State Primary on Tuesday!
The State Primary is on Tuesday, September 8. Please be sure to make your voice heard. If you are looking to see if there are recommendations in either of the contested party primaries, please click here to access our voter tool. When you input your address, you'll see any candidates we're recommending on the Democratic or Republican ballot in your district! You might also want to review our 2026 House and Senate Scorecard to see how your incumbent lawmakers voted on issues important to your students and your profession.
New Laws Guide
After a summer of final action on hundreds of bills related to education and labor issues, we wanted to provide members with a list of new laws that could directly impact you, your school, your profession, or your local union. The new 2026 laws include:
- HB 430, which modifies existing law regarding electioneering by public employees.
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HB 564, which requires the SAU budget to appear as its own district warrant article at each school district’s annual meeting.
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HB 1817, which requires school districts to provide access to curricular courses and cocurricular programs for students enrolled in the EFA voucher program and without the same state support given to those home education students who enroll in classes.
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HB 1300, which requires every town and ward to vote on a local tax cap and a fixed cap on the central office administrative budget on the November 2026 and 2028 ballot.
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SB 430, which mandates that all educators credentialed by the New Hampshire Department of Education must respond “honestly and completely” to written inquiries from parents and legal guardians regarding their children.
While it is not an exhaustive list of every new law that intersects with education, we hope it is informative and relevant to your work and life. If you have any questions or think we missed anything, please let us know! The goal with this document is to try to give you a succinct description of each law as well as a quick summary of its impact. If you are looking for further information or guidance as it relates to one of these bills, please contact me: [email protected].
View the 2026 New Education Laws Document
Legislative Study Committees Start Up
Even though it’s an election year, the Legislature passed into law the creation of certain study committees that address important school issues. Unfortunately, with short time frames and the election coming up, the likelihood of these committees producing comprehensive reports and recommendations is up in the air.
Here are some of the committees we will be watching and the links to their schedules:
- COMMITTEE TO STUDY VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS DIRECTED AT STAFF MEMBERS AND THE OBSTACLES TO DISCIPLINING OR EXPELLING STUDENTS IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES
- COMMITTEE TO STUDY SCHOOL BULLYING
- COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE COST AND LIABILITY OF PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL SERVICES TO STUDENTS PLACED IN RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES
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].
