Legislative Cross-Over

Up Next: Book Bans and Expanded Vouchers

This week marked the crossover point in the legislative session. Bills that have passed the House now go to the Senate for a hearing and bills that have passed the Senate move onto the House for a hearing. It gives us a second chance to use our voices to try to stop awful policies, improve bad ones and, try to pass good ones.

AFT-NH is proud to award two $1,500 scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Honey Cascio Scholarship will be awarded to one graduating high school senior who has been accepted into an institution of higher learning. The Billy Donovan Scholarship will be awarded to one continuing student at an accredited institution of higher learning for the 2025-2026 academic year. Prior scholarship winners are ineligible. 

The biggest thing the legislature will tackle next week is the state budget for the next two years. The budget being put forward is deeply flawed. After years of tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and multinational corporations, New Hampshire is facing a significant revenue shortfall. Because of this, in the House budget to be voted on this week, you see an income tax on working-class Granite Staters to pay for Medicaid, severe cuts to community mental health centers, and the closure of the Office of the Child Advocate, to say nothing of the crippling cut to the University System of New Hampshire.

Consequential House Finance Committee Vote on

State Budget Up Next

Another tough week at the State House for those who want to see every public school student in the Granite State get the robust public education they deserve in their own school district. This past week, the Senate passed their version of the Universal School Voucher Program on its financial vote. It previously passed a policy vote. With this latest vote, the Senators and Representatives who voted for the Universal School Voucher Program made one thing very clear. They support sending our tax dollars to the wealthiest individuals in our state for private education, all while failing to provide anywhere near enough tax dollars to allow the more than 155,000 public school students to learn and thrive in their public schools.