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Addressing New Hampshire’s Housing Crisis is Critical to our State’s Economic Future 

We’ve brought together a substantive panel of experts representing planning, housing, business, and advocacy to provide perspective and answer questions. read more

Amherst State Rep. Dan LeClerc isn’t known to mince words. He surely didn’t on Wednesday, March 25, when he testified at a public hearing in Concord, along with more than 100 other people, in opposition toa new open enrollment bill. In online testimony, 1,810 people opposed the bill, while just 71 supported it. read more

• The House rejected a proposed constitutional amendment CACR 10 which would ban an income tax. See more details at InDepthNH.org
• The house passed two Republican-sponsored bills regarding gender identity. House Bill 1217 would permit classifying an individual based on biological sex for bathrooms, locker rooms and intimate spaces; and HB 1442 would limit the use of certain public and private facilities based on sexual identity.  The Senate passed SB 552 which, in some cases, allows classification of individuals based on biological sex.  Again, a Republican-sponsored bill.
• SB 483 was passed by the Senate and then tabled due to fiscal concerns. With the bill, $15 million in state general funds could be applied to a childcare workforce grant program.
• SB 551, a Democratic-proposed law that supports every person’s right to reproductive healthcare and shields medical professionals providing reproductive services, was voted down by the Republican-led Senate, 16-8.
• The Senate laid on the table[1] HB 186-FN-A, which covers legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis for adults 21 and older.

On the Education Front:

• The NH House and Senate both passed HB 323 which requires that college and high school students registering to vote must show a “government-issued photographic means” of identification. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.
• House Bill 1885, passed by the Republican majority, asserts that the cost of an adequate public education is the responsibility of the state and school districts, and does not set a minimum for the state’s financial contribution. In July, 2025, (after years of litigation) the NH Supreme Court had ruled that the state is not adequately funding public education, according to the state’s constitution. Republican lawmakers have labeled this judgment “judicial over-reach” and an inaccurate assessment of the state’s support.  For more on this proposal and SB 659, see FairFundingnh.org.
• As part of HB 266 signed by Governor Ayotte, schools are now exempt from obtaining written parental permission to record students for public activities such as sporting events, concerts, and plays.

Upcoming Legislation:

• HB1704 – known as a Right to Work bill for public employees – will be heard on the floor on Wednesday. Sponsored by Republicans, this legislation would require municipalities and towns to balance multiple labor contracts for the same position and could mean management complexity and cost for those communities, possible lawsuits, and, thus, possible tax increases – in addition to weakened workers’ rights.
• Please take action by Tuesday evening, March 10. Contact your State Reps to oppose 4 anti-vaxxer bills. Details in the link:

  facebook.com/HillsboroughCountyNHDemocraticCommittee 

[1] “[L]aid on the table” means that the legislating group votes to put a bill aside without any action, pausing for changes or more deliberation. The putting aside may also signify intent to stop progress or kill the bill.  If the group does not vote to take the bill “off the table” before the end of the session, the bill dies. read more

The NH House bill intended to require towns to cap their school district
spending was defeated on Wednesday, January 7, on the opening day of the
2026 session in a 346-9 vote. An amendment to the bill that limited the capping
to only administrative expenses led to the defeat of the bill, with 22 Republicans
joining the Democratic block.
    Carried over from the 2025 session, HB 675 failed to pass this session again,
accompanied by a vote not to be considered again this year.
    The bill that ties caps to the inflation rate and requires a supermajority (two-
thirds) of town voters to override a cap could lead to conditions such as school
overcrowding, reduced staffing, and the cutting of important services for
students.
    Many taxpayers attribute out-of-control property taxes to school costs, yet a
key reason for the local tax increases is reduced state-level contributions to
school districts. In 2024, local taxes provided 63% of the funding while the state
provided only 28.8% of the funding, one of the lowest percentages in the nation,
according to a National Education Association report. Many also realize that
the bill is the state’s attempt to avoid the inevitable – its decades-old failure to
fund an adequate education. read more