AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (January 16, 2026)

Up Next - Spending Cap Resurfaces, Open Enrollment, Firearms and Schools, and Vouchers

Next week the legislature will continue to work through the countless scores of bills ahead of them and start to take votes on the bills heard this week.

There will be significant bills heard next week. A complete tracker is provided at the end of this bulletin with the AFT-NH position for each of the bills.  We wanted to highlight a few of these bills which will be heard so you can register your opinion directly to the committee hearing the bill.

Spending Cap Resurfaces in Another Form

HB 1300 was originally slated to be a mid-decade congressional redistricting bill, However, the NH House GOP not accepting the solid defeat of HB 675 last week, is making another attempt to impose state-mandated local spending caps stripping communities of local control and ignoring the will of the voters in towns and school districts across NH. A non-germane amendment has been introduced to replace the bill entirely to accomplish this. Amendment to HB 1300  The NH Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion in 1999 stating that such a scheme would be contrary to Part I, Article 28 of the NH Constitution. You can read Opinion of the Justices, Tax Plan Referendum, March 11, 1999 here. AFT-NH Opposes the bill and amendment. 

Vouchers and Open Enrollment

SB 581 Removes the cap on the school voucher program. AFT-NH opposes this bill.

SB 101 Creates an open enrollment system in New Hampshire. If you need more information on what open enrollment is please check out this fact sheet from Reaching Higher. AFT-NH opposes this bill.

Firearms and Schools

SB 463  Prohibits carrying a firearm in a safe school zone. AFT-NH supports this bill.

HB 1122   Requires all high school students to learn about hunting, wildlife management, and responsible firearms usage. AFT-NH opposes this bill.

HB 1830 Requiring firearm safety education in all public schools. AFT-NH opposes this bill.

Attack on Public Employees

HB 1704, a bill which is coming for your collective bargaining rights and effectively bust most public sector unions will be scheduled very soon and we will send out a separate red alert. This will be a fight of epic proportion to maintain your protections as a member of your union and preserve the protections of your contract and working conditions. Together, we will stop them.

Committee hearings start next week. Please see the AFT-NH list of bills we are following and that are scheduled for hearings next week.

Staying Informed and Taking Action.

1. Please share our legislative bulletins with others.
2. Please visit our website at https://nh.aft.org/ and sign up for the bulletins if you have not done so.
3. Do the one-click actions when an alert is sent out.
4. You can register your position on a bill directly to the House or Senate Committee hearing the bill. For instructions and the links, please see below.
5. For breaking news and other legislative information, please be sure to like us on Facebook at AFT New Hampshire or follow us on Bluesky at aftnh.bsky.social.

Remember, when we fight, we win. It will be a long legislative session but we will not let the anti-public education and anti-worker forces prevail.

Thank you.

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 January 19, 2026