This Week’s Recap: Senate Delays Action on Campus Carry and Classroom Censorship Bills; Senate Committee Puts Forward New Version of School Tax Caps
The Senate session was a mixed bag this week; senators pushed off action on several important bills, setting up what will be a very eventful day next Thursday when the Senate and House both meet on May 14th. Here is a quick recap of what happened this week – and what happens next:
- The Senate special ordered HB 1792 to next week, which means the vote on the bill will not happen until their session on Thursday. This was informally referred to as the “CHARLIE Act” in the House. The bill as amended makes new changes to the existing “banned concepts” law that is under appeal in federal court after a lower court has deemed it unconstitutional. Act now – urge your state senator to reject classroom censorship!
- The Senate also pushed off action on HB 1793 to next week as well. While it started as a campus carry bill, HB 1793 was amended in Committee to prohibit policies related to certain non-lethal weapons and create a study committee on campus carry. We will keep you up to speed on what happens next for this bill. If you want to contact your state senator about HB 1793, find their contact information here.
- The school voucher double dipping bill, HB 1817, was tabled for now, but that could be acted on next week in the Senate. If you haven’t already, click here to urge your state senator to reject HB 1817!
Next Week – Local Budget Caps & Culture War Bills
HB 1300 – Senate Committee Recommends Amended School District Tax Cap Bill
This week, the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee recommended HB 1300 with an amendment. The full Senate will vote on HB 1300 next week. As amended, the bill would set up a one-time vote this November (rather than at every even-year November General Election) on instituting a tax cap tied to inflation for the local school district. This bill still specifically targets school districts with arbitrary caps that don’t address the real issue of public education funding inequities in our state.
ACT NOW: Urge your state senator to oppose HB 1300 and all arbitrary school tax caps!
Full House to Vote on Culture War Bills
This week the House Education Policy and Administration Committee recommended three culture war bills that will go to the floor of the House this coming week:
- SB 430 is the return of a bill that mandates written answers from educators in response to inquiries that is too broad and risks putting educators in a position of outing a student. – OPPOSE
- SB 431 is another attempt to “fix” the banned concepts law that was ruled unconstitutional. Rather than trying to tinker around the edges of this classroom censorship law, the Legislature should simply repeal it in its entirety. – OPPOSE
- SB 434 is the latest attempt to mandate a process for having certain books removed from schools. It comes after a similar bill was vetoed by Governor Ayotte last year. This bill is still too vague, and passing it risks prompting endless battles at the school district level resulting in viewpoint discrimination because of just one parent’s opinion. The bill is also unnecessary because schools have already developed strong reconsideration policies at the local level that meet the needs of their communities. – OPPOSE
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 hearings:
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 hearings:
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.
