AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin, 2021-17

April 26, 2021 - Bow, NH

I begin by giving a ‘shout-out’ and expressing sincere thanks to all the public-school educators across New Hampshire.  Teachers, para-educators, support staff, and food-service workers, all of you have been tireless in your efforts to support students and to minimize the disruptions in education caused by the COVID pandemic.  Many of you are on vacation this week and it is a well-deserved chance to decompress, to regather your focus and energies, and to prepare for the final 6-7 weeks to the end of the school year.  And won’t we all breathe a huge sigh of relief when that day finally arrives.

The legislature was relatively quiet this past week, at least when it comes to public hearings.  The House Education Committee did meet on Tuesday to complete the public hearings on bills sent over from the Senate.  Two of the bills heard were Senate “omnibus” bills, combining a variety of disparate topics united only by their connection to education in NH.  As always, there are issues raised in these hearings, but at present, none of this legislation raises any alarms with AFT-NH.  What is most interesting, however, is to compare the complacency of House Republicans in dealing with 2021 omnibus bills as compared to last year’s fire & brimstone attacks on such bills as violating long-established House procedures.  It would appear that once one is in the majority, the outlook is a bit different!

State Budget   In the Senate, all eyes are on the progress of the State budget.  House Republicans continue to denounce any efforts to remove the language of HB 544, which bars discussion of “divisive concepts” (such as race and gender).  They also oppose removing provisions greatly restricting the governor’s emergency powers and other provisions that would have the effect of greatly reducing, if not eliminating, access to such reproductive services as abortions here in NH.  What we see is a tug-of-war between the overt extremists of the House v. the less overt extremism of Gov. Sununu and his allies, who wish to cloak his radical notions in the mantle of “moderation” as he gears up for his 2022 Senate race against Maggie Hassan. 

Vouchers   The Senate Finance Committee will hold a day of public hearings on the budget on Tuesday May 4, starting at 1pm and after a dinner break, resuming at 6pm.  This will be the public’s chance to testify for or against specific budget provisions or possible additions to the budget, such as education vouchers. You can sign up to add your voice to the testimony, which will all be online (you do not even need to have your camera on!) by Registering for Remote Testimony. If you need more information to assist you in your testimony, please feel free to contact us.

Action Request !  We also urge you to write to the members of the Senate Finance Committee and express your opposition to any inclusion of education vouchers in the NH state budget.  Not only will “vouchers” decrease funding for public education, the program has virtually no accountability or transparency in how families spend the funds they receive.  The end result will be one of the largest giveaways of taxpayer funds in the history of NH, and an eventual increase in your property taxes, to make up for the shortfalls in public education funding.  For a system of public education that currently ranks in the top 5 nationally, this seems an odd way to support the continuing high standards and accomplishments of teachers and students in our public schools.  Please, be sure to write to the members of the Senate Finance Committee and testify in the public hearings.  Public funds for public education!

The onset of Spring continues to progress here in NH, with forsythia in full bloom and daffodils sprouting up and flowering.  For me, the real sign of Spring is the opening of ice cream stands across the state!  Ice cream may not help my waistline, but mmmmm, nothing better than a cone filled with handmade ice cream served at a local NH creamery.  Go get some!!

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NH Retirement Security Coalition   The NHRSC will be tracking all bills related to the NH Retirement System and continuing advocacy for our members.  You can find the legislation tracker following retirement bills by clicking on the following link NHRSC UPDATES. AFT-NH is a member of the NH Retirement Security Coalition (NHRSC).

The Week Ahead