AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (March 13, 2026)

Huge Victory for Public Employees’ Union Rights and Collective Bargaining

It was a great victory for our members and public employees across the state when the NH House defeated HB 1704 this week. The bill is dead for the rest of this legislative session. But let’s remember this in November.  This bill was poised to significantly weaken the rights of teachers, school staff, and other municipal employees to negotiate for strong contracts and have a meaningful voice in the workplace.  A big thank you to the hundreds of you who contacted your state representatives and help prevent this bill from passing.

In other news from the House session this week, HB 1300 was passed. HB 1300 would create a question on the November state ballot every two years to cap school taxes, turning our local property tax issues into something that gets decided amidst the partisan politics of a national election and not when voters are thinking about town and school issues. This bill will get a Senate hearing in the upcoming weeks, and we will keep you informed.

Next week, the Senate Education Committee will continue the hearing on HB 1792, the bill looking to censor teachers and limit what students can learn without any real understanding of classrooms or how teaching works. AFT-NH opposes this bill. You can still sign in opposed to this bill if you have not already. The hearing will be held on March 17^th at 9:15 am. SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE HERE.

HB 1134 would create additional obstructions at town meeting and establish more impediments to passing warrant articles. The bill will be heard before the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee on March 18th  at 1:00 pm. AFT-NH Opposes this bill.

We are at the point in the legislative session where bills that have passed the House will now to proceed to hearings in the Senate. And those bills that have passed the Senate, will be heard in at the House. As our priority bills are scheduled for hearing, we will keep you informed and ask you to join us in having your voice heard as we proceed to the second half of the session.

Thank you for participating. Every call and every action you take makes a difference.

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).

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AFT-NH Legislative Hearings

Week of March 16, 2026