AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (February 20, 2026)

Legislative February Recess

We are just over a month away from legislative crossover where all the Senate bills that passed the Senate will be heard by the House and all the House bills that passed will be heard by the Senate. There are a number of bills scheduled for public hearing next week, so please our tracker at the end of the bulletin.

We did want to point out one bill in particular that passed yesterday, HB 1792, “The Classroom Censorship Mandate” bill that frankly lies about the goals of teachers in New Hampshire, what they are teaching and how they are teaching it. That bill passed the full House yesterday and will move over the Senate for a hearing in the next few weeks. Please refer to AFT-NH President Deb Howes' Statement on the passage of HB 1792.

Also, HB 751, the open enrollment bill was assigned to a committee of conference this week. There is not a date set for it yet but members of the House and Senate will meet to attempt to come to a compromise so they can pass open enrollment.

Though it is school vacation week next week and most committees are taking a break, there are still two bills being heard in House Education Policy we want to make you aware of so you can sign in Opposed.

HB 1358: Establishing a commission to study converting all public schools in Charter Schools. We should fund our local neighborhood public schools. Not close them. Period. AFT-NH Opposes this bill

HB 1804: Consolidating school SAU’s and make Chief Administrator an Elected Position: Consolidation is a local issue not a state one and this bill has many more questions than answers.  AFT-NH opposes this bill.

Please sign in and register your opinion on bills when they are scheduled for hearing. The number of people who sign in and the totals are read out loud and are part of the record. Your action can make a difference. 

Thank you for your efforts.

Submitting Your Position and Testimony

Here is easy access to submit your position on bills before House and Senate Committees.

Remember, if a bill is already scheduled for an Executive Session, you will not be able to submit your position.

To submit your position, click SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

To submit your position, click SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A SENATE COMMITTEE HERE.

• Fill in your Personal Information
• Select the relevant date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week). [Select Bill # and select the date].
• In the dropbox below "Select the Committee," select committee.
• In the dropbox below "Choose the Bill," select the appropriate time and bill number.
• Select the appropriate option for the "I am" dropbox (likely "Member of the Public").
• Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."
• Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”
• After filling in all of the appropriate drop boxes, click “Submit.”
• After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, where you will fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, as well as your town, state, and email address.
• Press “Continue.”
• If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you will need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.
• If you wish to submit testimony on the bill, email the relevant committee and upload the testimony file from your computer (if you need assistance in this, we are happy to help).

AFT-NH Legislative Hearings

Week of February 23, 2026