AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (May 23, 2025)

Universal School Voucher Bills in House and Senate Finance Committees

Take Action on Book Ban

We are in our last month of the legislative session in Concord. While there are still a lot of key votes to be taken and then the Governor will have to act on all of the bills the legislature passes, the legislature still has some key votes we are monitoring closely.

Next Week the House and Senate Finance Committees will have to take action on their irresponsible, unreasonable and unproven school voucher program. House Finance needs to approve the Senate version of universal school vouchers. Senate Finance needs to incorporate the expansion into the state budget and at what estimated cost. The cost comes not only in how many dollars the Senate Finance Committee decides the school voucher program will need over the next 2 years, but also in what doesn’t get funded to make room for this program to expand.

The Senate and House are poised to expand vouchers to the ultra-wealthy all while

• cutting Medicaid benefits and instituting a Medicaid income tax for hard working Granite Staters;
• not including any further money to help cities and towns work with property developers to build more affordable housing, an area identified as a top concern for Granite State voters over the past year;
• doing nothing to increase the availability and affordability of childcare in our state, which is a huge cost on hard working Granite State families and keeps people out of the workforce; and
• and while refusing to adequately and constitutionally fund Granite State public schools so that students in every public school district have the opportunity for a robust public education – not just those who live in districts with healthy property tax bases.

Expanding vouchers for the ultra-wealthy is wrong even in the best of circumstances and right now New Hampshire is about to pass a budget that will make the lives of a majority of its citizens harder. We can’t afford to fund 2 school systems: a public one where every student is accepted, and a voucher one based on taxpayer funded private choices where the education provider can reject your student for not fitting in with their values.

Last week we talked about the book ban that is on its way to the Governor. This is the first time a book ban has passed both bodies of the legislature. This is a shameful action. New Hampshire is better than book bans and New Hampshire students deserve better than book bans. Our students deserve a robust public education complete with protection of their right to access a wide variety of materials in their school libraries. The bill is unconstitutionally vague, and besides just banning books it criminalizes teachers and administrators for protecting students’ first amendment rights.

Governor Ayotte now has a choice. She can cave to the far right, extremist anti-education, anti- freedom politicians who voted for this bill or she can side with the majority of Granite Staters who want their educators, local community, and parents to work together to make decisions on what books and materials are best for them their schools, not have one parent make the decision of what books are appropriate for another other parents’ kids.

If you have not contacted the Governor yet—do so now!

Contact Kelly Ayotte and tell her book bans are WRONG for New Hampshire.

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 dropboxes, 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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Upcoming Legislative Hearings

Week of May 26, 2025