Legislative alert #8, for week of Feb. 24-28, 2025

With school vacation week coming up, neither the House nor the Senate will meet in voting session the last week of February. Most House committees are holding work sessions or executive sessions on bills that have already been heard. Executive sessions are also dominating in early March. For the full list of House hearings, see the weekly House Calendar.

House Finance gets no rest, however, as they work on details of the state budget.

House Election Law committee is another exception, hearing some very interesting bills on Tuesday, Feb. 25. (in Legislative Office Building room 306). Among the bills are these:

Starting at 9 am

CACR 2 , [regarding redistricting] providing that no district boundaries shall be drawn in a way that favors or disfavors any political party or candidate. [Well, that’s what we’ve been saying for decades. League supports this proposed constitutional amendment and would appreciate members of both parties signing online in support..]

HB 363, establishing redistricting criteria [League supports; same criteria we hoped would be applied in 2020, including “The plan as a whole shall not have the intent or the effect of favoring or disfavoring any political party, incumbent, or candidate for office.” Unfortunately there are no Republicans among the sponsors.]

HB 356, enabling school districts to adopt partisan school district elections. [as far as we know, only some cities currently have partisan school elections. This would open it up to towns and school districts. These bills are sponsored by Republicans.] also HB 590, relative to cooperative school district school board elections. And HB 367, changing the method for adopting partisan town elections to be the same as rescinding partisan town elections.

HB 481, moving the state primary date to second Tuesday in June. And HB 408, moving the state primary to the fourth Tuesday in August. [League has no position on the time of primaries.]

1 pm, HB 600, enabling ranked-choice voting for municipal elections. [This bill lets towns decide if they want to use ranked-choice voting for local elections. If you’re not sure how ranked choice voting works, visit this website to find out: NHRankedChoice.org

3:10 pm, HB 521 authorizing online voter registration. [This bill creates an online voter registration system where eligible voters can complete a new voter application, request an absentee ballot, and update their address and other voter information. NH could join 42 other states with online voter registration. League supports. Sponsors are all Democrats.]

3:30 pm, HB 220, closing the presidential or state primary of political parties, unless a party decides to allow it. [prevents “independent” voters from participation in primary elections. Independents are 40% of NH voters!]

To sign in online, in support or opposition to any of these Election Law bills: Go to this website https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

Choose date of Feb. 25. Choose committee House Election Law. Choose bill from the pull-down menu by number. You’ll have to put in your name and town and identify yourself as “a member of the public” and representing “myself.” Then choose either the “I support” or “I oppose” button. If you want to add a few sentences of testimony, do so in the box provided. We hope you will support CACR2, HB363, and HB521 in particular.

On Thursday, Feb. 27

House Municipal and Country Government Committee, Room 301-303, LOB, will be hearing a number of bills about local tax caps and municipal budget laws. If your primary interest is local government, this is the hearing to attend. Reminder: you can also watch the hearing online, either live or after the fact. You’re find House committee hearings at this link: https://www.youtube.com/@NHHouseofRepresentatives/featured

Starting at 9 am:

HB 200, relative to the procedure for overriding a local tax cap.

HB 374, clarifying references under local tax cap and budget laws.

HB 138-Ltax impact notation on warrant articles with multi-year tax impacts.

HB 284, requiring tax impact statements on municipal warrant articles.

HB 495, requiring cities and towns to provide a breakdown of tax changes and information on bills sent to residents.

Starting at 1 pm:

HB 613, enabling local political subdivisions to vote and set a reduced default budget option.

HB 475 reductions from the default budget for official ballot town meetings.

HB 228 petitioned articles at annual or special town meetings.

HB 168 including municipal public works facilities as eligible capital facilities for the assessment of impact fees.

HB 124, enabling a city or town forest committee to offer surplus money to the town for deposit in the city or town general fund.

HB 501 allowing towns to decline 5G towers.

Looking ahead to March:

Monday, March 3:

House Education Policy Committee Room 205-207, LOB

9:30 a.m. HB 748 establishing a local education freedom account program. [Another way to approach school vouchers for private schools, fiscal impact falling directly on local taxpayers.]

Wednesday, March 5: House Judiciary committee, LOB 206-208

1:00 p.m. HCR 11, declaring the directives of the judicial branch in the Claremont cases that the legislative and executive branches define an “adequate education,” adopt “standards of accountability,” and “guarantee adequate funding” of a public education are not binding on the legislative and executive branches. [an attempt to overturn the court decisions that find the state must support public education. League opposes on principal—funding of education is shared function of local, state, and federal government.]

1:45 p.m. HR 7, instructing the house of representatives to investigate whether grounds exist to impeach Judge David Ruoff. [Ruoff ruled in 2024 that the state was not meeting its fiscal responsibility to public schools for an “adequate education.”]

Enjoy the relatively light week in the Legislature. Our next legislative alert for early March will include Calls to Action to contact your own legislators as they get ready to vote on bills in full sessions. To find your own state reps and your senator, choose your town from the pull-down menu on this page. https://gc.nh.gov/house/members/ Clicking on a particular name that comes up will get you to the rep’s or senator’s bio page, with contact info listed. You may find an email or a phone or possibly a mailing address.

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Legislative alert #7, for Feb. 17-21, 2025

First, some really good news. You spoke out; they listened. The House Education Policy Committee voted 18-0 to kill that awful bill, HB283, which would have gutted the curriculum content of an “adequate education.” No one but the sponsor spoke in support, and 35,000 people signed in online to protest it! Yahoo! It goes to the full House for a vote Thursday, on the Consent Calendar, where it will be officially killed.

In case you didn’t hear, the NH House dealt a death blow to the “Right To Work” without paying unions dues bill on Thursday. It will not reappear (at least, not until 2026. It pops up each cycle.)

The NH House will meet in voting session on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 10 am. Lots of bills on Consent Calendar in addition to the curriculum bill, including HB671, with an Ought To Pass recommendation, for a kindergarten literacy readiness program. A bill we mentioned earlier, HB407 comes with an Inexpedient To Legislate unanimous recommendation; this bill would have required 15% of voters to turn out in SB2 towns, in order for them to adopt a town or school budget.

Not on the consent calendar, so expect debate on the floor: Again this year, with an Inexpedient To Legislate recommendation from committee by a vote of 9-7, is the legalizing [recreational] cannabis for adults bill. Another bill is HB53, recommended Ought To Pass as Amended, which would allow therapeutic users of cannabis to grow their own (within restrictions.) [League takes no position on these.]

*None of our priority bills are on the regular House calendar for this Thursday.

*The Senate is not meeting in voting session this week, apparently.

*The following week (Feb. 24-28) is NH school vacation, and most committees take a break too. We won’t know until Feb 21 whether there is anything to alert you about. So if you don’t hear from us next Friday, it means we can all take a break from fretting about state legislative issues.

Hearings coming up: your opportunity to testify, in person or via the General Court’s sign in webpages.

Many committees are focusing on Executive Sessions this week, rather than hearing new bills. See the end of this alert for an explanation of Executive Sessions, if you are not already familiar.

EDUCATION

in House Education Policy Committee, LOB 202 on Tuesday Feb. 18

2:30 pm, HB 709 allowing parents to enroll their children in any school district where the parents pay property taxes, not just the town where parents reside

3:15 HB 741 allowing parents to enroll their children in any school district they choose, where the school has determined there is space in that particular school and grade. Lots more school reporting required. Parents responsible for transportation to school or to a bus stop. Similar to Senate bill SB101heard earlier this year.

Heads up on a school funding hearing in March that could change everything:

House Judiciary Committee, Wed., March 5, LOB Room 206-208, LOB

1:00 pm HCR 11, declaring the directives of the judicial branch in the Claremont cases that the legislative and executive branches define an “adequate education,” adopt “standards of accountability,” and “guarantee adequate funding” of a public education are not binding on the legislative and executive branches. [in other words, try to overturn the Claremont cases that established the state’s responsibility in public school funding. League opposes.]

ELECTION LAW

In House Election Law, LOB 306-308, Tuesday Feb. 18

1 pm, HB 714 allowing a single primary ballot. “All candidates for an office shall be listed on a single primary ballot and all registered voters may vote for any candidate.  A candidate for a state or federal office may have their political party preference or lack thereof indicated on the ballot.” [Normally the League would not take a position on how primaries are run, but with last week’s bill HB172 barring NH’s “undeclared” voters—40% of registered voters– from participating in primaries, we’re looking at this as a better thing. What do you think? Open primaries good or not?]

3:20 pm HB 317, repealing the law that a supervisor of the checklist can identify a voter at the polls who doesn’t has a photo ID. Not sure who this puts in a worse situation: the voter who forgot an ID or the election worker who knows this person, recognizes them, but cannot swear to that fact and let the person vote. [League opposes; there is no evidence of any voter donning a disguise to fool the election workers he knows personally, in order to cast a ballot to which he is not entitled.]

In Senate Election Law, LOB 103, Tues., Feb. 18

9:45 am. SB 221 directing elections officials in all towns and cities to verify the voter checklist every 5 years (currently it’s done every 10 years) [This creates more work for election officials, but we’re not sure it will increase voters’ confidence in elections. If passed it will mean that voters who participate in only the presidential elections better not miss an election, or they could be dropped from the list.]

ENVIRONMENT

Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development committee, Room 103 in the State House. Tues., Feb. 18 – two important landfill bills

SB 226, suspending applications for new landfills and establishing a committee to study the feasibility of incinerating solid waste.

SB 227, requiring site setbacks from lakes etc. for landfills, plus other specifics.

GOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION

in House Legislative Administration committee, LOB 203 on Wed., 2/19

2:15, a non-germane amendment to HB118, 2025-0357h, that repeals various committees and commissions, including these: lakeshore redevelopment, wind industry, public health service through regional networks, housing champions advisory committee, and others. [Listening to the sponsors’ presentation is important before we decide whether this is a good idea or not.]

If you are a local government official, elected or appointed, check out the NH Municipal Assn’s heads-up about this bill: “On Wednesday, February 19, at 1:00 p.m. in LOB Room 203, the House Legislative Administration Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 314, which is intended to cut those who represent local governments out of the legislative process—but actually goes much further than that.”

With apologies; we gave the wrong day yesterday in our announcement of this learning opportunity in our newsletter. Correct day is Friday, Feb. 21.

Learn about the NH State Budget from the experts: The NH Fiscal Policy Institute is holding a webinar. Sign up at this link: https://nhfpi.org/events/examining-the-state-budget-2025-webinar-series/

Join the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute on Friday, February 21, at 10:30 AM for a free, live webinar where our experts will analyze the Governor’s budget proposal, providing insights into key themes, historical context, and the economic and revenue trends shaping the next State Budget.  This webinar is part of NHFPI’s State Budget Webinar Series, a three-part program examining the Governor’s proposal (February 21), the House Finance Committee’s version (April 7), and the Senate Finance Committee’s version (June 3). 

Tip of the week: EXECUTIVE SESSIONS: *When a committee holds Executive Session, the House or Senate committee members discuss the bills on which they have already heard testimony. The public is allowed to watch but not testify. The committee decides how to recommend a bill to the whole House or Senate for a vote. *It can be enlightening to hear what individual committee members say about details of the bill. If done right, there is serious deliberation rather than just voting the party line. *They vote whether to recommend passage (Ought To Pass = OTP), killing the bill (Inexpedient To Legislate = ITL), or something in between, such as refer a bill to further study. *It’s also the time when a bill can be amended, and this happens often. Sometimes the testimony heard earlier reveals a flaw, and the sponsor can amend it. Sometimes a subcommittee has pondered the bill and rewrites part of it.

*Executive sessions are public, but the public has no opportunity to speak or to sign in for support or opposition. The committee can ask someone for comments, for example ask the Secretary of State about the agency’s ability to do what the bill calls for. *Executive sessions are televised, and like other committee meetings are viewable from the General Court’s website live or after the fact. See this link for the House videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxqjz56akoWRL_5vyaQDtvQ/videos And here’s the Senate videos link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjBZdtrjRnQdmg-2MPMiWrA/videos

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Legislative alert #6 for Feb. 10-14 and beyond a bit

Hearings coming up:

EDUCATION

Senate Education committee Legislative Office Building (LOB) room101 Tues Feb. 11

SB203 requires annual review of families’ income eligibility for school vouchers [currently once applied and granted, vouchers can be used by students for years without reestablishing they are still low-income eligible. This bill has Democratic sponsors only. League supports.]

SB207 transfers the administration of the Education Freedom Account program (school vouchers) from scholarship organizations (which make a profit managing these) to the Dept of Education. [League supports. This is state money being spent; the state should have access to the all the details of expenditures.]

Senate Education Finance committee, State House Room 100 Wed. Feb. 12.

SB295 is like the HB we mentioned a few weeks ago – seeks to remove any family income threshold for school vouchers. All Republican sponsors.

House Education Policy committee, LOB 205-207 Monday, Feb. 10, 1:30

HB 283: Relative to the list of subjects that comprise an adequate education. This bill, as written, would significantly limit the list of required content areas which make up an adequate education, greatly impacting and potentially decreasing the state’s obligation for education funding. [only one sponsor. We hope this is killed quickly. League opposes watering down public education requirements. See the FB post from NH School Funding Fairness Project, also shared to our League FB page.]

House Ways & Means committee, Wed. Feb. 12 LOB room 203: Four bills on the intersection of school funding and taxes.

10:00 HB 402, liability as taxable income of Education Freedom Account payments.

10:30 HB 483 relative to the definition of a scholarship organization for purposes of the Education Tax Credit.

11:00 HB 503, amending how revenues from taxes are allocated to the Education Trust Fund [from which public school adequacy funds are drawn]

1:00 HB 669 relative to requiring all revenue raised under the Statewide Education Property Tax to be deposited in the Education Trust Fund, and setting an equalized statewide tax rate.

Heads up on a school funding hearing in March: the first bill could change everything:

House Judiciary Committee, Wed., March 5, LOB Room 206-208, LOB

1:00 pm HCR 11, declaring the directives of the judicial branch in the Claremont cases that the legislative and executive branches define an “adequate education,” adopt “standards of accountability,” and “guarantee adequate funding” of a public education are not binding on the legislative and executive branches. [in other words, try to overturn the Claremont cases that established the state’s responsibility in public school funding. League opposes.]

1:45 pm HR 7, instructing the House of Representatives to investigate whether grounds exist to impeach Judge David Ruoff [who ruled in 2024 in support of the state’s funding obligation and said the state was not paying enough to local school districts. League opposes.]

ENVIRONMENT: landfills

House Environment & Agriculture, LOB Rm 302-303, starting at 10 am, full committee work session on a number of landfill-related bills heard earlier.

10:00 a.m. Full committee work session on

ELECTION LAW; VOTING RIGHTS, not a single bill with bi-partisan sponsorship.

Senate Election Law committee, LOB Room 103 Tues., Feb. 11

9:15 a.m. SB 219, requiring the Secretary of State to enter into a membership agreement with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). All other New England states are members.; 20 states nationwide. Joining would allow almost instantaneous cross check if someone is already registered in another state. Keeps our voting rolls clean. League supports.

10:00 a.m. SB 223-provides for in-state tuition at any institution in the university system of NH or the community college system for any person who is registered to vote in this state. The bill also removes college or university identification cards from valid photo identification for obtaining a ballot. (Clearly the university system won’t grant students in-state tuition rates just because they register to vote, and the bill also takes away use of the ID that nearly every student has handy. Intended to keep college students from voting in our elections. League opposes.)

House Election Law Committee, LOB room 306-308 Tues., Feb. 11

This is the week in this committee for Republican-sponsored bills that seek to tighten voter ID requirements beyond those already in place since 2012. It seems to be a strategy of throwing various versions at the wall to see what sticks. League opposes these unnecessary voter restrictions.

10 am, HB684. Prohibit use of student IDs to vote, and requires that state-issued ID for voters over 75 should not be expired more than 1 year. Substantial change from the NH voter ID requirements in place since 2012. League opposes; this would require an older voter who no longer drives or a young person who doesn’t yet have a license to get to the DMV for a non-driver ID card. May take 2 months; cost $10. No need for this change!

10:30 HB 323, requiring the presentation of a government-issued photo ID in order to vote. Like bill above, limits options for those who don’t drive and don’t have a current license from NH. League opposes.

10:50, HB 289, regarding domicile qualifications for voting. An attack on college students who want to vote in NH because they live here 10 months a year. League opposes.

11:20, HB 385, reestablishing voter identification exceptions. A Democrat sponsored bill to allow other kinds of ID when voting. League supports; one size does not fit all.

11:40, HB 618, enables election officials to verify the single use of an out-of-state driver’s license presented when a person votes by using the centralized voter registration database. [Three Republican sponsors bucking the trend, recognizing that use of an out-of-state ID may be necessary. But only once per voter. League opposes the limitation but appreciates the attempt to walk a middle line. Keep ID laws as they are, please.]

1:00, HB 365, proof of United States citizenship is now required for voter registrations (first-time registrants in NH.) The three Republican sponsors, all well versed in election law, are trying to tinker with the law they championed last year, requiring proof of citizenship. This bill puts one more burden on election workers, instructing them to try to verify citizenship in public records. But not if someone tries to register on election day. The bill also lets “indigent voters” without birth certificates get a voucher to purchase a copy of their birth certificate, but the search is up to the voter to conduct. [Insulting. Just repeal HB1569, for heavens sake! League opposes.]

1:20, HB 472, requiring voters to prove domicile.[This is already required, but it could be satisfied by signing an affidavit in the past.] This bill (all Republican sponsors) seeks to put the burden of dealing with a voter who doesn’t have paper documents handy, on the supervisors of the checklist. If that doesn’t work for the voter, “…A voter not allowed to vote as a result of the determination of the supervisor of the checklist may take an immediate appeal to the superior court as provided in RSA 654:12, V.” Oh sure, that’s a realistic solution. League opposes.

1:40, HB 172, restricting undeclared voters from same-day voting in a presidential or state primary. NH voters are about 30% registered Democrats, 30% registered Republicans, and 40% registered with no party affiliation. Voters in that last & biggest group may call yourselves “independent.” “Undeclared” is the more accurate term. You’ve been able to exercise your right to vote in a primary by going to the polls and asking for a ballot for the party of your choice. And you could change back to “undeclared” on your way out of the polls. This bill would end your right to vote in primaries. You’d have to declare your party well in advance of the election, in fact even before all the candidates have officially filed.. [League opposes; this goes against our NH tradition and could reduce turnout in the First In The Nation presidential primaries. This could hurt candidates of either party!]

2:00-3:00 HB 141, HB 175, HB 311 are Democrat-sponsored campaign finance bills unlikely to go anywhere in this legislature.

Executive session on a number of bills, including last week’s bills to limit access to absentee voting, will be held as time permits during the day on Tuesday.

Other bills of general interest being heard next week:

Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles coming to a road near you?

House Resources, Recreation & Development, Wed Feb 12, 1:00 pm hearing in LOB room 305. HB 683-FN  to end abutter notification for OHRV use on towns roads and expand OHRV riding on state roads in 5 new counties: Carroll, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack and Sullivan.

Reminder: you can make your views known on any bill coming up for a hearing. Best to do it before the hearing, but you have until 11:50 pm on the day the bill is heard.

For bills in a Senate committee, go to this link: https://gc.nh.gov/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

For bills heard in a House committee, go to this link: https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

The NH Senate and House will meet in joint session on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 10 to hear Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s proposed budget. This will be followed by separate House and Senate voting sessions. In the Senate, most of the bills are on the “consent” calendar, meaning the committee that heard the bills were unanimous in their recommendation. Committees can recommend Ought To Pass (OTP), Ought To Pass as Amended (OTP-A), Inexpedient To Legislate (ITL, which means kill the bill), retain or refer for further study. Each bill includes the committee’s vote and in the House calendar, there is also a “blurb” written by one person from each side of the committee expressing the majority and minority views.

Among Senate bills on consent calendar going to the floor for a vote is this bill that we mentioned earlier:

SB11 to change how NH allocates its electoral votes. Committee recommends Inexpedient To Legislate

Among House bills on consent are some we mentioned earlier including this:

HB 182-FN, prohibiting electric vehicles in commercial parking garages. Committee recommends Inexpedient To Legislate

FEDERAL LEGISLATION ACTION ALERT:

The US House and Senate introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.

It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. The bill’s requirement of a document to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary and seeks to divide us. It also creates another barrier to voting.

Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. The SAVE Act would create one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship, or face difficulties accessing them. For example, approximately half of all American adults do NOT possess a passport, and birth certificates are easily lost over the years.

Tell your members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act.

Here are their phone numbers; leave your message with the staffer who answers. Ask them to vote against the SAVE act.

Sen. Maggie Hassan: Call (202) 224-3324 / (603) 622-2204

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: Call (202) 224-2841 / 603-647-7500

Rep. Chris Pappas (NH district1): Call (202) 225-5456 / (603) 285-4300

Rep. Maggie Goodlander (NH district 2): Call (202) 225-5206 / (603) 226-1002

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Legislative alert #5, Feb. 3-8 2025, from League of Women Voters NH — absentee voting at stake in hearings next week.

Coming up: The New Hampshire House will meet in voting session on Thursday, Feb. 6, starting at 10 am. If a bill you care about is on the Calendar, please contact your own state representative(s) before Thursday, identify yourself as a resident of [your town]. Tell them how you hope they’ll vote on particular bills. Keep it short. Give one simple reason why you think they should support or oppose this legislation.

On the Consent Calendar (where committees were unanimous in their recommendation of certain bills) is the notation that the bill HB476 to shorten the time when a woman can get an abortion from 24 to 15 weeks will be withdrawn at the request of the sponsor. With over 12,000 people signing in online opposed to the bill, this is perhaps no surprise. No further action on this bill will happen if it is withdrawn.

On the regular calendar:

Watch for interesting arguments on the floor on this bill: HB 526-FN, establishing a climate change and damage division in the Dept of Environmental Services. The House Science/Technology/Energy committee’s vote was 10-8 to recommend killing the bill (ITL = Inexpedient To Legislate), based on whether or not climate change is affecting NH. You can read the blurb each side submitted in the House Calendar pp. 12-13.

Several other bills have strong nearly unanimous committee recommendations. Could be a short voting session.

Hearings coming up this week. You may attend or watch online. You may submit testimony via the House or Senate links on the General Court’s website. Just choose the right body (HB bills are being heard in the House right now, SB bills in the Senate.) Note date, committee, and bill number and then sign in. It matters! (see instructions at end of this hearing list)

ELECTION LAW: This is the week for bills trying to limit absentee voting. We know that voting absentee is important to many people for reasons of health, work hours, travel, or safety in getting to the polls. Please, if you have personal stories, consider testifying either in person or by sending testimony online. Or just sign in your support or opposition.

Senate Election Law Committee, LOB 101, Tuesday, Feb. 4

10 am: SB213 This bill is a mixed bag, some good language about situations under which absentee voting is permissible “if it is more likely than not” that one can’t get to the polls, including weather emergencies and work or caregiver hours. But also tough requirements for getting an absentee voter registration notarized and gathering documents to prove eligibility, which someone who is trying to do this absentee because they can’t get to their town hall might find impossible. [League has to oppose for that reason.]

House Election Law committee, LOB 306-308, Tuesday, Feb. 4

10:20, HB 418 restricts absentee voting to only those who are absent from their town or have a disability [ignores all the effort we made several years ago to allow absentee voting when storms on town meeting day kept voters from getting to the polls safely. This bill also ignores voters’ work & commuting hours or caregiving that make getting to the polls impossible. League strongly opposes.]

11:20. HB217 requires people requesting absentee voter registration to send copies of documents proving age, citizenship, identify, and where you live. [Absentee voter registration is already stringently controlled; this requires gathering more documents than previously required for those who need to register absentee. League opposes.]

2:30. HB686 requires voters (even those who are already registered) to submit identification before receiving an absentee ballot and to get their absentee ballot form notarized. [A voter would need to get their ID copied. If someone is voting absentee because of illness or travel, making color copies or getting forms notarized could be near impossible. League opposes]

3:20 HB608 requires notarization of absentee ballot applications, and requires moderators to check ballots for that and for signatures. [Notarization again, which can be difficult for those who already have reasons they can’t get to the polls. League opposes.]

EDUCATION and Parental Rights

In Senate Children and Family Law Committee, Mon., Feb. 3 at 10 am in Reps Hall in the State House: SB72, a parental bill of rights in education. Expect a crowd!

HOUSING

With apologies: we’re really short on time this Friday, so have “borrowed” this list of housing bills from the NH Municipal Association to share with you. Descriptions are those of NHMA, not League. Some important bills being heard:

Tuesday, February 5, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Legislative Office Building (LOB) Room 305, the House Committee on Housing will hold public hearings on four bills related to zoning mandates: HB 577, HB 685, HB 459, and HB 631. 

These bills aim to address housing shortages and promote development, but they also raise concerns about local control and the potential strain on municipal services and infrastructure, which is why NHMA opposes all four bills. 

HB 577 (10:00 a.m.): Under this bill, municipalities would be required to allow either one detached or attached Accessory Dwelling Unit by right on single-family lots…[ Housing Action NH has this to say about ADU’s in support of this bill: ADUs are a great form of naturally occurring attainable housing, meaning they don’t rely on financial incentives and still are generally below median rents. They are an important piece of the housing puzzle in NH s they help our aging population – who are often in homes bigger than they need – find a place in their community that is right-sized. NH law currently requires that attached ADUs are allowed in single-family zones, but communities can still require a public hearing process. Approximately half of New Hampshire communities also allow for detached ADUs, which are often found above garages or in barns.]

HB 685 (11:00 a.m.): mandates manufactured housing [be allowed] by right in residentially zoned areas.

HB 459 (1:00 p.m.): Municipalities and cities would be mandated to do two things: One, adopt zoning regs of half-acre maximum lot sizes for land zoned as single-family residential and served by municipal or community sewer; and two, adopt zoning regs of single-family residential lot sizes not on municipal or community sewer to not larger than is required by the state Dept of Environment Services. …

HB 631 (1:30 p.m.): requires municipalities designated as urban areas by the US Census Bureau permit multifamily or mixed-use developments by right in commercial zones. Approximately 18 communities would be affected by this bill, which also lists specific zoning regulations that cannot be imposed on such developments.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

House Science, Tech., & Energy committee, Monday Feb 3 in LOB rm 302-304, startat 9 am, three bills about ending offshore wind energy initiatives:

HB682, Removes the office of offshore wind industry development from the office of energy innovation

HB575, prohibiting offshore wind energy innovation

HCR4, rejecting all offshore wind energy projects off NH and in Gulf of Maine

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND EDUCATION

In House Education Policy Committee, Wed., Feb. 5, LOB room 205-207

Starting at 9:30 am, three bills requiring schools to include in health education programs certain information and videos about abortion and adoption. HB662, HB667, HB730.

EDUCATION and SCHOOL BUDGETS

Also in House Education Policy Committee, Wed., Feb 5, LOB room 205-207

at 1:45 pm, HB564, about how school budgets appear on the warrant, including an alternative budget based on the previous year’s budget.

Advance warning of a major education funding bill hearing in House Judiciary on Wed, March 5, at 1 pm that would make the Claremont court decisions about the state’s role in school funding “not binding on the legislature and executive branches.” This is HCR11. It will be followed by a hearing on a bill to investigate impeaching Judge Ruoff, who ruled last year that the Legislature does indeed have to come up with funding for an “adequate education.” HR7.

To share your testimony online or to sign in “I Support” or “I Oppose” go to either the House or Senate online testimony webpage, depending on which body is hearing the bill right now. Note date, committee, and bill number and then sign in. House Sign-In and Testimony Form or Senate Remote Sign-in

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Legislative alert #4, for Jan. 27-31, 2025

Make your voice heard by NH legislators. The workshop on testifying in the legislature, finding out who your reps and senator are, and navigating the legislature’s website to find bills of interest was recorded. Watch it at your leisure at this youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BryVeXpmE7w&t=25s The workshop was hosted by Open Democracy and League of Women Voters NH on January 14.

Thursday Jan. 30 at 1 pm: First voting session for the Senate. No priority bills on the agenda.

Committee hearings coming up; some bills of broad public interest are listed here. To give your opinion on any of these bills online, sign in before the hearing. For bills in the House, go to https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

For bills in Senate committees, go to https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

HEALTH AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Here are the two bills we previewed for you last week, coming up for hearings on Monday and Wednesday.

HB254, the bill to allow medical assistance in dying, will be heard in House Judiciary Committee on Wed., Jan. 29, at 1 pm. Hearing will be in Representatives Hall in the State House (they are expecting a crowd!). Bill blurb reads: “This bill establishes a procedure for an individual with terminal illness to receive medical aid-in-dying medication. The bill establishes criteria for the prescription of such medication and establishes reporting requirements and penalties for misuse or noncompliance.” It has bi-partisan sponsors. This is the kind of bill where personal stories make the most compelling testimony on either side of the argument. If you can’t testify in person, you may submit written testimony to the entire committee at this link: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

Last year a similar bill with some of the same sponsors passed in the House, but the Senate chose not to act on it by referring it to “interim study” where it died. The League does not take a position on this bill. HB476, an abortion restriction bill, shortening the time frame from 24 weeks to 15 weeks gestation when abortion is legal and between a woman and her medical provider. Monday, Jan. 27, 9:30 am in House Judiciary Committee, LOB 206-208.

ELECTION LAW

House Election Law Committee, LOB 306-308 Tuesday, Jan. 28:

at 2:20 pm. CACR3 (a proposed constitutional amendment), to provide a recall procedure to permit citizens to remove an elected official before the end of a term of office. This bill has been heard before and defeated each time, with most arguments focusing on the 2-year terms of most offices in NH.

At 2:40 pm CACR4, only legal resident citizens who are at least 18 years of age or older who reside in the place they claim as a domicile shall be eligible voters. That’s what the law is now, so this would have no effect. Merely changes the word “inhabitants” to “legal residents” but all the qualifications are already there. All sponsors are Republicans for both of these CACRs.

EDUCATION

Senate Education Committee, LOB 101, Tuesday, 1/28

at 10:30 SB101 to allow parents to enroll their students in ANY PUBLIC SCHOOL in the state! Now that’s school choice—no vouchers needed. Lots of details in the bill. All sponsors are Republicans.

House Education Funding Committee, LOB 205-207 Thurs. Jan. 30

Starting at 9:30, various bill on special ed, adequacy funding.

At 1:15, HB675, to increase Statewide Education Property Tax, require excess SWEPT funds go to the state for distribution to other school districts, increase the base adequacy per pupil amount This bill has only 2 sponsors, both Republicans.

ENVIRONMENT

House Environment and Agriculture Committee, LOB 301-303 Tues., Jan. 28

10 am HB566, requiring detailed plans for leachate management for landfill permits. Makes sense to us. League of Women Voters was in on the clean water fight decades ago; this relates. Bi-partisan sponsors

11 am committee work session on various bills, including the ban on declawing cats

2 pm HB171 moratorium on permits for new landfills

3 pm HR13 resolution opposing the Dalton landfill [a resolution is a non-binding statement of the legislature] Both bills have bi-partisan sponsors.

HOUSING

House Housing Committee, LOB 305, Tues. Jan. 28

They are hearing several housing bills including HB 382 at 1 pm, to remove the authority of municipalities to regulate/mandate on-site parking requirements.

FIREARMS

House Criminal Justice & Public Safety, LOB 202-204, Thur Jan. 30, starting at 10 am. Various firearms bills. See the list on p. 9 of the House Calendar

GOVERNMENT getting into the weeds:

House Municipal and County Govt, LOB 301-303 Thursday Jan. 30

11:10 am, HB407. This bill applies to SB2 towns, sets a minimum % threshold of voters voting for towns and schools to adopt any spending items, including the budget. Before you look at the bill, ask yourself what percentage of your own town’s voters participate in town elections. All sponsors are Republicans.

House State-Federal Relations committee, LOB 206-208, Friday Jan. 31

starting at 9 am, HB264, HCR3, HCR5, three bills about Article 5 Constitutional Conventions. League of Women Voters opposes Article 5 conventions, which can run amok.

SAVE THE DATE:

The NH Coalition for Voting Rights, of which League is a part, will hold an election law bills briefing via zoom on Thursday evening, Feb. 6, 6:30 to 8 pm. Sign up link will be in next week’s legislative alert.

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Legislative alert #3 Jan. 17-27, 2025

Lots of activity in House committees in the coming week or so. For the complete list, visit the House Calendar for Jan. 17.

Here are some hearings coming up of special interest.

VOTING & ELECTION LAW:

House Election Law Committee: Tuesday, Jan. 21, Room 306-308 in the Legislative Office Building (LOB) HB 67. 10:20 am: agreements with the secretary of state for the use of accessible voting systems in municipal elections. Currently these machines, to enable people with visual and print issues to vote independently, are used only in state & federal elections. League supports this voting rights bill.

Senate Election Law Committee Tuesday, Jan. 21, 9:30 am in LOB 103, will hear a bill that could cause serious confusion and delays in reporting the vote. SB44 says 100 voters could ask that ballots be recounted by hand in any polling place. Doesn’t even say they need to be voters in that town!

EDUCATION

House Education Funding Committee, Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 2pm. HB 550, which increases the amount the State pays in base adequacy aid to $7,356. This raises the per pupil state share of education funding to close to the amount last year’s lawsuit decision decreed. Makes sense to us.

House Education Policy Committee, Wed., Jan. 22 at 9:30 am

HB71, prohibits public schools or colleges from providing shelter for specified aliens who have not been admitted to the United States, absent a specified disaster

Update on HB115: The bill to remove the income eligibility cap for school vouchers (Education Freedom Accounts) was heard on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 16. Many people attended, filling three rooms in the LOB, and testimony of supporters and opponents went on all afternoon. In addition, according to the online filing system, another 770 people support the bill, and 3,253 oppose the bill.

ENVIRONMENT

House Science and Technology committee: Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 2 pm. Room 302-304 LOB. HB526, establishing a climate change and damage division in the department of environmental services

House Transportation committee, Tuesday Jan. 21, 10:40 am in LOB room 203

HB182, prohibiting parking of electric vehicles in commercial parking garages. The bill does not explain the reasons nor the impact on city parking.

House Criminal Justice/Public Safety committee: Wed., Jan. 22, LOB 301, at 1:30 pm. HB416 prohibits the intentional disposal of yard waste into the surface waters of the state and provides a penalty. Bi-partisan sponsors for this lake-protection bill.

HEALTH

The Legalizing Pot bill is back: Thurs, Jan. 23, at 10 am in LOB 202. House Criminal Justice Committee will hear testimony on HB75. This bill has only one sponsor, odd considering the attention the issue got last year.

Looking ahead to the following week:

HB254, the bill to allow medical assistance in dying, will be heard in House Judiciary Committee on Wed., Jan. 29, at 1 pm. Hearing will be in Representatives Hall in the State House (they are expecting a crowd!). Bill blurb reads: “This bill establishes a procedure for an individual with terminal illness to receive medical aid-in-dying medication. The bill establishes criteria for the prescription of such medication and establishes reporting requirements and penalties for misuse or noncompliance.” It has bi-partisan sponsors. This is the kind of bill where personal stories make the most compelling testimony on either side of the argument. If you can’t testify in person, you may submit written testimony to the entire committee at this link: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

Last year a similar bill with some of the same sponsors passed in the House, but the Senate chose not to act on it by referring it to “interim study” where it died. The League does not take a position on this bill.

Also coming back: an abortion restriction bill, shortening the time frame from 24 weeks to 15 weeks gestation when abortion is legal and between a woman and her medical provider: HB476, will be heard on Monday, Jan. 27, 9:30 am in House Judiciary Committee LOB 206-208.

Reminder: You may sign in “I support” or “I oppose” on any of these bills until midnight on the day the committee holds its hearing. Jot down the bill number, date of the hearing, name of the committee, and then go to this link. You’ll be asked for your personal info and you should choose “member of the public” when asked; this can’t be done anonymously.

For bills in House committees: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

For bills in Senate committees:

https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

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Legislative alert #2, Jan. 10, 2025, from League of Women Voters New Hampshire.

As the new session of the NH Legislature begins, it’s time to review how each of us, voters and citizens and residents of NH, can be involved in the legislative process. In these legislative alerts we’ll highlight one part of the process each week. But for an excellently written and detailed big picture, we send a huge thank you to NHBulletin for this article: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/01/08/as-a-new-session-begins-with-1155-bills-heres-how-to-find-track-and-testify-on-legislation/ It explains how to find a bill on a specific issue among the 1100+ bills filed this year, how to know when it’s coming up for a hearing, and how to let your elected officials know your views on the bill.

For those who want an in-person explanation, join LWVNH and Open Democracy on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14 at 6 pm. We’ll go through much of the same information live, with shared screen images of our computers as we do this. Sign up here for the “Using Your Voice in the State Legislature” zoom workshop: https://www.opendemocracynh.org/calendar

Helpful hint for citizen participation:

To share your views with a committee, pro or con, for a particular bill, you can do this easily online. First, jot down the name of the committee and be sure you know whether it is a Senate or House committee. Then note the date of the hearing and the bill number.

Go to the Legislature’s website https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ Then scroll down to MEETING RESOURCES. If it is a bill in a House committee, click on House Sign-in Form and Testimony Submission. Fill out the requested information, click either I support or I oppose, and if you wish to type in public testimony in the box provided, you may do that. Then scroll to the bottom and click Submit. If the bill is being heard in a Senate committee, click on Senate Remote Sign-in. Similar requested information, but you will not have a chance to submit written comments at this site.

On Jan. 8, the House and Senate each met in session to set their rules for the coming two years. Thank you to all who responded to our Call To Action about House Rule 44, which could have been amended to allow a committee to table a bill without holding a public hearing. The pressure to kill that amendment was enough that the House leadership on Jan. 8 moved to table the amendment, and the House members resoundingly agreed. So that change is dead in the water for this year and we still have our treasured status that every bill in NH gets a public hearing. (I’m tickled by the irony that the plan to table bills was itself tabled.)

Many of the 1,100+ bills proposed do not yet have official language, so we can only guess at their actual content and intent from their titles. Committees begin meeting on Jan. 13, most for orientation or presentations by relevant departments. Some bill hearings begin Jan. 13; many more will be the following week.

Below are some of the committees that will be meeting on bills likely to be of concern to League of Women Voters NH in the coming week.

(NOTE – some hearings are in rooms in the State House. Others are across the street, behind the State House, in the Legislative Office Building. Abbreviations are SH and LOB)

(Another NOTE – We give as much advance notice as we can of priority bill hearings. But the Calendar for each body does not come out until Friday, and then we begin poring thru it. Legally only 3 days notice of a public hearing on a bill is required.)

ELECTION LAW Senate Committee: Tuesday, Jan. 14, LOB room 103, 9:30 am.

SB11 to change the way NH casts its presidential electoral ballots, following the model of Maine and Nebraska that two electoral votes are cast for the winner of the popular vote in the state, and one electoral vote for each congressional district is cast for the popular vote winner in that district. NH still would cast 4 electoral votes, but they might not all go to the same candidate. All sponsors are Republicans.

EDUCATION FUNDING House Committee: Thurs Jan. 16, 1 pm, LOB room 205 (could be moved to Reps Hall if there is a huge public turnout)

HB115 to remove the income eligibility requirement for Education Freedom Accounts (school vouchers). What began in 2019 as a way to allow lower income families access to private schools has morphed into a much larger plan that reduces even further our state’s support of public schools. We have no idea what the full fiscal effect of this will be if any NH family with children in private schools would apply for these approximately $5,000 yearly vouchers.

ELECTION LAW House Committee: Tuesday, Jan. 21, LOB room 306, 10:20 am.

HB 67 agreements with the secretary of state for the use of [handicapped] accessible voting systems in municipal elections. This turns last year’s pilot program into a more formal agreement. It has bi-partisan sponsorship.

If the idea of running for local office is something that’s been jiggling at the back of your brain, may we suggest taking a zoom workshop offered by 603Forward on the process? They’re offering online events on Jan. 15, 22, and 29. Details at their website: https://www.603forward.org/run-for-office

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Early Legislative Alert and Call to Action  January 4, 2025:

You may have received a similar alert from other organizations in NH worried about an upcoming NH Legislature rule change. The newly elected NH House will meet on Wednesday, January 8. Among other business they will deal with is a rule change. League of Women Voters and others believe that if this change is adopted it will hurt the public’s access to law-making in NH.

Rule 44 would allow a legislative committee to vote on whether a particular bill could be tabled without any public discussion or testimony, both normal parts of the hearing process.

New Hampshire has a long tradition of holding public hearings for ALL bills. These hearings allow experts, legislators, and the public to present testimony. It is democracy in action, and many citizens take part in it. We’ve seen hearings where committee members changed their minds based on public testimony.

This is what they’ll vote on — The bold is the new language to be added.

Amend House Rule 44 by adding a phrase and new paragraph (f) as follows: 

44. Hearings and notices. A hearing shall be held on each bill referred to a committee, unless as provided for below. Notice of committee action shall be posted as follows: (f) A committee may forego a public hearing on a bill with a motion of Refer to table if 3/4 of the committee votes in favor thereof.

This means, if enough legislators on a committee simply don’t like a bill, they can deny it a hearing and recommend a motion to ‘Table.” Tabling is a powerful step towards killing a bill. The topic would not be discussed in committee, either on the merits of the issue or the bill proposal. Instead, the legislators would nitmpick about time limitations and the short legislative schedule. Meanwhile, citizen witnesses like you and I will sit there barred from giving our testimony. 

Please, email or call your state representative before Wednesday, January 8 to tell them NO CHANGES to Rule 44.

Not sure who your current state rep(s) are? You can look them up by town at this website. Each should have an email or phone number for you to make your views known to YOUR elected representative. https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/

League testimony presented in the NH Legislature relevant committees:

Voter restrict bills re restricting voter IDs, HB684 . Click here for the pdf.

Restricting absentee voting, HB418. Click here for pdf.

Restricting absentee voting, HB686 and HB608. Click here for pdf.

Universal school vouchers, HB115. Click here for pdf.

In support of ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center). Click here for pdf.

In opposition to proportional electoral voting, SB11. (Senate has killed this bill) Click here for pdf.

The NH Legislature is YOUR government. To express your support or opposition to bills when they are heard in committees, you have some options in 2025. Live testimony via zoom does not exist. You can, however, watch hearings on the Legislature’s YouTube channel.

You may submit oral and/or written testimony in person at any bill hearing (but not at executive sessions).

You may register your opinion ( “I support” or “I oppose”) until midnight of the day a bill is heard in committee at this website: Go to lower right corner and read directions for Remote Testimony.

Most important, call your own senator or representative(s) concerning bills to be voted on. You can find your own reps and senators and their contact information at this website. Scroll to your town. Click on the individual names to get emails/phone/mailing addresses.