. Indicate your position on this bill
6. Click continue
7. Enter your name and contact information
8. Click continue
9. Carefully review the information to ensure it is entered correctly. If it is correct, check the box and click continue.
