Legislative Update Report

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 […]

White poster board with text that reads: Support NH Educators, Students, Public Schools

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 […]

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 […]

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

February 23: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Good News – Senate Passes Bill to Help Address Extreme School Temperatures  Thank you to the members who came to testify or wrote to lawmakers about how students struggle to learn, and educators can’t teach effectively when temperatures are too extreme in the classroom. With your advocacy, the Senate passed SB 526 on a bipartisan voice vote!   SB 526 as amended would require school districts to develop and implement a classroom temperature control plan.  The plan is required to include procedures to maintain classrooms temperatures between 68 degrees and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during heating months and between 72 degrees and […]

February 17: NEA-NH Legislative Update

House Labor Committee Sends So-called “Right-to-Work” to House Floor Next Week  The House Labor committee is finally sending HB 1377, so-called “right to work” legislation, to the House floor next week and as expected it did so on a 10 – 10 party-line tie. This anti-worker effort is still an attack on collective bargaining and an attempt to weaken unions. For decades NEA-NH has fought against this legislation because it is the centerpiece of an agenda to maximize corporate profits by passing laws that weaken basic worker protections, undo safety standards, keep wages low, and undermine the ability of labor […]

Signs held at the NH Legislative Office Building read "Right to Work" is WRONG for NH
A white sign held in front of the Legislative Office Building reads: Support Our Public Schools"

February 9 NEA-NH Legislative Update

Universal Voucher Bills Go Down, but Expansion to Voucher Eligibility Squeeks Through by One Vote!  The New Hampshire House of Representatives cast a series of mixed votes on three bills that would expand education voucher eligibility in our state, diverting more public money toward private and at home education costs. Thank you to all the members who e-mailed or called their state representatives. All these votes were close, and we stopped the very worst bills from passing.   Two More Voucher Expansion Bills to Be Voted on in the House Next Week!  The last two additional voucher expansion bills are scheduled […]