Attack on Collective Bargaining, Budget Caps, and Voucher Expansion Up for Votes This Week
This will be a huge week for the New Hampshire House with over 180 bills on the regular calendar that will be voted on. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet for what is anticipated to be two long days of voting on highly consequential bills. Here are the top 3 things you can do before the House votes:
1. Defend Your Collective Bargaining Rights!
While we had expected that HB 1704 would go to the House floor vote two weeks ago, it is finally on the calendar for this week. As a reminder, this is the anti-union bill that weakens public employees' collective bargaining rights. If you haven't already, please contact your state representatives to urge them to reject HB 1704!
2. Take a Stand Against Forced School Budget Caps
As recently amended, HB 1300 would require that at every even-year November General Election, a local school district budget cap question would be placed alongside each community’s state ballot. This follows the House Republican leadership’s recent failed attempt to artificially cap school budgets across the state (HB 675). Just like that effort, this amendment specifically targets school districts with arbitrary caps that don’t address the real issue of public education funding inequities in our state.
Let’s be clear—we don’t want or need state politicians to hurt public services by forcing budget cap votes on our communities every two years. Click here to urge your state representatives to keep their school budget cap mandates off our ballots.
3. Oppose Voucher Double Dipping
HB 1817 would allow families to accept a voucher and then also have the right to enroll in classes at their local public school. In this scenario, a public school district could lose their state aid for a student but still be forced to allow that student to enroll in classes with potentially no reimbursement. This is yet another attempt to expand the voucher program and take more public dollars away from public schools. Contact your state representative(s) and urge them to reject voucher expansion funded by property tax dollars!
HB 1792 Public Hearing in Senate – Please Oppose!
Next week, the Senate Education Committee will hold its public hearing on the so-called “CHARLIE Act” - yet another effort to chill classroom conversations. HB 1792 echoes the same problems presented in previous attempts to curb student access to curriculum and materials—from banned concepts to bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This bill threatens educator careers and subjects them to being named in lawsuits. Please tell the Senate Education committee to stop the culture war legislation that attacks educators!
Click here to SIGN IN to OPPOSE HB 1792 before the Senate Education Committee public hearing on Tuesday, March 10 at 10:30 am. Full sign in instructions below.
Protect Public Schools at Your Annual Meeting
In March, many school districts will be holding annual school meetings. Whether your community votes in a traditional school meeting (in person) or on the ballot (SB 2), making sure you are present and participating is critical to protecting your community public schools, ensuring your students have the resources they need to learn and thrive, and supporting your union brothers and sisters! Please make sure you know the dates of your deliberative sessions and school district meetings, educate yourself about the issues on the warrant, and make a plan to vote.
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.
