AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin
2023-06
Public Education is still under attack. It was another busy week of public hearings on education bills. The bills ranged from public school choice allowing attendance at any school district in the state to trans bathroom bans to book bans. Extremism by anti-education politicians was in full force this week. Those bills and many others will be voted on in committee next week and we will keep you up to date on how the committee deals with these bills.
Governor Sununu’s Budget. On Tuesday, Governor Sununu is set to deliver his budget to the House so they can begin work on it. On the radio last week, Sununu promised changes to education funding, though the details were very unclear. The governor said, “But I'd say the biggest thing is, isn't, you know, rebuilding education, I think, but really getting back to that formula, that's kind of an inside baseball thing. But it's really important. And I think what we've been able to do will excite a little bit of everybody in the world.” We don’t know what the governor means by this, but we do know anything short of a dramatic increase in education funding that is equitable for schools across our state would be shortchanging the futures of the 165,000 Granite State students and their families who chose public schools. They deserve a robust, well-rounded education including science and technology, honest history, enriching arts and humanities, and career and technical education programs. Once the governor introduces his budget, the House goes to work on it. They must send it to the Senate by April. Two years ago the budget is where the House put their divisive concepts ban after the bill had been defeated in committee so we will be looking for any tricks again this year.
Voucher expansion is right around the corner. We thought we would see a vote of the full House on voucher expansion on Tuesday, February 14th, but it was not placed on the House calendar. The full House will have to vote by the week of February 20th. We need your help to make sure our legislators understand the out-of-control voucher program cannot be expanded and that they should be making sure all of students have a robust public education system. The two bills which would expand the current voucher program are HB 464 and HB 367.
Action Needed We need you to start today by contacting your state representatives even though the vote won’t be this week. Once you take action, please share the action with family, friends and allies. Click the following link to register your opposition to HB 464 and HB 367: CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
It’s not too late to speak out against book banning. Say NO on HB 514. It’s not too late to let the House Education Committee know what you think about banning books. The committee members heard some excellent testimony on the day of the hearing, most of it against the bill. They will vote in committee on that bill on Wednesday, Feb 15th.
Action Needed Please click this link EMAIL THE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE and tell the committee members that you oppose House Bill 514. It is particularly important that the committee hear from our members who are parents and grandparents as well as educators.
Here are a couple of reasons we oppose the bill, of course, you may have your own.
- Public school students deserve to have a wide variety of books and materials available in their classrooms and school libraries to allow them to explore the world and challenge their minds.
- While a parent has the right to decide what his or her own child is allowed to read, that parent doesn’t have the right to decide what every student is allowed to read. That is called censorship.
Thank you for your continued vigilance during this legislative session. We know that a majority of Granite Staters oppose these extreme bills. By reaching out to your representatives and having your voice heard, you will make a difference.
For breaking news and other legislative information, please be sure to like us on Facebook at AFT New Hampshire or follow us on Twitter @AFTNewHampshire to receive the latest news. Please share this with friends so they can sign up for this bulletin at http://nh.aft.org/.
You can also read written testimony submitted to the legislature at STATE HOUSE NEWS.
Week of February 13th Legislative Hearing Schedule
Time | Bill | Description | Sponsors | Location |
Mon 2/13 9:45 AM | HB 550 | Relative to Chartered Public School Dissolution. | Rep. Sallie Fellows | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 10:30 AM | HB 382 | Authorizing Local School Boards to Give Students Release Time For Participation In Religious Instruction In An Elective Course For The Purposes Of Satisfying Curriculum Requirements. | Rep. Matthew Santonastaso | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 10:40 AM | HB 634 | Relative to Students' Participation In Religious Instruction to Satisfy Elective Curriculum Requirements. | Rep. Jason Gerhard | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 10:50 AM | HB 552 | Relative to Making Incentive Grants For School Districts That Improve In Certain Assessment Scores. | Rep. Michael Moffett | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 11:30 AM | HB 371 | Establishing A Commission to Evaluate and Recommend Standards For Public Schools. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 1:00 PM | HB 377 | Relative to Screening and Intervention In Public Schools For Dyslexia and Related Disorders. | Rep. Katelyn Kuttab | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 1:00 PM | HB 437 | Relative to A Reading Assessment and Intervention Program. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 1:00 PM | HB 654 | Relative to The One-year Certificate Of Teaching Eligibility. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 2/13 1:00 PM | HB 623 | Establishing A Teacher Candidate Loan Forgiveness Program. | Rep. Mel Myler | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 2/14 9:00 AM | SB 217 | Establishing A Rural and Underserved Area Educator Incentive Program For Higher Education and Making An Appropriation Therefor. | Sen. Donovan Fenton | LOB 101 (Education/S) |
Tue 2/14 9:15 AM | SB 218 | Establishing An Early Educator Professional Development Grant. | Sen. Donovan Fenton | LOB 101 (Education/S) |
Tue 2/14 9:30 AM | SB 219 | Relative to A Salary Floor For Public School Teachers. | Sen. Keith Murphy | LOB 101 (Education/S) |
Tue 2/14 9:45 AM | SB 216 | Making Changes to The Requirements For Civics Education and Establishing The New Hampshire Civics Education Commission. | Sen. Sharon Carson | LOB 101 (Education/S) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 634 | Relative to Students' Participation In Religious Instruction to Satisfy Elective Curriculum Requirements. | Rep. Jason Gerhard | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 539 | Relative to Vaccination Clinics At Schools. | Rep. Jim Kofalt | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 382 | Authorizing Local School Boards to Give Students Release Time For Participation In Religious Instruction In An Elective Course For The Purposes Of Satisfying Curriculum Requirements. | Rep. Matthew Santonastaso | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 627 | Relative to Local Education Improvement Plans and Disparities In Education. | Rep. Alicia Lekas | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 505 | Relative to Comprehensive Mental Health Education In Schools. | Rep. Jodi Newell | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 394 | Relative to The Organization Of Cooperative School Boards. | Rep. John Sellers | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 354 | Relative to Chartered Public School Eligibility For State School Building Aid. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 104 | Relative to Multi-stall Bathrooms and Locker Rooms In Schools. | Rep. Michael Moffett | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 272 | Increasing Chartered Public School Per Pupil Funding. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 563 | Relative to The Adoption Of School Administrative Unit Budgets. | Rep. John Sellers | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 441 | Eliminating Residency Requirements For Public School Attendance. | Rep. Josh Yokela | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 529 | Relative to Additional Aid Grants For Schools Based On Free and Reduced Price Meals and Fiscal Capacity Disparity. | Rep. Sallie Fellows | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 452 | Relative to The Department Of Education Procedures For School Building Aid Applications. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 352 | Relative to Excused Absences Due to A Student's Mental or Behavioral Health. | Rep. Joe Alexander | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 492 | Requiring The Department Of Education to Provide The House and Senate Standing Committees Responsible For Education with Copies Of The Laws and Rules Relative to Education. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 632 | Relative to The Cooperative School District Budget Committee. | Rep. John Sellers | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 623 | Establishing A Teacher Candidate Loan Forgiveness Program. | Rep. Mel Myler | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 71 | Repealing A Department Of Education Report On Chartered Public School Funding. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 514 | Relative to The Dissemination Of Obscene Material By Schools and Institutions Of Higher Learning. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 9:00 AM | HB 604 | Relative to Reading Specialists. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 2/15 10:00 AM | HB 569 | Relative to The State Education Property Tax and The Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief Program. | Rep. Richard Ames | LOB 202-204 (Ways and Means/H) |
Wed 2/15 10:30 AM | HB 51 | Relative to Requiring Towns and School Districts Use Warrant Articles For Lobbying Agents. | Rep. Ralph Boehm | LOB 301 (Municipal and County Government/H) |
Wed 2/15 11:00 AM | SB 237 | Relative to The Child Care Scholarship Program and Making An Appropriation Therefor. | Sen. Rebecca Whitley | LOB 101 (Health and Human Services/S) |
Wed 2/15 11:45 AM | HB 568 | Relative to Assessing All State Adequate Education and Local Education Costs Through The State Education Warrant. | Rep. David Bickford | LOB 202-204 (Ways and Means/H) |
Wed 2/15 2:00 PM | HB 559 | Establishing A State Retirement Plan Group For New State Employee Members Of The Retirement System. | Rep. Dan McGuire | LOB 306-308 (Executive Departments and Administration/H) |
Wed 2/15 2:15 PM | HB 568 | Relative to Assessing All State Adequate Education and Local Education Costs Through The State Education Warrant. | Rep. David Bickford | LOB 202-204 (Ways and Means/H) |
Thu 2/16 9:00 AM | HB 78 | Repealing An Act Prohibiting The State From Enforcing Any Federal Statute, Regulation, or Presidential Executive Order That Restricts or Regulates The Right Of The People to Keep or Bear Arms. | Rep. Suzanne Vail | LOB 202-204 (Criminal Justice and Public Safety/H) |
Thu 2/16 9:00 AM | HB 32 | Relative to Possession or Discharge Of A Firearm In A Safe School Zone. | Rep. Steve Shurtleff | LOB 202-204 (Criminal Justice and Public Safety/H) |
Thu 2/16 9:00 AM | HB 553 | Relative to School District Information On Personnel Salaries. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Thu 2/16 9:30 AM | HB 536 | Relative to The Chartered Public School Joint Legislative Oversight Committee. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Thu 2/16 10:00 AM | HB 649 | Repealing The Collection Of The State Education Property Tax. | Rep. Thomas Schamberg | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Thu 2/16 10:00 AM | HB 241 | Relative to The Opportunity Of School District Employees Representing The Collective Bargaining Unit to Meet with The Public Employer As Part Of Collective Bargaining Negotiations. | Rep. Vanessa Sheehan | LOB 307 (Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services/H) |
Thu 2/16 11:00 AM | HB 651 | Authorizing The Department Of Education and Local School Districts to Contract with Transportation Network Companies to Provide School Transportation Services. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Thu 2/16 11:15 AM | HB 557 | Relative to The Department Of Health and Human Services' Rulemaking Authority Regarding Immunization Requirements. | Rep. Jim Kofalt | LOB 201-203 (Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs/H) |
Thu 2/16 11:15 AM | HB 150 | Relative to The Certification Of A Collective Bargaining Unit. | Rep. Mike Bordes | LOB 307 (Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services/H) |
Thu 2/16 11:30 AM | HB 528 | Relative to School Lunches and Establishing The Meals For Students Fund. | Rep. Timothy Horrigan | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Thu 2/16 1:00 PM | HB 232 | Adopting Section 1910 Osha Standards For Public Sector Employees In New Hampshire. | Rep. Brian Sullivan | LOB 305-307 (Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services/H) |