Legislative Update Report

Actions for this Week – Stop Book Bans by the Legislature

HB 514 is proposing to do away with the due process afforded by our courts for K-12 school employees and instead, make a court where politicians like Rep. Glenn Cordelli and Commissioner Edelblut or the State Board of Education will make unilateral determinations using a subjective standard as to what is considered “obscene” material. This is the NH version of an attempt at a book ban. No one is exempt or should be exempt from obscenity laws as proponents of this bill claims. Instead of supporting parents and teachers working together, this bill is another prosecutorial power grab by the […]

Legislative Update – February 18, 2023

Major Action Items for Next Week – Oppose More Voucher Expansion (Including Local District Vouchers are Back!) Action Items For Next Week! HB 331 would blow open the doors on the school voucher program by eliminating any income criteria to qualify for the program.Currently, to enter into the school voucher program, a household income must be at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, or around $83k for a family of four in 2023. Under these current guidelines, the program has already exceeded spending by 500%. More than three quarters of the participants in the program now had already […]

NEA-NH Testifies in Support of SB 217

SB 217 bill could mean up to $12,000 over a 4-year period for early educators who are trying to grapple with paying off loans NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle, along with NEA-NH Government Relations Direction Brian Hawkins, provided testimony, maps, and data in support of SB 217, a bill that will help rural areas or those that face economic disadvantages mitigate some of the strain of recruiting and retaining educators. “We have a tremendous workforce shortage in our K-12 schools,” said Tuttle. “This shortage existed before the pandemic and has been exacerbated by it. Now is the time for New Hampshire […]

NEA-H NH Legislative Update 02.10.23

It’s a busy week ahead again with upcoming hearings and votes. This week we will start with key action items first before we get to a recap of what happened this past week. Action Items For Next Week! 2 Bills to Strengthen the Educator Pipeline and Support for Early Educators ACTION ITEM: Please sign in, write in, or testify in SUPPORT of SB 217, which will be before the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, February 14th at 9:00 am in the Legislative Office Building, Room 101. You can sign in remotely here. ACTION ITEM: Please sign in, write in, or […]

Statehouse Week In Review

February 4, 2023 By Brian Hawkins, NEA-NH Government Relations Director First School Voucher Expansion Bill Headed to House Floor This week the House Education voted on the first of 2 bills they have heard proposing to greatly expand the school voucher program. NEA-NH opposes both bills. You can see our written testimony against both bills by going to our legislative tracker and search for HB 464 or 367. HB 367 would simply expand the income eligibility of the program to 500% of the Federal Poverty Level, which for a family of 4 in 2023 is $150,000. The committee vote was […]

NEA-NH Legislative Update 01.20.23

Week in Review – Vouchers and Retirement School Voucher Expansion This week, the House Education committee heard 2 of the 3 bills being proposed to greatly expand the school voucher program. NEA-NH was there to testify against both bills. You can see our written testimony against both bills here. HB 464 would expand the school voucher eligibility by adding various new categories of students regardless of their family income. HB 367 would simply expand the income eligibility of the program to 500% of the Federal Poverty Level, which for a family of 4 in 2023 is $150,000. Both pieces of […]