Legislative Update

PRESS RELEASE: NH House Education Committee Splits on Voucher Expansion Package; Five Bills Headed to the House Floor Without Recommendation 

CONCORD, NH – This week, the New Hampshire House Education Committee split 10-10 on five bills that would dramatically expand our state’s voucher program: HB 1634; HB 1677; HB 1561; HB 1665; and HB 1652. Two of the bills would institute a universal voucher program in New Hampshire, expanding eligibility to every school-aged child in the state, including 21,238 students who are currently enrolled in a private school or are homeschooled. The bills will next go to the floor for a full vote in the House of Representatives with no Committee recommendation.  Granite Staters overwhelmingly signed in to oppose efforts […]

A white sign held in front of the Legislative Office Building reads: Support Our Public Schools"
A photo of the New Hampshire State House dome.

January 26 NEA-NH Legislative Update 

Upcoming Week: Some Good, Some Bad, and Some Distractions  It’s another week of major hearings in the New Hampshire House and Senate. Top issues include books – one proactive freedom to read bill and yet another book ban – as well as friendly efforts to strengthen retirement and fund programs to address the educator shortage crisis in our state.   Major Hearings Next Week  HB 1311 – Protecting the Freedom to Read  ACTION REQUESTED: SIGN IN SUPPORT of HB 1311 being heard in HOUSE Education on Monday, January 29th at 10:15am. Please find step-by-step instructions to sign in below.  Every […]

NEA-NH Legislative Update 01.19.24 

Week of Consequential Votes and More Important Hearings Coming this Week  This week we had a number of important hearings and even floor votes on consequential bills surrounding the expansion of private school vouchers, a major book ban bill, and lowering standards for those who teach part-time. Please take a look at more detail on these and what comes next in the recap.  This week coming up we are following a lot of bills around private school vouchers, cooperative school district governance bills, labor law for minors, and special education. We’re highlighting a couple of hearings where it will be […]

A photo of the New Hampshire State House dome.
Signs held at the NH Legislative Office Building read "Right to Work" is WRONG for NH

Big Week Ahead: Vouchers, Book Bans, No-License Teachers, and One-Test Diplomas – Oh My!

It’s a huge week of public hearings next week in the New Hampshire House and Senate. Hearings will be held on several universal voucher expansion bills, a bill that would establish a non-credentialed “part-time” teacher to be able to teach in our public schools, a bill that would allow a student to only take a single test to graduate from high school, and one of the new versions of a book ban.   Get ready to take action now because we have a full docket of legislation that seeks to wage an assault on public education. It’s time to make your voice […]

HB 1419: Book Bans are Back!

ACTION REQUESTED: Please take the time to sign in against HB 1419. The public hearing is Thursday, January 18th at 9:30am in the House Education Committee. HB 1419 is just one of this year’s attempts at a book ban modeled after similar bills recently introduced in other state legislatures. Like others before it, the bill contains vague language left open to interpretation and once again contains violations of the Code of Conduct. The bill sets up a process to follow that ends with the state board of education and does not truly allow local school districts to develop their own […]

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

HB 1402: Take a Test…And you Get a Diploma!

ACTION REQUESTED: Before the public hearing on January 16th at 10am, please urge the House Education Committee to reject HB 1402 so we can ensure students who hold a New Hampshire high school diploma have had the opportunity to master the competencies that will help them succeed. HB 1402 gives the Commissioner of Education the power to develop a high school proficiency exam and adopt his own rules and procedures for administering that exam. Passing this unnamed exam would also result in that student testing out of high school and receiving a “state” or local school district diploma and would […]