Legislative Update Report

April 8: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Last Week: Republicans Push Culture War and Voucher Expansion Bills Through Senate  Last week’s Senate Session was loaded up with a barrage of bills that target LGBTQ+ students in various ways and expands the private school voucher scheme.  Here is the rundown:  House Education Committee Scheduled to Vote on Important NEA-NH Legislation: Classroom Temperature Control and Loan Repayment Bill  SB 526 – It’s Getting Hot (or cold) in Here! – Tell House Ed Committee to Pass Temperature Control Bill!  This week, the House Education Committee is scheduled to vote on SB 526, which would require school districts to develop and implement […]

March 29: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Re-Cap This Week: House Fails to Remove Subpoena Bill from Table and House Education Committee Hears Loan Repayment and Classroom Temperature Control Bills  HB 1353: Subpoena Power for Ed Commissioner Effectively Defeated  Last week, education advocates successfully tabled HB 1353, a bill that would grant subpoena power to the Education Commissioner in certain educator code of cases. This week, House lawmakers intent on giving the Commissioner this extraordinary authority attempted to take the bill off the table, however, it failed by a vote of 183-194. Having not passed by the deadline for acting on House bills not in a second […]

March 22: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Re-Cap This Week: House Tables Education Commissioner Subpoena Bill and Senate Punts on Student Surveillance, Again   HB 1353: Subpoena Power for Ed Commissioner Tabled – Still Need to Take Action!  The House this week tabled HB 1353, a bill that would grant subpoena power to the Education Commissioner in certain educator code of conduct cases after its accompanying amendment was defeated on a division vote of 169 – 178. The bill, however, can be taken off the table up until the conclusion of next week’s March 28th session day, the deadline for bills not already in a second committee. This […]

A photo of the New Hampshire State House dome.
White poster board with text that reads: Support NH Educators, Students, Public Schools

March 15: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Commissioner Subpoena Power, Partisan School Board Races, and Educator Student Surveillance Lead House and Senate Votes Next Week This week we are packed with a slew of major bills that will impact educators, students, and public education as a whole. Educator voices are critical to the outcome of these bills. After some razor thin wins and losses last week in the House in particular, please take a close look at the bills and contact your state representative(s) where we have links to take action. Key House Votes Next Week HB 1353 – Education Commissioners Should Not Have Subpoena Power ACTION […]

March 8: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Senate Punts Multiple Ed Bills to March 21 Session, Including Student Surveillance Bill  This week the New Hampshire Senate was supposed to vote on SB 341 relative to mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents, which is essentially so-called “parental rights” legislation. However, this bill along with legislation about putting financial qualification guard rails around the school voucher program, were special ordered (or postponed) to the March 21st full Senate session. More to come on any changes being contemplated to these various pieces of legislation but there is still time to use our action link to urge your state senator […]

A sign reads "Support our Students" with a rainbow heart that says "LGBTQ" in the center.

March 1: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Senate Returns Next Week with Educator Student Surveillance Bill  Next week the full Senate will vote on SB 341, relative to mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents. This bill is essentially an excerpt from a previous version of the so-called “parental rights” legislation. A recent committee amendment to the bill does nothing to improve it at all.   Even as amended, this bill would require educators to answer written inquiries within a 10-day period, “completely and honestly”, a standard that is so subjective that even the NH Department of Education identified it as such. The bill serves only to […]