Key NH Legislative activity for the week of February 23-27:
- HB 1214, which would allow a municipality’s governing body to take control of the public library, was voted inexpedient to legislate.
- HB 1512, which would have allowed municipalities to hold a vote to prevent their residents from receiving education freedom account vouchers, was determined inexpedient to legislate.
- HB 1564, which would have removed all references to gender identity in state statutes, was determined inexpedient to legislate.
- Open Enrollment is being fast-tracked through the House. To protect their budgets from unexpected increases this coming fiscal year, school districts are trying to place limits on the numbers of students leaving and non-district students from coming. For further information, see the March edition of The Amherst Bear, “Open Enrollment Articles Aim to Protect Budget amid Big Changes,” and a Feb. 27 discussion on New Hampshire PBS.
Upcoming:
- HB1706. This bill, in executive session on Mar 4, would cancel funding for the refugee resettlement program in the New Hampshire’s department of health and human services and prohibits spending state funds on refugee resettlement. NH receives $4.5 million from the federal govt as part of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). According to state officials, refugees would still arrive in New Hampshire, and International Institute of New England, whose Manchester office has aided refugees since 1994, would likely have to manage services directly through federal grants and donations rather than state-administered contracts. (https://www.concordmonitor.com/2026/02/25/refugee-resettlement-debate-nh/ )
Input needed by Wednesday evening, March 4 on these and other education-related bills on the Hillsborough County NH Democratic Committee site:
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Oppose HB1815. The NH House is asking the NH Supreme Court to overturn Claremont and all other related decisions: In July 2025 (after years of litigation), the NH Supreme Court ruled that the state is not adequately funding public education, according to the state’s constitution. Republican lawmakers labeled this judgment “judicial over-reach” and an inaccurate assessment of the state’s support. For more information and the link to legislative input: https://www.facebook.com/HillsboroughCountyNHDemocraticCommittee
Find more on the history of the rulings at https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2026-02-25/education-funding-taxes-nh-newhampshire-supreme-court-claremont -
Oppose HR19 which “encourages state colleges and universities to invite more conservative speakers to campus for the purpose of increasing diversity of viewpoints.”For more information and the link to legislative input: https://www.facebook.com/HillsboroughCountyNHDemocraticCommittee
- Support HB 1578 which further defines terms and details of reporting for the Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). Specifics include application information, vendor distributions, demographics, as well as critical differential aid data. For more information and the link to legislative input: https://www.facebook.com/HillsboroughCountyNHDemocraticCommittee
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