Legislative alert for May 21 & June 4

Because we are at that time in the NH Legislature’s session that all manner of strange things happen, we are going to repeat some information that may help us make sense of what’s going on.

May 14 was the last day for House and Senate to vote on bills already passed by the other body. But it was also the first day of the attempt to revive failed bills by tacking them onto unrelated popular bills. This is the extreme version of the “non-germane amendment” process, described below.*

Among the bills to suffer this way on May 14 were the following:

HB1792, which was the “CHARLIE” act when it passed the House, got turned into the divisive concepts bill from 2021, which was ruled “unconstitutionally vague” then, but it got tweaked with this amendment in the Senate. May 14 Senate voted to pass as amended on a voice vote. Will need to get House concurrence next week or go to a committee of conference.

HB1793, the bill to prevent colleges from banning firearms on campus, doesn’t fall into the “non-germane amendment” category, however. It passed the House to allow students to carry guns on campus. But then it had a Senate amendment to study it more instead when the senators realized some unresolved issues. But on May 14 Senate discussed amending further on the floor to allow “faculty” at public colleges to carry, also students to carry non-lethal defensive weapons, and to send the idea of broader campus carry to a study committee. However, it seems that the floor amendment of the bill is the one that passed along party lines, 14 to 8 with 2 abstentions.

However, the campus carry bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sam Farrington, doesn’t want to settle for a study committee, so he proposed putting his campus carry bill, tweaked to address complaints, onto a popular Senate bill up for a House vote. That bill, SB408, is about mandating insurers pay for prosthetic devices, with bipartisan sponsors. Clearly guns are non-germane to limb prosthetics. Would the House pass the Senate bill with the campus carry amendment? Vote on the amendment was 159-177, so it failed. Then the original bill, about insurance coverage of prosthetics, was passed on a voice vote. [sometimes shenanigans just don’t work.]

Another bill, CACR12, which started out as a requirement for a supermajority in the legislature to create an income tax, became a ban on any income tax (it would put a permanent ban in the constitution), which is how it got to the floor of the House on May 14. Then a hugely changing amendment (with only one sponsor, a Democrat) to have the constitution restrict “taxes imposed on income [to those that] shall be considered reasonable and proportional if they are … imposed and levied progressively” and will be applied to education expenses [allowing a possible future progressive income tax for education purposes.] Okay, that’s not non-germane, but it completely changes the bill! That amendment was roundly defeated, 322-17. So it was back to the amended bill, for no income tax ever enshrined in the constitution. The roll call vote needed 60% to advance to the ballot. The vote was only 193-148, so it didn’t get that 60%. This bill has just been killed.

FYI on process in the NH Legislature:

* The League’s rant on non-germane amendments: Normally when a bill goes thru the legislature, the reps and senators see various ways it can be improved. Like tending a garden, there’s always a weed that needs attention. That’s fine. But non-germane amendments are completely off the topic of the original bill, and sometimes they replace the entire language of the original bill. Take, for example, HB1300, which as written was about redistricting. But that topic never even got a hearing. The bill’s language was entirely replaced at the hearing by an amendment requiring a biennial vote at every town meeting (or city election) whether or not to institute a school budget cap for the next two years.

Sometimes the bill limps along thru the process without getting its name changed. So what does League think of that? Hmmph. Unfair to the public who are challenged to figure out what is going on. And here’s what’s even worse. Sometimes legislators are sore losers, so they take a bill that was killed and tack it on an unrelated bill as a non-germane amendment. Maybe it will sneak through that way, without public scrutiny, they think. Double Hmmmph! This should not be allowed. But it is. Thus HB751 was highjacked to try to get open enrollment of public schools passed. See the string of actions here. I’m thinking this bill should be hotly debated in committee of conference, but that’s unlikely. However, something will be decided. What happens then is up to the Reps and Senators when they meet to vote on it, whenever that will be by June 4.

**Committees of Conference: the last resort for bills that started in the House and were amended in the Senate, and vice versa. If they have passed different versions, the bodies may agree to a “committee of conference” appointed by the leadership of each body. The committee members have the challenge of coming up with a version that is mutually agreeable to both bodies. The committee vote must be unanimous on the new wording. If they do reach agreement, the bill will come up on June 4 for another vote in the Senate and the House. No more amendments—take it or leave it as written. If passed by both bodies, it eventually makes its way to the Governor, who can veto, sign, or let the bill take effect without her signature.

The only specific topic on the House Calendar for May 21 is the resolution to censure Rep. Travis Corcoran. The blurb for that is so beautifully written—calm, factual, specific, and reflective of the hearing a couple of weeks ago—that you might want to read it. It is on page 8 of the House Calendar. The blurb explains that the last vote to expel a member was in 1913 because of bribery, which this writer didn’t know.

On May 21 the House and Senate will each vote on whether to agree with changes the other body made or to send conflicting versions of a bill to a committee of conference or to drop the bill for this year. If you’ve been following a particular bill that has been amended, now is the time to contact your own state reps or senator. No more hearings; no more online support or oppose. We’re nearing the end of the session on June 4, when those committee of conference reports will be voted up or down.

Shamelessly copied from our friends at Open Democracy, who format things so beautifully:

With the September 8 New Hampshire State Primary fast approaching, we wanted to share an important reminder about upcoming voter registration and party affiliation deadlines.

Because most Granite Staters are registered as “undeclared,” it’s important for voters to understand how NH’s primary system works.

If you are currently registered as “undeclared,” you are able to choose either party’s ballot in the State Primary. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

🗓️ June 2 is the deadline to change your party affiliation before the primary.

⚠️ If an undeclared voter casts a Democratic or Republican primary ballot—either in person or absentee—their voter registration will automatically change to that party affiliation.

After the primary, voters may change their affiliation back to “undeclared” (or to another party) either that same day by visiting the Supervisors of the Checklist table at their polling place or afterward by contacting their local clerk. Procedures can vary by town or city.

🚨 If you think you may have forgotten to switch your affiliation back to “undeclared” after the last primary, make sure to double-check before the June 2 deadline so you can vote in the 2026 primary the way you intend!

📬 Voting absentee?
Undeclared voters requesting an absentee ballot must indicate which party’s primary ballot they want on their absentee ballot application.

🔎 You can check your:

• Voter registration status
• Party affiliation
• Absentee ballot request & return status

…using the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Voter Information Lookup Tool. 

For more information, visit the Sec. of State’s Party Primary FAQ page or contact your local town or city clerk.

Please consider sharing this important info with friends and family by forwarding this email so voters are aware of the upcoming deadline and understand how voting in a primary affects party affiliation in New Hampshire.

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Legislative alert for May 14 and 21. Contact your own state senator or house reps to make your views known. Sorry, no one-click option for this. Email or call your senator or rep. *

Senate and House will each meet in voting session on Thursday, May 14, to vote on the final batch of bills.

Then on May 21 each body will meet to create committees of conference (or not) on bills on which they don’t agree.

The Senate on May 7 held onto a few bills we had highlighted in last week’s alert, which they’ll consider on May 14 now. Includes HB1792 “divisive concepts” bill. Also HB1793, the bill to study allowing guns on college campuses.

June 4 is the final day of the 2026 session, when they will vote whether or not to accept committee of conference versions.

On May 14, In the Senate, these bills of interest:

HB 1792, prohibiting school districts and personnel from the instruction of critical race theory and LGBTQ+ ideologies in schools as well as establishing a private right of action for violations. Senate committee recommended Ought to Pass with Amendment, Vote 3-2.

HB 1300 as amended, establishing a biennial school district local tax cap question and related limitations on central office administrative expenses in school districts. Senate Election Law recommends Ought to Pass with Amendment by a vote of 3-2. The amendment changes this from an item on the November every other year to a one-time ballot question in this November’s election. Requires 3/5 vote of all votes cast from all towns in a school district to vote yes for a tax cap to be created. [discussion has focused on the right of school districts to do this, which they can already, and the state requiring a vote.]

HB 1793 as amended, This bill applies to public colleges, restricting the possession, carry, storage, or lawful use of non-lethal weapons on campus and establishes a committee to study the feasibility of allowing guns on campuses. Senate Judiciary recommends OTP as amended 3-2 [changed to a study of guns on campus from original campus carry allowed bill. According to press, the Governor will probably approve this study to “get it right” before passing a campus carry bill next session.]

On May 14, in the House, these bills of interest: **

SB498 regarding support for insurance coverage for children’s mental health care: The Governor said it was “appalling” that House Commerce favors insurance companies over children. House Commerce Committee recommended Interim Study 14-4. [What will the House do in light of the Governor’s support for the bill?]

SB431, the “banned concepts” education bill that has been vetoed by governors at least twice in the past 5 years, because it is likely unconstitutional. This is coming out of House Education Policy committee with a 10-8 Ought To Pass recommendation because of some tweaked language.

CACR12 as amended, a proposed constitutional amendment: It would enshrine in the state constitution a permanent ban on an income tax. House committee recommended Ought To Pass as Amended 11-9 along party lines. The bar is high for this to pass: 60% vote of both House and Senate to get on the November ballot, where voters would be able to weigh in. In order to take effect, 2/3 of voters voting on the question would need to vote yes.

–Already in committee of conference: HB751, which the Senate is using with an amendment for another stab at open enrollment in public schools. The House did not support the Senate’s original open enrollment bill, with reps from both parties acknowledging open enrollment might hurt their own town’s schools and budget, and noting that many constituents did not approve. Might come up for a vote on May 21 or June 4.

Unclear when the House will vote on a motion to “censure” Rep. Travis Corcoran of Weare for antisemitic and racist remarks. The committee that heard the case voted 10-2 for “censure” [harsher than a “reprimand” but far less than “expulsion,” which were the other choices.]

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Legislative alert for early May – coming close to the end of the NH Legislature’s work.

May 7 and 14 will be voting days for the NH House and the Senate. Any bills they can’t agree on by end of day on the 14^th will either die or will be sent to a committee of conference (see last week’s alert for an explanation of that.) Then there will be one more voting session on June 4 when the bodies either accept or reject the committee of conference’s version. Only if there is agreement by both bodies do bills move on to the Governor’s desk.

Before we get to those bills, some topics of interest from the news: a court ruling about whether or not the state has the power to get rid of motor vehicle annual inspections came down this week. At least for now, you do not have to plan to get your car inspected if you don’t want to.

Also in the news, the long legislative hearing over anti-Semitic comments and other examples of intolerance by a House member representing the town of Weare was held April 27. The committee will hold executive session on Wednesday to decide what action to recommend against Rep. Travis Corcoran. Covered in the news earlier this week.

Bills coming up for votes this week in the NH Senate illustrate the sibling rivalry nature of a two-house legislature. The Senate has tweaked, sometimes significantly, bills already approved by the House. It has also recommended some of the most contentious to Interim Study, which effectively kills them unless the full Senate votes differently. For example,

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee recommended five landfill-related bills to Interim Study, including HB1138, limiting out of state waste to 30% [possibly fearing lawsuits based on interstate commerce clause].

The Senate will vote on sending a number of other bills to Interim Study, with unanimous recommendations from committees so unlikely to be any floor debate:

HB1601 required the Sec of State to do more voter education [SOS says he’s already got plans to do voter education re the new election laws. League had supported this bill.]

HB1695 preventing voter guide explanations for constitutional amendments from appearing on the ballot [League had supported this, believing that voters should have plain language explanations of ballot questions and ideally right there on the ballot].

HB1132 banning flags other than US and NH at schools.

HB1719 removing the Hep B vaccine from the required vaccine list for school attendance.

**This next one is NOT referred to interim study: HB1115 now refers only to criteria for NH Medal of Honor recipients. In its original version, passed by the House, it tried to create a definition of “citizen of New Hampshire” [which really ticked off this League member who declared there is no such thing. Sponsored by the same group that tried to use the term elsewhere to limit full participation in government to those born in NH or pledging allegiance to NH.] Senate Election Law unanimously recommended Ought To Pass as Amended. [bill as revised is probably ok.]

**On the regular Calendar, so contact your own senator about these bills:*

HB1793, which in the House version prevented colleges from banning guns on campus (in other words, the original bill allowed campus carry). In the Senate’s hands it has been hugely amended. The new version makes clear that non-lethal weapons (such as Mace or tasers) cannot be banned from campuses. Then the Senate Judiciary voted 4-2 on the amendment to send the question of campus carry of firearms to a study committee. [this will likely end up in a committee of conference.]

HB1268, Ought To Pass as Amended 3-2 committee recommendation: This bill takes off any remaining criteria of notification or assessment from families who choose homeschooling.

HB1358 was amended slightly in Senate Education, recommended OTP-A by vote of 3-2. Bill creates a study commission on the issue of converting all public schools to public charter schools. [This bill had only one sponsor, Rep Osborne, so it’s surprising that such an extreme idea has gotten so much traction.]

HB1792 OTP-A 3-2 committee recommendation to ban “intentional” teaching of Critical Race Theory & LGBTQ “ideologies” in schools (below college level). [Senate amendment made this milder than the extreme original “CHARLIE Act” in terms of potential to sue teachers.]

Three bills regarding transgender people HB1217, HB1299, HB1447 all got recommendations of OTP by 3-2 committee vote.

*If you want to influence any of the votes in the Senate coming up on May 7, contact your own state senator. Sorry, this can’t be done by a click of a button online. Use email or phone. Here is where you can find your own senator and the contact info. Pull down the menu to find your town: https://gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx

A few committees are holding executive sessions next week. Those bills will appear on the May 14 Calendar in the House or the Senate.

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Legislative alert for last week of April 2026

Starting off with good news:

The NH House on Thursday first defeated and then tabled the Open Enrollment public schools bill. Public testimony as well as school officials raised significant objections about several issues, including the fiscal instability it might cause to school districts. Twenty-one Republicans joined the Democrats to defeat SB 101 and then tabled it (meaning it’s really really dead) by a 320 to 32 vote.

However…

Another open enrollment bill was added to a healthcare study bill (HB751) as a non-germane amendment and goes to a committee of conference. [See end of this alert for explanations of non-germane amendments and committees of conference if you’re unfamiliar with those machinations.]

Back to good news: At the federal level, the US Senate did NOT advance the SAVE act, which aims to make voting harder for many.

Other results from Thursday’s House voting session:

On a voice vote the House killed SB447 which would have allowed utility companies to build small nuclear reactors (¼ the size of Seabrook). The technology to do this is only theoretical at this time anyway.

The House passed SB482 by a wide bi-partisan vote. This bill creates regulations about crypto currency ATMs, which are too often used by scammers. [Maybe we should remind ourselves that neither the IRS nor our grandsons will ever ask us to send them crypto currency.]

The House also passed SB627, which would double turnpike tolls except for those with an EZPass transponder, but it also allows any NH resident to get a free transponder. The bill next goes to House Ways & Means Committee for review. [It would potentially raise much needed highway funding if it is passed.]

Other bills voted on by the Senate and House last Thursday went as we expected, more or less.

HB1121 redefining the cost of an adequate education was tabled by the Senate.

HB1602, the battery recycling program, was sent to Interim Study, which means virtually nothing in the second year of a session. A new bill would have to be brought next year.

HB1600, the agreement between the Sec of State and the DMV to use public records to verify voters’ eligibility was tabled in the Senate, because they like their own version better (SB438) which will be exec’d by House Election Law on May 5 [we support this bill to assist voters as we supported HB1600.]

The House, as expected, on a voice vote killed the biological bathroom segregation bill (SB459).

The House passed CACR 11, but not by the required 3/5 vote. This proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate any retirement age for sheriffs. It will not be on our ballots in November.

Next week is a light week—no voting sessions, very few hearings, and some executive sessions. Pace will pick up after that!

HB1793 alert below is copied from last week’s alert: It is possible that the Senate Judiciary Committee will exec this bill either April 28 or 30 when they meet. No public testimony will be taken at the executive session. State house room 100, 1 pm or later each day.

The campus carry bill InDepthNH had this excellent article on April 15: https://indepthnh.org/2026/04/14/campus-weapon-carry-bill-gets-a-hot-hearing/

“A bill that would prohibit public universities and colleges in the state from regulating the possession of firearms on campus brought a huge crowd to the Senate Judiciary Committee public hearing Tuesday, April 14. HB1793 already passed the House on a vote of 188-165.
It is sponsored by state Rep. Samuel Farrington, R-Rochester, who is a senior at the University of New Hampshire and a first-term legislator who has filed a series of bills related to firearms.” [The other sponsors are all Republicans, including several Free Staters.] Read the rest of the InDepthNH article at the link above. [It was clear from the public response, the college/university people and law enforcement personnel who testified, and legislators’ comments at the hearing itself that there are problems with the bill. Any bill that needs as many amendments as the sponsor himself admits could be useful is NOT READY to become law, in League’s opinion]

Call to Action: call or email your own state senator and urge the senator to consider carefully their vote when HB1793 gets to the floor for a vote! Share your reason for supporting or opposing a bill that takes away from colleges the existing right to regulate guns on campus. -You can find your senator’s contact info by using this website: https://gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx Pull down your town from the menu: you’ll see the senator’s name, and there should be an email. The phone number is likely the Concord office number, and you won’t be put thru to the senator, but you can leave a message. Email is probably better. Or use a home phone number if you can find it.

The Governor has not yet committed herself on this bill.

The non-partisan NH Fiscal Policy Institute is hosting a series of presentations around the state about the NH State Budget. Free and open to the public, with Q&A following each presentation. Details here on https://nhfpi.org/events/the-state-budget-what-you-need-to-know/

This is the right time to think about who will represent your town in the next Legislature. Maybe it should be you! If you or someone you know might like to explore what it means to run for office, whether at the state or local level, check out 603 Forward. Their focus is on young adults, but their advice applies to anyone when it comes to running for office. Here is their webpage about running for office: https://www.603forward.org/run-for-office

FYI on process in the NH Legislature:

May 14 is the final date for bills that started in the House to be passed in the Senate, and vice versa. If they have passed different versions, the bodies may agree to a “committee of conference” appointed by the leadership of each body. The committee members have the challenge of coming up with a version that is mutually agreeable to both bodies. The committee vote must be unanimous on the new wording. If they do reach agreement, the bill will come up in June for another vote in the Senate and the House. No more amendments—take it or leave it as written. If passed, it eventually makes its way to the Governor, who can veto, sign, or let the bill take effect without her signature.

The League’s rant on non-germane amendments: Normally when a bill goes thru the legislature, the reps and senators see various ways it can be improved. Like tending a garden, there’s always a weed that needs attention. That’s fine. But non-germane amendments are completely off the topic of the original bill, and sometimes they replace the entire language of the original bill. Take, for example, HB1300, which as written was about redistricting. But that topic never even got a hearing. The bill’s language was entirely replaced at the hearing by an amendment requiring a biennial vote at every town meeting (or city election) whether or not to institute a school budget cap for the next two years.

Sometimes the bill limps along thru the process without getting its name changed. So what does League think of that? Hmmph. Unfair to the public who are challenged to figure out what is going on. And here’s what’s even worse. Sometimes legislators are sore losers, so they take a bill that was killed and tack it on an unrelated bill as a non-germane amendment. Maybe it will sneak through that way, without public scrutiny, they think. Double Hmmmph! This should not be allowed. But it is. Thus HB751 was highjacked to try to get open enrollment of public schools passed. See the string of actions here. I’m thinking this bill should be hotly debated in committee of conference, but that’s unlikely. However, something will be decided. What happens then is up to the Reps and Senators when they meet to vote on it, whenever that will be in May or by June 4. Can’t even advise anyone what to do at this point.

Reminder to voters in Peterborough, Chester, Hanover, New Castle, and Hebron: your town elections are scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.

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Legislative alert April 20-25, a bit quieter than normal week.

The NH Senate and House will each meet Thursday, April 23, in voting session. The way to make your voice heard on the bills you care about is to contact your own senator or representatives before Thursday, about the bills on the calendars for this week.

***Bills of significance in the Senate include these:

HB1121 is being recommended for a slow death of Interim Study (committee voted 4-0). This bill would redefine the cost of an adequate education, eliminating school nurses, for example, as educationally unnecessary. (This is on the Consent Calendar, unlikely to engender debate. No action needed).

On the Senate Regular Calendar, so open to floor debate:

HB1602, the bi-partisan bill for a battery recycling program in which producers of the batteries would take them back. The senate committee voted to recommend killing this bill along party lines, despite hours of testimony. One legislator said the bill wasn’t needed because consumers could take batteries back to big-box stores, but supporters of the bill point out that when consumers don’t make that journey, they toss old batteries in the trash, increasing the danger of fires at transfer stations. Recently 3 more states joined the existing recycling program. Should NH?

HB1600, putting into law the agreement between the Secretary of State and the DMV to share records used to verify information when people register to vote. The Senate Election Law Committee recommended it Ought To Pass, but will likely table it because they like their own version, SB438, which does almost the same thing. [We support either bill as a logical way to help voters and election officials.]

–You can find your senator’s contact info by using this website: https://gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx Pull down your town from the menu: you’ll see the senator’s name, and there should be an email. The phone number is likely the Concord office number, and you won’t be put thru to the senator, but you can leave a message. Email is probably better. Or use a home phone number if you can find it.

***Bills in the House to be voted on Thursday, April 23:

One bill on the Consent Calendar, unlikely to be any debate:

SB459, about biological gender segregated bathrooms etc., was unanimously recommended Inexpedient to Legislate for various concerns, including constitutional questions and doubts that the Governor would sign a bill so similar to one she vetoed last year.

On the Regular Calendar, so call your own state reps to express your views on the bills below:

CACR 11, eliminating any retirement age requirement for county sheriffs (currently age is 70).

Committee recommended Ought To Pass by a 7-5 vote.

SB101, the open admission proposal for public schools. Committee amended this bill, recommended Ought To Pass as Amended 10-8. Most school authorities oppose it. If you’d like to read the arguments, they are on page 16 of the House Calendar. And the amendment is on p. 29.

–To contact your own state reps about these bills to be voted on in the House, find names and contact info here by town.

Not yet scheduled for a vote in the Senate is the campus carry bill InDepthNH had this excellent article on April 15: https://indepthnh.org/2026/04/14/campus-weapon-carry-bill-gets-a-hot-hearing/

“A bill that would prohibit public universities and colleges in the state from regulating the possession of firearms on campus brought a huge crowd to the Senate Judiciary Committee public hearing Tuesday, April 14. House Bill 1793-FN has already passed the House on a vote of 188-165.
It is sponsored by state Rep. Samuel Farrington, R-Rochester, who is a senior at the University of New Hampshire and a first-term legislator who has filed a series of bills related to firearms.” [The other sponsors are all Republicans, including several Free Staters.] Read the rest of the InDepthNH article at the link above. [It was clear from the public response, the college/university people and law enforcement personnel who testified, and legislators’ comments at the hearing itself that there are problems with the bill. Any bill that needs as many amendments as the sponsor himself admits could be useful is NOT READY to become law, in League’s opinion]

Call to Action: call or email your own state senator and urge the senator to consider carefully their vote when HB1793 gets to the floor for a vote! Share your reason for supporting or opposing a bill that takes away from colleges the existing right to regulate guns on campus. -You can find your senator’s contact info by using this website: https://gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx Pull down your town from the menu: you’ll see the senator’s name, and there should be an email. The phone number is likely the Concord office number, and you won’t be put thru to the senator, but you can leave a message. Email is probably better. Or use a home phone number if you can find it.

The Governor has not yet committed herself on this bill.

Hearings:

No Senate committee hearings scheduled for the week.

In the House, most committee meetings are work sessions on bills already heard. Or executive sessions.

Monday, 4/27, the House Ways and Means committee will exec CACR12 as amended, putting a ban on an income tax into the constitution. [no public testimony being taken at this point.]

Tuesday, May 5, House Election Law will exec SB223, to ban student IDs for voting purposes. [The legislature already passed and the governor signed a similar bill, HB323, which will become law on June 2. So this bill is pointless.]

Same date and committee, will exec SB438, the twin of HB1600 on which the Senate will vote April 23. [We support either of these bills that will help voters and election officials.]

***News from recent elections in Merrimack and Conway: observers at the polls in these town elections on April 14 saw two people turned away for lack of documents needed to vote. Add those two to the 75 that we know of who were turned away at the March town or school elections and you have a sad situation. They were not found ineligible to vote; they just didn’t have every bit of paperwork needed to prove their eligibility, mostly lack of papers to prove citizenship! Time for a big THANK YOU to the volunteer poll observers and those who phoned town clerks after the elections to gather these statistics.

***It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week nationwide on April 19-25. Here in League of Women Voters NH, we are all volunteers (no paid staff). So we thank every one of our members and supporters who take the time to be involved with elections, with the legislature, and with helping neighbors understand the importance and the intricacies of voting. Thank you! You make a difference!

***From the NH Secretary of State: Attention voters: June 2 is the deadline to make any changes to your party affiliation before the State Primary Election in September. Visit https://app.sos.nh.gov/viphome to check your voter registration info and find your local clerk’s contact info. Note from LWVNH: if you are an “undeclared” voter, it is important to check your status to be sure your record was changed back to undeclared if you voted in the 2024 primary. It not, you have until June 2 to make that change.

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Legislative alert for April 13-17, 2026 from League of Women Voters NH

First, a news headline clarification: The NH Legislature passed HB481, now heading to the Governor’s office, to change the date of NH’s state/federal primary from September to June. Please note that will take effect in two years, in 2028. This year’s primary is still scheduled for September 8, and the filing period is still early June. So expect a summer filled with political ads and campaign events from candidates for NH legislature, Governor and Executive Council, and US Senate and US Representatives.

NH Senate will meet in voting session on Thursday, April 16. The House will not meet in voting session next week.

On the Senate Consent Calendar [there will be no debate on these bills that have had unanimous committee recommendations]:

HB 1062, a bill that has been amended in response to testimony of League and others a few weeks ago: authorizing the Secretary of State to conduct random audits of the citizenship qualification of registered voters. Senate Election Law Committee recommends this bill Ought To Pass as Amended unanimously, so there will be no floor debate. Senator Perkins Kwoka for the committee explains the current bill this way: “This bill, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of State to use state sources to conduct random, statistically sound audits of citizenship only for registered voters who originally used a qualified voter affidavit, requires a public report of the findings, and mandates that confirmed citizens be flagged in the statewide database to exempt them from future audits.” The bill also protects privacy by mandating destroying materials collected once the voter’s status has been confirmed. [I guess League is okay with this bill now, and we hope it will give election skeptics some peace of mind that non-citizens are not among NH’s registered voters.]

HB 1125, enabling school districts to adopt partisan school district elections. Committee recommends Inexpedient to Legislate unanimously, pointing out that each candidate already has the option to identify themselves by party, so there is no point to this bill.

HB 1706-FN, repealing the refugee resettlement program and prohibiting spending state funds on refugee resettlement. Senate HHS committee recommends unanimously this bill be killed. [Thankfully the Senate realizes this treatment of duly admitted refugees is morally wrong!]

HB 1788-FN, holding state contracts with DEI provisions to be void as a matter of law and establishing a right of action for citizens where public entities or state agencies engage with contracts with DEI provisions. The committee recommends sending this bill to a quiet death by referring it to Interim Study. Apparently because it conflicts with federal law and existing legal requirements and would likely spark lawsuits.

On the Regular Calendar, just a few bills, among them this one that has been in the news:

HB 1442-FN, limiting the use of certain facilities on the basis of sex and redefining the term “gender identity.” Ought to Pass with Amendment, Vote 3-2. If you wish to take action on this bill, contact your own state senator. Get contact info on this page: https://gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx

Senate hearings coming up include these of League or broad public interest:

*Senate Election Law, State House room 122-123, Tuesday April 14

9:30 a.m. HB 1600-FN, authorizes local elections officials to have access to the centralized voter registration database on election days. [We support: it may not be perfect but will certainly help on election day to register voters who have moved from one town to another. Please sign in I Support at the Senate remote sign in page. ]

*Senate Finance, State House Room 103, Tuesday April 14

1:30 p.m. Hearing on proposed non-germane Amendment # 2026-1330s supporting administrative costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to HB 1574-FN. [sorry, I was unable to find the text of the proposed amendment.]

*Senate Judiciary, State House room 100, Tuesday April 14

1:45 p.m. HB 1793-FN, prohibiting public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of firearms on campus. [Much in the news. If you wish to sign in use the Senate remote sign in page. ]

*Senate Ways & Means, State House room 122-12, Wednesday, April 15

10:00 a.m. HB 1602-FN, creating a safe battery recycling stewardship program [see last week’s alert for the sponsor’s enthusiastic description. Sign in using the Senate remote sign in page. ]

Senate Energy & Natural Resources, State House room 103, Wednesday, April 15

1:20 p.m. HB 1138, limiting the placement of out-of-state waste going into New Hampshire landfills. This bill is a bi-[artisan bill. [If you wish to sign in use the Senate remote sign in page. ]

House hearings coming up: Some committees are holding only executive sessions on bills that already had hearings.

*House Education Policy committee, Granite Place room 232, Monday, April13:

10:30 a.m. Full committee work session on SB 101-FN, followed by an executive session at 1 pm on authorizing parents to enroll their children in any public school in the state, with time slated on Wed for this bill if they don’t finish the committee debate today. [It is too late for more online sign-ins on this bill]

*House Finance, Room 230 at 1 Granite Place, Monday, April13

10:30 a.m. SB 603-FN, directs the Dept of Health and Human Services to transfer funds as necessary to compensate for any reduction in federal funds for the SNAP program [The senate already passed this on a voice vote, so it is likely the House committee will recommend approval. But if you have testimony, this is your opportunity to present it. Or sign in online at the House remote sign-in page.]

*House Ways & Means, Reps Hall in the State House, Wednesday, April 15

3:00 p.m. Public hearing on proposed amendment #2026-1134h to CACR 12 on broadbased taxes. The senate passed the original bill, which required a 2/3 supermajority of the legislature to pass any broadbased tax. This amendment instead prohibits the state house of representatives from adopting any tax on personal income. [It effectively bars any income tax in the future unless the constitution is changed again. If this amendment moves forward, the Senate would have to consider the amended CACR. CACRs must be passed by 60% in the House and in the Senate in order to be on the ballot for voters (next November), where 2/3 of those voting must approve it to become part of the constitution. You may sign in to support or oppose online at the House remote sign-in page.]

What happened in the NH Legislature this past week:

The House passed two bills seeking tougher penalties for DUI breathalyzer refusal and for driving while using a handheld cell phone. If the Senate agrees with the House’s minor change to the DUI bill, both will go to the Governor. She is expected to sign them, as safer roadways were among her priorities this year.

The Senate passed HB1247. We told you about it last week, requiring the Secretary of State to post notices of proposed constitutional amendments on the website ahead of the election. A step in the right direction of informing voters.

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Legislative alert April 6-15, 2026

Starting with a positive message, from “battery recycling bill” prime sponsor Rep. Karen Ebel (D-Merrimack county): “…House members listened to the truth. We overturned the Finance Committee’s recommendation [interim study] to resoundingly pass HB 1602 with a veto proof majority, 244-112. Part of GOP leadership: eight House Committee chairs and nine vice chairs, were with the majority. So, my friends, there is hope. The team of Republican women I worked with were fearless. Though rare, I am happy to say that well-grounded, broadly supported, bipartisan legislation can still get passed. The bill is now before the Senate Ways and Means Committee [even though] there is no fee, so why [that committee]? More battles will ensue, of that I have no doubt. How a simple battery producer take-back program proposal became such a conflagration, I do not know. And whether or not we prevail in the end, it has given me faith.”

You can sign in online to support this bipartisan environmental bill: April 15, Senate Ways & Means, HB1602 Sign in here: https://gc.nh.gov/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

Two bills coming up for a vote in the House on April 9, but almost certain they will pass because they have unanimous recommendation of their committee: SB649 and SB620 both designed to increase public safety on highways by increasing penalties for using hand-held devices while driving and extending license suspension for those refusing breathalyzer tests. [no action needed]

There are no League priority bills on the House Calendar.

Senate will also meet in voting session on April 9. On their Consent Calendar is this bill League strongly supports: HB 1247 requires the Secretary of State to create and post notices of constitutional amendments on their official website. The bill also specifies the wording of the header and other information as described in RSA 663:3. It also requires that these notices remain visible for 60 days prior to the statewide vote on the amendment. [no action needed. This is one step toward making our votes on constitutional amendments more informed.]

[None of our other priority bills are up for a vote in the Senate this week.]

House hearings coming up:

Many committees are holding work sessions rather than hearings. They are open for public observation, but no public testimony will be taken. No election law bills are being heard in the House this week.

**House Education Policy & Administration, at Granite Place rm 232, Wed. 4/8 starting at 10 am: hearings on these Republican-sponsored bills: SB433 requires schools to train at least 2 personnel in recognizing the symptoms of seizures and the administration of seizure rescue medication in the event a seizure occurs at school.  Parent or guardian permission is required for the administration of seizure rescue medicine. SB430 mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents and legal guardians [seems to relate to gender identity issues],SB431 “No pupil in any public school in this state shall be intentionally or knowingly taught, instructed, inculcated or compelled to express belief in, or support for, any one or more of the following:” doctrines etc. SB434 requires local school districts to adopt and publicly post policies describing materials authorized for use by students in the district and outlining procedures to address complaints alleging that material is harmful or age-inappropriate for use in the district’s schools.

Senate committee hearings coming up:

**Senate Education, April 7 at 9:25 in the State Library Map Room: HB 1571 Requiring a revision of educational standards every ten years. The new part is this: The [state education dept] shall make available a list of high quality curriculum and instructional materials based upon the revised standards from which school districts may select new curriculum and materials. [Will this be construed to mean school districts may choose new materials ONLY from this state approved list, as is the case in Texas? And if so, does this not put a huge power in the hands of the state dept of education to mold viewpoints? If you are on your school board or an educator, this is a bill you should be following. It has all Republican sponsors, including several of the most conservative state reps.]

**Senate Executive Departments and Administration, room 103, State House Wed. April 8 at 9:20 am HB 1115, adding a definition of “citizen of New Hampshire” and expanding the number of persons eligible for the New Hampshire medal of honor. [sponsored by some of the same people who sought to have a “pledge of allegiance to NH” as a requirement to vote. What is the point of this proposed dual citizenship of US and NH, unless we once again will see a secession attempt by some legislators? This observer’s personal opinion? This bill passed in the House only because it expands possible Medal of Honor recipients.]

**Senate Judiciary committee, State House room 100 Tuesday, April 14 at 1:45 p.m.

HB 1793-FN, prohibiting public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of firearms and non-lethal weapons on campus. [this is the “allow guns on campus” bill so much in the news]

**Sign in here for bills being heard in Senate committees. Note date, committee, & bill # before you start: https://gc.nh.gov/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

**

Friday, April 3: Today Gov. Ayotte signed into law HB 323 – Requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote. For those of us who regularly use a drivers license as ID when we ask for a ballot, no change. For voters who use a work ID or a student ID, because those are the IDs they normally carry, they will need to get and present a govt-issued photo ID for future elections. Non-driver photo IDs are available from the DMV with documentation, and with a voucher from a town/city clerk, they are free. Encourage your non-driving friends to apply for this ID well before the September primary!

Thank you to all who wrote to or phoned the Governor urging a veto on HB 323. We are sorry our efforts to encourage young voters weren’t enough to change her mind.

**

Here’s some good news: The refugee resettlement program repeal we alerted you to last week has been unanimously recommended Inexpedient To Legislate by Senate Health and Human Services committee. HB1706 sought to dismantle NH’s long-standing participation in the federally funded refugee resettlement program. It’s not on the calendar for a vote on April 9, but will almost surely be killed when it does come before the full Senate for a vote.

**

Federal legislation: March 31, 2026 Washington, DC — The League of Women Voters [US] issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections” which restricts absentee ballots and other state-sanctioned voting laws.

“The League of Women Voters has always and will always stand unapologetically on the side of voters, particularly those who have been historically disenfranchised within our system, such as women, voters of color, voters with disabilities, and older adults. The administration’s latest executive order is a direct attack not only on voters, but on how elections are run in this country.  

“The Constitution is clear: election administration is the responsibility of the states, not the executive branch. This executive order expands the president’s power while narrowing the voting class to a select few. The executive order’s directive to create ‘citizenship lists’ distributed to every state is blatant federal overreach and creates severe risks for disenfranchisement. The lists would be based  on unreliable Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security data, the collection of which the League is actively challenging in litigation. Further, the order targets election officials for prosecution. The federal government should support election administrators — not place them under heightened threat to navigate unnecessarily complex systems. 

“The League refuses to stand by idly while the freedom to vote is under attack. We will continue to confront this administration and put voters first, whether in courtrooms, in Congress, or on the White House lawn.  We successfully blocked a critical piece of the administration’s first executive order on elections, and we stand ready to do it again.”

[several state Leagues directly affected, the Brennan Center for Justice, and some state ACLU units as well as several states have already filed suit to block the executive order. Here in NH, our Secretary of State issued a public statement opposing this executive order as a violation of states’ constitutional right to run elections, for which LWVNH has thanked him.]

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Legislative alert for March 30-April 3 +

CALL TO ACTION: The Senate and House have both passed HB323, removing student and work IDs from the acceptable list of IDs to be used on election day to get a ballot. No evidence has been found of fraudulent student IDs being used to vote illegally. Students use their IDs daily, to purchase meals on campus, to gain access to facilities. It is what students carry all the time. They will have it with them on election day! That’s the point. A student ID has a photo that can be compared to the person standing in front of an election official. It proves ONLY identity. It has nothing to do with proof of citizenship or domicile to register. High school and college students who are already registered must show a photo ID to get a ballot, just like the rest of us. A school-issued ID is what they will most likely have with them, even if they don’t yet have a car!

This change (to ban student IDs to vote) is NOT YET LAW. But is likely to reach the Governor’s desk in the coming week. ACT NOW! Urge Gov. Ayotte to VETO HB323. Tell her to do the right thing, to support young voters’ interest in politics and government, to make sure the next generation of voters does not show up at the polls only to be denied a ballot.

It’s not about political parties; it’s about supporting the inherent right to vote!

You can send a short message to Gov. Ayotte at her website: https://new-hampshire.my.salesforce-sites.com/support/GOV_Opinion

You may also leave a phone message at 603 271-2121

On Thursday, March 27, the House and Senate each met to vote on bills. Among those that passed and will now go on to the other body, for a hearing and a new vote, are these:

*HB 1602 creates a manufacturer-funded, third-party battery recycling program for certain types of batteries. The goal is to transfer the burden and costs associated with disposing of batteries from towns onto manufacturers. If this bill passes in the Senate, the Governor may need help understanding this is NOT a tax but a user fee [something that confused her about the bipartisan paint recycling bill she vetoed recently].

*Senate and House appear united along party lines in supporting a redefinition of adequate education, one that would put all funding policy decisions in the hands of the Legislature. NH Supreme Court rulings seem to be irrelevant. Nothing has gone to the Governor yet, but HB1815 got party line support from the Senate Thursday and will move on (its twin SB659 was tabled.) Fastest bill signing in recent history perhaps. Gov. Ayotte signed this bill Friday afternoon, despite a 50-to-1 public opposition rate. As this is not a budget year, state aid to schools likely to be unchanged for now. Update 3/29/26.

*HB 112 passed the House 191-157 and now goes to the Senate. It requires students at the public colleges in NH to pass the US Citizenship naturalization test, take a course that covers fundamental American documents or pass a civics course competency test in order to graduate. Several years ago, the state passed a law that requires high school seniors to pass the same test for graduation, and those students would be exempt from the requirement in college. The same year Gov. Sununu vetoed an identical bill for colleges, saying it would have been the first time the legislature set graduation requirements for the state’s public colleges and universities. One state rep pointed out that a mandated test is not the way to turn a student into a good citizen.

Neither the NH House nor Senate will meet in voting session on April 2. Likely on 4/9.

Committee Hearings coming up–

**Hearings in the Senate committees:

In Senate Election Law committee, Tues 3/31 at State House room 122, League and other voting rights advocates will be testifying in support of HB1601 (directing the Sec. Of State to develop a robust voter education program with emphasis on new election laws).

Also in Senate Election Law committee, we will be opposing HB1062, which calls on the SOS to do a random audit of existing voter rolls to be certain that all registered voters are citizens. We don’t disagree with the basic idea—of course only citizens should vote. But we do worry about this bill, which doesn’t allot funding, doesn’t explain how the “random” voters will be chosen, but will use public databases—which may be inaccurate and could violate voters’ privacy—to determine whom to drop from the voting rolls. Privacy concerns, racial profiling possibility, and erroneous loss of voting rights are issues, in our minds.

In Senate Health and Human Services, Room 100 in the State House, Wed., April 1 at 9:45 am: HB1706 seeks to dismantle NH’s long-standing participation in the federally funded refugee resettlement program.

Also in Senate Health & Human services, State House Room 103 starting at 1 pm on Thurs. April 2, 4 bills about vaccines: HB 1719 removing Hep B from required vaccines list; HB 1584 about religious exemptions; HB 524 commission to study efficacy of vaccines; HB 1449 limiting vaccine clinics’ operations.

In Senate Judiciary, Thurs. April 2 at 1 pm in State House room 100: Various bills on DEI and gender identity.

For bills with hearings in the Senate, you may register support ot opposition at this legislative webpage. Note the date, committee, and bill number before you start.

**Hearings in the House committees:

SB 101: Public School Open Enrollment bill has been scheduled for another day of public testimony: Wednesday, April 1 in House Education Policy and Administration Committee. You can submit position statements online until that night. SB101 allows parents to send their children to any public school in the state (but parents must arrange transportation and the home school district pays the receiving district the tuition.) Many school districts are worried about instability in class sizes and costs.

House Ways and Means, on Wed., April 15 (yes, advance notice) a hearing expecting a huge turnout, in Representatives Hall at the State house, 3 pm. A “replace all” amendment to CACR12 that any bill for a broad-based tax must have a supermajority of legislative support.

For bills with hearings in the House, you may register support or opposition at this legislative webpage. Note the date, committee, and bill number before you start.

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Legislative alert for March 23-27, 2026

Racism in the NH House – an article from NHBulletin writer Ethan DeWitt. I’m sure the national LWV has a position about this, but rather than look it up right now, I choose to let you read the article yourself. https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/03/18/more-words-of-hate-in-new-hampshire-and-the-policies-to-match/?

Why I care, and maybe you do too—a personal note from Liz T. I am a first generation American. My parents were not admitted as refugees; they were sponsored immigrants. As very young adults they had left their families in their respective European countries just as the great depression was taking hold before it hit the US. They built their lives in their new country, with the help of others who had come earlier. HB1706 seeks to dismantle NH’s long-standing participation in the federally funded refugee resettlement program. It passed the House last week (details in the article). When it gets to the Senate HHS committee for a hearing, I will include it in the alert.

NH House and Senate will each meet in voting session on Thursday, March 26. Final day for House to vote on House bills, Senate to vote on Senate bills. Only those that are voted Ought To Pass will move on to the other body, where committees will hold hearings. Public will then get another chance to support or oppose those bills that have “crossed over” to the other body.

Complete list of bills to be voted on March 26 are on the House Calendar and the Senate Calendar respectively. Many are on the “consent calendars” so won’t be debated.

In the House, League supports HB1600, which requires the Sec of State to use various state databases to help verify credentials at voter registration and for individual polling places to have access to the state’s process. A slight amendment does not affect our support. It will pass (it’s on consent calendar) so no action needed.

HB112 requires college/university students to pass the US Naturalization exam. Those opposed point out that per state law, NH high school students have already done this to graduate, and it would cost money that hasn’t been allocated.

In the Senate,

Last week the Senate Education Committee heard the twin bills redefining the state’s role in funding public education. Both bills have only Republican sponsors. [If passed it will be used to significantly decrease what the state pays to local school districts.] Both bills came out of that committee with a party-line Ought To Pass vote of 3-2. HB1815 has already passed the House; SB659 (exact same wording) goes to the House after its expected passage by the Senate. These bills will be the first items on the Senate’s Regular Calendar agenda when it meets in voting session, March 26.

CACR13, eliminating the position of Register of Probate from the constitution (because the county position no longer has any tasks to do). Committee recommends OTP 3-0 [League supports; if passed as expected, voters get to vote on this in November. We urge a “yes” vote.]

To share your views on the above bills, contact your own state representatives or state senators before next Thursday. Find their contact info here.

Committee Hearings on bills in the coming week:

No priority bills in the Senate.

In the House, several committees are holding hearings, including these of particular interest:

House Education Policy & Administration, Wed., 3/25 1 pm SB101 allowing parents to send their children to any public school in the state (but parents must arrange transportation and the home school district pays the receiving district the tuition.) Many school districts are worried about instability in class sizes and costs.

House Executive Depts & Administration, at Granite Place room 231, Wed., 3/25 at 11 am: A non-germane amendment to SB572, prohibiting state agencies from promoting vaccines, and requiring all vaccine-related educational materials to include risks and benefits in the same size font.

House Ways and Means, on Wed., April 15 (yes, advance notice) a hearing expecting a huge turnout, in Representatives Hall at the State house, 3 pm. A “replace all” amendment to CACR12 that any bill for a broad-based tax must have a supermajority of legislative support.

(For these bills with hearings in the House, you may register support or opposition at this legislative webpage. Note the date, committee, and bill number before you start.

Veto pen at the ready: Gov. Ayotte vetoed HB 451, which had passed both bodies earlier. “NO Sales Tax. Not now. NOT EVER!” she declared, even though the bill is not a tax but rather a user fee applied at the point of sale, to fund a paint recycling program run by the industry itself. Only people buying paint would ever pay it. It had bipartisan sponsors.

Okay, let’s give the Governor something different to veto—no funding involved. This is an election law bill:

CALL TO ACTION: The Senate and House have both passed HB 323, removing student IDs and work IDs from the acceptable list of IDs to be used to prove who you are on election day to get a ballot. No evidence has been found of fraudulent student IDs being used to vote illegally. Students use their IDs to purchase meals on campus, to gain access to facilities on campus. It is what students carry all the time. They will have it with them on election day! That’s the point. A student ID has a photo that can be compared to the person standing in front of an election official. It proves ONLY identity. It has nothing to do with proof of citizenship or proof of domicile to register, which is already the law.

This change (to ban student IDs to get a ballot) is NOT YET LAW. Urge Gov. Ayotte to VETO HB 323 when it gets to her desk. Tell her to do the right thing, to support young voters’ interest in politics and government, to make sure the next generation of voters gets involved. It’s not about political parties; it’s about encouraging citizens’ inherent right to vote!

You can send a short message to Gov. Ayotte at her website: https://new-hampshire.my.salesforce-sites.com/support/GOV_Opinion

If you prefer you may phone and leave a message or mail a postcard (not a letter, please—it won’t be opened for security reasons.) Phone: 603-271-2121. Mailing address: Gov. Kelly Ayotte, State House, 107 N. Main St, Concord NH 03301. The message is simple: veto HB 323, a bill to suppress young voters’ participation in elections.

**

On the federal level: The “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” aka the SAVE Act, is being debated in the US Senate this week. Our NH Senators Shaheen and Hassan are standing strong in opposition. We thank them. The debate has numerous times made clear this is not simply a photo ID requirement bill. It is a power grab by the federal government over what is constitutionally a states rights issue. It would change the voting laws and procedures in many states. And it would potentially disenfranchise millions of people who would need to register or reregister to vote but lack access to paperwork such as passports or birth certificates.

This is what the national LWV points out: “This bill also requires every state to run its voter database through the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system….The League supports accurate voter rolls and secure elections. But election integrity must be pursued in ways that are transparent, lawful, and protective of constitutional and statutory rights. Further requiring states to run their databases through a system that was never built to fulfill these requests, would disenfranchise historically marginalized communities. Naturalized citizens and immigrant communities are particularly vulnerable to database inaccuracies.”

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

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

Saturday, March 28 is “No Kings” rally day. Manchester’s rally is at City Hall Plaza, 12 to 2 pm, and Concord’s is at the State House from noon to 4 pm. New London 1-2:30 pm. Peterborough 1-2:30 pm. Dozens more around the state too; find one near you by googling or use this website: https://www.nokings.org/

If a crowd with placards is not your thing, perhaps you can use that time to sign in on NH legislation, email the Governor, or contact your Congressional rep and US Senators about issues that matter to you. Our country will not be taken over by unconstitutional power grabs.

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Legislative alert March 16-20, 2026

The NH House tried but failed to work its way through nearly 200 bills on Wednesday and Thursday, March 11 & 12. A number of bills were tabled or simply sidelined when the deadline for action on bills was reached. We are still sorting out the results of some bills.

In Election Law, HB1062 passed, 181-152 (pretty much along party lines) allowing the Sec of State to conduct random audits of registered voters (presumably to find whether any non-citizens registered in the past and are voting). [The vagueness of the bill has us worried. We’ll share more when it goes to the Senate for a hearing.]

In Education, HB1121 passed 187-152, to redefine an “adequate” education (the state’s funding responsibility). The new definition does not consider a superintendent of schools nor school nurses necessary to providing an education. Off to the Senate sometime soon for a hearing.

Three bills we hadn’t been following also passed, expanding the definition of permissible use of deadly force (in defense of self and others).

Three bills about tax caps, two about local school funding, had mixed results. A proposed constitutional amendment didn’t get enough votes to move forward, and another bill was sent to interim study (a quiet death). But HB1300 passed 170-160, requiring a tax cap warrant article to be on the November ballot in every town/city every other year. Normally tax caps are dealt with in spring town meetings or city elections. So much for local control. We’ll see what happens in Senate hearings next month.

The NH House will meet on March 26 to vote on all remaining House bills. Most or all of them are bills that already passed the House once, then had a second hearing in House Finance to assess whether the state can afford the bill.

Executive sessions on those bills are going on this coming week in House Finance (March 17, starting at 10 am). But for some bills we wonder why there should be a fiscal note…such as HB 112-FN, requiring students in the university and community college systems of NH to pass the US Citizenship and Immigration Services civics naturalization test, take a course that covers fundamental American documents as part of the general education curriculum, or pass a civics course competency test. [League would like to see the sitting reps take the citizenship test first, see how many can pass it.]

Some bills obviously would cost (or save) state money: HB 1563, relative to the special education aid formula (specifically for those students with extraordinary special needs) ; HB 1571, requiring the dept of education to review statewide academic standards and curriculum every 10 years, including textbook suggestions “from which school districts may select new curriculum and materials.” [reminder that no testimony is taken at executive sessions; the legislators argue among themselves then decide how to recommend each bill to the larger body for a March 26 vote]

Copied from NHSchoolBoardsAssn alert—March 14.

On March 13 the Senate Education Finance Committee heard over 4 hours of testimony on HB 1815 and SB 659. Both of these bills speak to changing the content of an adequate education, and the state’s obligation in regards to such. These bills could fundamentally change how the state defines and funds public education. Despite hearing support for these bills only from the sponsors themselves, the Senate Education Finance Committee voted both bills “Ought to Pass” by a vote of 3-2 immediately following the hearings. [we’re not sure when these will be voted on in Senate; will let you know so you can contact your own state senator.]

House committees will soon start hearings on bills that already passed the Senate. The bill number stays the same, so these will be SB… bills. But if you want to offer your ‘I oppose” or “I support” statements, be sure you go to the House remote sign in page. Note the date of the hearing, the committee, and the bill number so you can sign in.

Among the bills having hearings are these in House Criminal Justice Public Safety committee on March 18 dealing with highway public safety: 2 pm SB 620 increasing penalties for those refusing a breathalyzer test and for aggravated driving while intoxicated. 3:00 pm SB 649 increasing fines and adding license suspension for repeat offenses for using a hand-held mobile electronic device while driving. [Make up your own mind, but NH’s highway fatalities in 2025 were 139 people lost, and in 2026 nine people killed in just the first 6 weeks of the new year.]

The Senate meets in voting session on March 26. No list of bills yet, but they must finish up the Senate bills. [This would imply that SB659 – see above with red highlighting – will be on the agenda.]

Senate committees holding hearings the week of March 16-20 include this:

Senate Education, in the Map Room at the State Library. Tuesday, March 17 at 9:15 a.m. HB 1792 prohibiting school districts and personnel from the instruction of critical race theory and LGBTQ+ ideologies in schools as well as establishing a private right of action for violations. (the previous hearing for HB1792 was recessed on March 10; continued March 17)

Senate Executive Depts & Admin committee, Wed. March 18:

10:00 a.m. CACR 13, providing that the county office of Register of Probate and all references to such office be eliminated. [This bill has bi-partisan sponsors. This proposed constitutional amendment made it to the ballot several years ago, but voters didn’t support it because they didn’t understand it as written then. The fact is that nearly all the work of the Register of Probate was reassigned to the courts years ago, so this is an office and elected official with no work. Time to get rid of it. We support this proposed constitutional amendment as the only legal way to get rid of a useless artifact, and if it makes it to the ballot, we hope you’ll tell all your friends to vote Yes to this change.]

To give your “I support” or “I oppose” statement online on bills being heard in Senate committees, use this link. https://gc.nh.gov/remotecommittee/senate.aspx

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Legislative alert for March 2-6 and a heads up about March 11 &12.

NH Legislators mostly took this week off to enjoy family time. School vacation week coincided with the big snow, so that was lucky all the way around.

House Education Policy committee postponed to Feb. 24 their hearings on two bills that drew lots of flack. HB1358 creates a study commission to transition all NH public schools to charter schools, and HB1804 would consolidate school administration to one elected person per county (Manchester and Nashua keeping their own administrators.) From what we saw of the hearings, we doubt either will have the traction to move forward. They will have to be exec’d this coming week.

Many of the bills the House will vote on Thursday, March 5, are on the Consent Calendar and unanimously recommended Inexpedient To Legislate or Refer to Interim Study. Either of those dooms the bills. [we knew reps had proposed way too many odd bills this year, didn’t we?]

One bill on Consent, with an Ought To Pass recommendation of 14-1, is HB1138, limiting the amount of out-of-state solid waste coming to NH landfills.

On the Regular Calendar, HB1815 is an education funding bill that will generate great debate. Comes out of committee 10-7 Ought To Pass along party lines. The explanations by sponsor & critic are on pp 34-35 of the Regular Calendar. Basically seeks to overturn the state’s responsibility for funding public education.

Call to Action: now is the time to contact your own state reps on these bills, by phone or email. Find their contact info at this site (look up your town, click on the name, and you’ll see bio and contact info.)

We have no priority election law bills bills up for a vote this week – but we will on March 11 &12 when the House must either pass or kill the rest of their bills. Only the bills that pass will move on to the Senate for another hearing. This is called “cross-over” and marks the midpoint in the legislative calendar.

House hearings morph to executive sessions: For next week, nearly all House committees are holding Executive Sessions on bills already heard. No public comment will be taken, but you can watch (live or online). If you have something major to say about any bill, you may email members of the committee before their Executive Session, but it’s not an easy process. Go to this link, find the committee, and work from there. If you know someone specific on the committee, do take the time to let them know what you think.

It’s more fun when committees hear new bills and we can weigh-in online. Patience; happening again when bills cross-over.

[League is supporting] a bipartisan bill to add one more way of proving ID if you are an absentee voter; we’re hoping it will get an Ought To Pass recommendation. HB1277 allows voters to provide their driver’s license number when applying for an absentee ballot rather than mail a photocopy of the license or get a signature notarized. This is a simple, commonsense update that removes unnecessary barriers without weakening election security.

Also still in the House: The “replace all” non-germane amendment to HB1300 is a proposal that would create biennial local tax cap referendums for every city, town, county, and school district in NH. The original draft amendment, deemed a “work in progress,” mandates a biennial local property tax limitation ballot question for each state general election held in November of even-numbered years. The question would read: “For the next 2 fiscal years, shall the total property taxes levied by this [town/city/school district/county] be limited so they may not increase faster than inflation plus new taxable property growth?”

We don’t know why the House Election Law committee has not yet finalized the wording of this bill, but it is NOT on the Calendar for a full House vote this week, nor is it on their executive session list.

The Senate will meet to vote on bills on March 5. These are on the regular calendar:

HB323, which would eliminate student IDs as qualifying ID for voting. [League opposes this bill, which has only Republican sponsors, because it could disenfranchise some young voters who don’t yet have driver licenses or passports. If you have a story to share with your own state senator, please contact them before Thursday, urge them to oppose HB323.]

SB 654, creating tax credits for businesses that have on-site child care services and for businesses that provide health care coverage for certain employees. Ought to Pass with Amendment, Vote 3-2. [we haven’t been following this bill, but news reports tell us that the shortage of childcare, like the shortage of housing, seriously threaten our state’s economic health. If this issue matters to you, now is the time to call your own senator.]

Re housing: a number of bills will be voted on soon. For good info on them, visit Housingactionnh.org

…Last week we reported that the “Charlie” Act, HB1792 banning what the sponsor called “leftist teaching” in public schools, passed the House. It did, with 4 Republicans and all Democrats opposed. But we erred in saying it would next have a hearing in House Finance. Finance waived that hearing and the bill will go to the Senate; no hearing date has yet been set.

Legislative alert: end of February 2026

The week of Feb. 23-27 is school vacation week in New Hampshire. Legislators have planned a light week, allowing them some family and relaxation time. Neither the House nor Senate will meet in voting session. Only a few committees will hold hearings. So this alert will be shorter than usual.

No priority bill hearings in the NH Senate next week.

Two identical bills, HB1815 and SB659, are attempts by 13 Republican senators, a former NH Supreme court justice now Republican state rep and a Free-Stater state rep to redefine an “adequate education” meaning how much the state is obligated to pay for public education. Ethan DeWitt breaks down the issues in this NH Bulletin article. The fiscal note at the end of HB1815 says this does not change the amount the state is required to pay school districts toward public education. That means it ignores the NH Supreme Court decisions of recent years, saying the state’s share of ed funding is inadequate and must be increased. (HB1815 already had a hearing Feb. 13, executive session on Feb. 18. 1,033 people have submitted online testimony opposing it, while eight people say they support it. Its twin, SB659 is not yet scheduled in the Senate. We’ll keep an eye out for it and let you know when you can sign in online.]

While we’re on school issues…Two astonishing proposals to be heard on Monday. Weigh in at the House remote sign-in webpage by Monday night.

House Education Policy committee meets Monday, Feb. 23 in rm 232, Granite Place.

11:00 am HB 1358, establishing a commission to study transitioning all public schools to public charter schools and relative to the method for converting to a charter school. [Sole sponsor is Rep Jason Osborne, one of the most conservative reps. His children do not attend public schools. True that the bill would merely create a commission, but the idea of changing all public schools to charters sounds drastic.] CALL TO ACTION: Parents, teachers, school officials need to testify!]

1:00 p.m. hearing on this Liberty Caucus/Republican-sponsored bill: HB 1804 “consolidating school administrative units, making chief school administrator jobs an elected position, and defining education roles.“ The administration of schools would be at the county level, with one elected administrator for all schools in each county (excepting our two biggest school systems, Manchester and Nashua.) An oversight committee of legislators is also part of the package. [too much in this for League to analyze, but we see it as a drastic move that must be studied. We suggest visiting NH School Boards Assn, or NH School Funding Fairness Project, who will eventually be analyzing the details.]

On Wed., Feb. 25 at 10:30 am in room 230 at Granite Place, the House Judiciary Committee will hear a Democrats sponsored bill, HB 1456, that repeals the odd statement stuck into the state budget trailer bill last year. The part to be repealed, if this bill somehow moves forward, is “the legislative declaration of authority regarding public education” [These various education funding bills are direct contradictions, along clear party lines.]

What happened Thursday, Feb. 19, when the NH House voted on a slew of bills?

*The House killed several bills to restore the death penalty in NH. NH remains one of 23 states without capital punishment.

*The House killed the bill that would have repealed vaccine requirements for schools and daycares. Vote was 192-155 in opposition to the bill. Childhood vaccine requirements stand.

*The “Charlie Act” passed 184 to 164, but next goes to the House Finance Committee for another hearing. Even some Republicans expressed concern that the bill is too vague to be constitutional. The Charlie Act would ban the teaching of critical race theory [no schools other than some colleges teach this], “gender ideology” and other so-called Marxist theories in public schools.

*InDepth NH reports that “The House defeated three bills that would have increased state aid for the education funding system either through raising the rate of the Statewide Education Property Tax or through a change in the distribution formula of state taxes to the Education Trust Fund.” [education funding battles continue.]

*Good news: The House passed a bipartisan bill HB1600, which League supports, requiring the Secretary of State, town & city clerks to ensure that each polling place in the state has direct electronic access to the statewide centralized voter registration database on election day, and allowing NH Vital Records and DMV records to be used to prove eligibility including citizenship for voting purposes. [That’s the nutshell version.] Bill now goes to House Finance Committee because no funding was included. League still encourages new voters to register well in advance, at their own town clerk’s office, because the databases may not have all the info needed for a particular voter to prove all aspects of eligibility. Nor are we sure that real-time data-sharing on election day in November will be possible if many new voters wait until then. Share that advice with neighbors and others new to voting, please!

If you are already registered, League encourages you to check your registration at the Sec of State’s website, so there are no surprises on election day. Put in your info, and don’t be surprised by the “no data found” message. Scroll down a bit. The page will show your current party registration, your polling place; and if you applied for an absentee ballot, it will show when it was sent and when received.

And big reminder: everyone needs to bring a photo ID to get a ballot! Next election for many of us is town/school elections on March 10.

Court matters:

*The trial in which the League of Women Voters NH, ACLU-NH, Open Democracy, and the NH Youth Movement are challenging New Hampshire’s “documentary proof of citizenship” law will wrap up Feb. 20. LWVNH president Liz T. has been in almost constant attendance taking notes. We expect a ruling before the September primary.

*In the meantime, LWVNH joined in an amicus brief in support of the NH Secretary of State’s refusal to turn over detailed voting information to the federal executive. Here is the press release; amicus brief was filed Feb. 13.

Save Saturday March 28 for protests in many locations around the state. “No Kings” rallies will emphasize peaceful opposition to federal overreach by the executive branch. Expressions of support for due process, a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government, and opposition to the use of violence are encouraged. Concord, Nashua, Chester, Charlestown, and New London plus White River Jct in VT events announced so far.

Related, Breaking News (as the networks say): Just found out from the Brennan Center for Justice, that “Today, The Supreme Court of the US finds the president exceeded his authority when he imposed global tariffs under emergency powers. This is a big win for the separation of powers and the rule of law.”

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Legislative alert for Feb. 17-20, 2026.

LWVNH and other voting rights groups are in federal court this week and next challenging HB1569, the documentary proof of citizenship bill now in effect. NHPR and Union Leader covered the first day, as did NHBulletin in this article.

One big issue this year in the Legislature is changes to vaccination requirements. NHBulletin explains the various bills and which ones are getting traction in this article. You should be able to find info on the specific bills that interest you by putting the bill number into the Find A Bill box on the Legislature’s website, then click on the bill number when it comes up (left side) and click again on “Docket” to see when it will next be heard or voted on.

Good news coming from House Education Policy and Administration Committee: they voted 15-1 to recommend Inexpedient To Legislate (= kill the bill) on that dreadful proposed constitutional amendment CACR 28 that would have reverted to 1784 wording about hiring teachers who are Christian and public worship and other very sectarian things that have no place in our constitution now. Thank you, House Education Policy Committee!

The NH Senate will meet in voting session on Thursday, Feb. 19. If there are bills you want to influence, this is the time to contact your own senator. You can find your senator’s name and email at this link. There is no way to contact them with an online sign-in at this point in the process.

Long list of bills with unanimous committee recommendations on the Consent Calendar; floor debate highly unlikely. Among bills on the Regular Calendar , starting on page 11, up for debate and a vote is the following:

HB 186 legalizing adult use of cannabis, which comes out of committee with a 2-1 recommendation of Inexpedient To Legislate (= kill the bill). Detailed fiscal note for HB 186.

The NH House will also meet in voting session on Thursday, Feb. 19. CALL TO ACTION: Contact your own state reps, identify yourself as a constituent, and tell them how you hope they’ll vote on bills that matter to you. Find their names and emails by clicking on your town at this page. There is no way to use an online support or oppose form at this point on bills up for a vote Feb. 19.

Feb. 19 is the deadline for voting on “early bills”–bills that need to go to a second committee for another hearing and vote, often House Finance Committee because there is funding attached to a bill. Could be a long session! But a slew of bills are on the Consent Calendar, will be voted on in bulk without debate.

On the Regular Calendar is a major school funding bill, to increase state aid to public schools. HB 1799-FN, was recommended Inexpedient To Legislate by a vote of 10-8, presumably along party lines. Pro/con statements by the reps are on p. 27 of the House Calendar.

An attempt to remake public education bill: HB1792 came out of committee with a 9 to 8 vote of Ought To Pass. The majority’s blurb describes it as “the Charlie Act, named for the late Charlie Kirk, aims to substantially reorient public education towards American ethics, patriotism, and republican government and curb indoctrination into revolutionary, divisive ideologies, critical theories, violations of civil rights law and bias, and violations of the inherent and inalienable right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.” The other side points out “the bill is vague and potentially unconstitutional, particularly under the First Amendment’s free speech protections and existing state laws that prohibit discrimination and hostile educational environments.” [sponsors include some of the same people who sponsored the outrageous constitutional amendments we’ve told you about.]

HB 1811-FN, repealing statutory immunization requirements for children. It leaves the polio vaccine requirement in place, however. Vote was 10-8 recommending Ought To Pass. Expect floor debate.

Hearings in the Senate: To express your support or opposition on any bills having hearings in the Senate, use the Senate remote sign-in feature, preferably before the hearing or at least before midnight of the day the hearing is held for that bill. Jot down date, committee, bill number, and then go to it!

Tuesday, Feb. 17 10 am in Senate Election Law, State House.

HB365, held over from last year. This bill allows someone with no documentary proof of citizenship, who needs that paperwork to register to vote, to declare oneself “indigent” and get a voucher to acquire the documents needed. [League opposes this bill because it does not solve the immediate problem of wanting to register to vote and not having paper proof, but also because it is a demeaning process to sign an affidavit that one is “indigent.” The funding allotted in the bill is inadequate, according to the fiscal note, to pay for the other part of the bill, which requires a search of public records by staff in the Sec of State’s office on behalf on an individual.]

Hearings in the House: To express your support or opposition on any of the bills below, use the House Remote Sign-in feature, preferably before the hearing or at least before midnight of the day the hearing is held for that bill. Jot down date, committee, bill number, and then go to it! With apologies, I goofed with this link last week.

Friday, Feb. 20 House Judiciary, at Granite Place, room 230 beginning at 10 am

A number of bills relating to transgender issues. See the list and times here, click on specific bill numbers to see the text.

Wednesday, Feb. 25 House Judiciary, at Granite Place, rm 230, 1 pm.

HB1590. Lowering the gestational age from 24 to 20 weeks for permissable abortions.

What happened in the NH House on Thursday, Feb. 12?

Among the bills killed was HB 1716, requiring Education Freedom Account students’ evaluation results to be reported to the Department of Education. That would have put them on the same footing as public schools, which submit assessments to the state Dept of Ed. The bill was voted Inexpedient To Legislate 194-166. It’s dead. For more details read Garry Rayno’s column.

The House passed HB1719, which repeals the Hepatitis B vaccine requirement for schools and daycare attendees, vote of 206-153. It will move over to the Senate for another hearing in March or April.

Thank you to League members, former members, and others who volunteered for our town websites project!

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Legislative alert for Feb. 9-13 – some important bills in NH.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the House voted on a number of bills, including passing HB 1793 which removes the ban on carrying guns on college campuses. Vote was 188-165 in favor of allowing guns on campuses. The bill will next go to the House Finance committee, don’t know when.

The House will meet in voting session on Thursday, Feb. 12. If you want to influence the vote on any bill in the Calendar, contact your own state representative(s) and make your case. Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent.

Most of the bills are on the Consent Calendar and about 35 are recommended to be killed, so no action needed. [What this makes us realize, if not aware already, that legislators too often file bills that don’t pass muster with anyone.]

On the Regular Calendar are a few bills of interest:

In Election Law, the committee recommended along party lines to kill HB1678, to create a “portal” at the Sec of State’s website for people to update voter registration or begin the voter reg process. [League supports this bill.]

In Health & Human Services, the committee recommended Ought To Pass on HB1719 to remove the requirement for Hepatitis B vaccine from the childhood list. [Close vote of 10-8; weigh in with your reps if this matters to you.] A bill for a broader repeal of vaccine requirements was heard on Wednesday but has not yet been exec’d, so will not be voted on next week. Thousands of people signed in online on both sides.

In Science Tech and Energy, the committee recommended killing HB1002, which would have repealed the solar energy tax exemptions. Vote was 10-6; there could be a floor debate.

No Senate voting session on Feb. 12.

Hearings in the House next week:

Tues., Feb. 10

House Education Funding room 232 at 1 Granite Place

10 am hearing on HB 1121 Cost of an Adequate Education.  Amend RSA 193-E:2-b, I to read as follows:  

I. The [Legislature] shall use the definition of the opportunity for an adequate education in RSA 193-E:2-a to determine the resources necessary to provide essential programs, considering educational needs. The [Legislature] shall make an initial determination of the necessary specific resource elements to be included in the opportunity for an adequate education.  The specific resource elements necessary to provide the substantive educational content of an adequate education shall include: teachers, principals, administrative assistants, guidance counselors, library/media specialists, technology coordinators, custodians, nurses, instructional supplies, technology, professional development, facilities operations and maintenance, and transportation. [this bill seems to add the “specific resource elements” in the list, which are not included at present. What is omitted from the current considerations that should be considered? We don’t know and we’re not sure if this applies only to special education or is broader.]

Tuesday, Feb. 10

House Election Law room 158 at 1 Granite Place

10:20 HB 1601 calling on the Sec of State to create a voter information program, with emphasis on explanations of new voting laws. Bipartisan sponsorship. [of course League supports. We appreciate the progress the SOS has already made and want it to continue.]

11:20 HB 1330 allowing all registered voters to vote in state and presidential primaries regardless of declared party affiliation. [interesting. You will get the ballot of the party you ask for, no matter which party you are registered with. This bill has bi-partisan sponsorship. League takes no position.]

11:40 HB 1277 adding the driver’s license number as an ID verification option for absentee voters [League supports]

Call To Action: You may weigh in online, “I support” or “I oppose” on bills in House committees at [corrected from alert emailed on 2/6] Here is the corrected link for House remote sign-in: https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

Hearings in the Senate:

Tuesday, Feb. 10

Senate Election Law, in room 122 in State House

9:35 HB323 (a leftover from last year) to remove student IDs from the acceptable forms of ID for voting. [an amendment in the House left in the use of out-of-state drivers licenses, which is good for older people retiring to NH and no longer driving. But taking away student IDs, which young voters typically carry, even if they don’t have cars, disenfranchises our newest voters. League opposes the bill.]

Call to Action: You may sign in “I support” or ‘I oppose” on bills in Senate committees at this Senate remote sign-in link.

How do I find out who my representatives are and how do I get contact info for each? Go to this webpage of the Legislature’s website. Pick your town from the pull-down menu. If you live in a city, find your ward too. The list of your town’s reps and state senator will appear. Click on one of the names. There will be a brief bio, and an email; maybe a phone number or address too. Or if you know them personally, connect however you can.

Our elected officials need to hear what the voters in their district care about.

Last week we posted an alarm about a proposed constitutional amendment (one of about 2 dozen this year!) Here’s an update on the CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT bill that seemed like it would require teachers to be Christian and also require public teaching of religion. The hearing on CACR 28 was Wednesday afternoon.

League president Liz T. attended and testified; this is her take on the situation: Turns out the language in the proposed amendment would revert back to the 1784 language, when virtually all schools were run by churches. But the point of the bill, explained at great length at the start of the hearing, is to restore language that empowered towns and “parishes” etc. to spend money on education. Behind that explanation, though, was the hint that constitutionally the state does not have to support public education. Town empowerment language apparently was left out when the original Article 6 (the 1784 version) was amended in 1968 to get rid of the secular references. So Article 6 in our constitution now doesn’t reference Christians or public worship.

Okay. Having listened to the people behind the bill (constituents of the sponsor, Rep. Soti), I testified that if they want a bill to empower education funding, then write that bill. Don’t revert to outdated language, to which many of us would object on principle, and try to get that back in the NH constitution. I think the committee heard me. This CACR would both confuse and antagonize voters and should be killed in committee. But I suspect a bill truly saying what the speakers want—to overturn the court mandated state funding court cases by an originalist interpretation of the NH Constitution—would not get traction. Sorry, it’s too late to sign in online to oppose. We will update you when CACR 28 gets an executive session.

Repeating from last month: National issues are much in the news. If you wish to express your views to our Congress people, here are their phone numbers. You will reach an aide or an answering machine, but your remarks are tallied on each issue and reported to the Representative or Senator. Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent from New Hampshire.

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

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

• Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-district 1): 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 for Feb. 2-6, 2026

The NH Houe and Senate will meet in joint session on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 10 am for the Governor’s State of the State Address. May be carried on WMUR and/or NHPR. Can be watched live or after the fact at the Senate’s video website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5l3TVToXrA

The Senate will meet in voting session right after. (League has no priority bills in Senate voting session)

The House will also meet in voting session after the Governor’s speech. Below are some bills of particular interest.

CALL TO ACTION: to influence the vote on any bills on the House Calendar, call or email your own state representative(s), identify yourself as a constituent, and share your views. You can find your representatives and their contact info listed by town, at this webpage: https://gc.nh.gov/house/members/

Two Election Law bills to be voted on this week on the Consent calendar, neither is an issue as recommended by the committee.

Also on Consent, a number of housing bills will be killed (presumably because there are better bills in the pipeline).

Note that bills on the Consent Calendar rarely have a floor debate on voting day. The House votes to accept the committee recommendations on the bills, with one sweeping vote. You can read the list in the House Calendar, first 19 pages.

On the House Regular Calendar, beginning on p 20, anticipating floor debate, are a number of bills of interest, with the action recommendation of their respective committees:

HB 1793, prohibiting public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of firearms and non-lethal weapons on campus. Committee recommends OUGHT TO PASS by a vote of 7-6.

HB 1487, creating an independent commission to propose redistricting maps for the legislature to consider. Committee recommends INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE by a party-line vote of 9 to 7. [we are sad about that, believing an independent commission, even if only advisory, is a good thing to reduce gerrymandering.]

HB 1196, repealing the state Housing Champion designation and grant program. Committee recommends OUGHT TO PASS by a party-line vote of 10-8. [Housing Champion program is an attempt to increase affordable housing stock in NH. The NH Municipal Assn points out that “Housing Champions communities were responsible for approving 45% of housing units that were built in 2025.” ]

CACR 13, a proposed constitutional amendment, Providing that the office of register of probate and all references to such office be eliminated. Committee recommends OUGHT TO PASS, vote of 13-2. [a reorganization of duties several years ago left the registers of probate with virtually no work. Only way to eliminate the elected position is to change the constitution, which this bill would be step 1 to achieve.]

House committee hearings: The public may testify.

Tues., Feb. 3

House ELECTION LAW committee, room 158 at 1 Granite Place

Starting at 9 am, the committee will hold work sessions on various bills already heard. The public may watch but not testify at this point. Later in the day two bills of interest are being heard:

1:40 p.m. HB 1062, authorizing the Secretary of State to conduct random audits of the citizenship qualification of registered voters. [League and other voting rights advocates are concerned that the bill does not fund the work, does not specify how the random list is to be generated, and does not specify what will happen if a long-time voter is contacted and is unable at this time to prove citizenship. We’d rather not use the term “witch hunt.”]

2:20 p.m. HB 1247, requiring the Secretary of State to create, post on the SOS website, and otherwise distribute notice of proposed constitutional amendments. [these are sometimes the most important bills and the least understood. Might be a good idea to have them posted where they can be found and discussed, before one gets into the voting booth.]’

House MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVT room 154 at 1 Granite Place

10:20 am HB1512 would let towns decide whether families living in the town may accept education vouchers [all sponsors are Democrats] [seems odd that towns should be able to decide this as vouchers are state-funded and authorized]

Wednesday, Feb. 4

House HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND ELDERLY AFFAIRS room 158 at 1 Granite Place

9 am, HB 1811 Repeals all childhood immunization requirements for school and child care attendance in NH. [all sponsors are Republicans.]

Wednesday, Feb. 4

House JUDICIARY room 230 at 1 Granite Place

Three proposed constitutional amendments that seek to limit the powers of the Judiciary in NH and put more power in the hands of the Legislature.

10 am CACR 23

10:30 CACR 27

11 am CACR 29 which, in brief, says that decisions of the state’s Supreme Court shall not have the force of law. [all three bills, in our opinion, would profoundly affect the balance of power in our state government and thus deserve scrutiny.]

Wednesday, Feb. 4

House CRIMINAL JUSTICE ROOM 159 at 1 Granite Place

starting at 10 am, a long day of executive sessions, including 3 bills to reinstate the death penalty: HB1413, HB1730, HB1749. [the public may watch the committee debate, but may not testify at executive sessions]

Wednesday, Feb. 4

House EDUCATION POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, room 232 in 1 Granite Place, The public may testify.

Shocker bill of the week: 1 pm: CACR 28, sponsored by some of the same people who brought you the NH Citizenship bills of the past 2 weeks. The bill has as its title “Providing that town, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies may elect and contract with teachers.” But the proposed amendment would add these words shown below in bold to Article 6 of the NH Constitution; words struck thru struck thru would be eliminated from the constitution:

“As morality and piety, rightly grounded on high principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay, in the hearts of men, the strongest obligations to due subjection; and as the knowledge of these is most likely to be propagated through a society, by the institution of the public worship of the Deity, and of public instruction in morality and religion; …therefore, the several parishes, bodies, corporate, or religious societies shall at all times have the right of electing their own teachers, and of contracting with them for their support or maintenance, or both. …And every person, denomination or sect denomination of Christians demeaning themselves quietly, and as good subjects of the state, shall be equally under the protection of the law:  and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another, shall ever be established by law.” [we are not sure what to say here in response except gasp.]

UPDATE Feb. 5: League attended the hearing and realized that the whole point of the bill is not the Christian references. The sponsor merely replaced the more recent 1968 (non-sectarian) language with the original 1784 language, when schools were run by the churches. Turns out, this is all about school funding, because the language over the years dropped some language empowering towns to pay for schools. Rather than write a bill saying what they want to say, they dickered with this article in the constitution. I opposed it in strong language and told them to go write the bill they want. Don’t put something awful before the voters!  We’ll let you know what happens.

Friday, Feb. 6

House STATE-FEDERAL RELATIONS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, Room 228, GP

9:15 a.m. HCR 13, requesting Congress to call a constitutional convention relative to implementing term limits for elected members of both houses of Congress.

9:45 a.m. HCR 16, applying for a convention of the states under Article V of the Constitution of the United States. [on both of these bills, but especially the second, League of Women Voters at the national level has a position that opposes such constitutional conventions out of fear a runaway convention could happen, especially in fraught times such as these.]

CALL TO ACTION: To express your support or opposition to any House bills having hearings, jot down date, name of committee, and bill number. Then log-in and choose date, committee, and bill #. You may merely support or oppose, or you may leave a brief testimony. It matters! House Sign-in Remote Testimony

Senate hearings:

Tues. Feb. 3

Senate ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 122-123, State House

9:30 a.m. SB 587, creating criteria for redistricting of congressional, state senate and house, and executive councilor districts. The “Fair Maps Act” would work to eliminate partisan bias in redistricting. [of course, League of Women Voters support this bill. We just wish legislators of both parties had signed on as sponsors.]

Tuesday, Feb 3

Senate Energy & Natural Resources, Room 103, State House

9:20 am SB593 Bipartisan bill defines and regulates landfill expansions. This part of the bill may be the controversial part:  “To implement the state’s preference for landfill expansion over greenfield siting of new landfill capacity, notwithstanding any other provision in this section, landfill expansions shall be subject to approval solely by the department, and no municipal ordinance, bylaw, rule, regulation, agreement, or other restriction shall be effective to prevent the siting of a landfill expansion approved by the department.”

Wednesday, Feb. 4

Senate WAYS AND MEANS, Room 122-123,State House

9:30 a.m. HB 155, reducing the rate of the Business Enterprise Tax. [has been in the news as a reduction of a tax that makes little difference to any one business but significantly cuts state revenue overall. Has already passed the House with an amendment. It is this amended version that the Senate will hear testimony on.]

CALL TO ACTION: To express your support or opposition to any Senate bills having hearings, jot down date, name of committee, and bill number. Then log-in and choose date, committee, and bill #. You may merely support or oppose, or you may leave a brief testimony. It matters! Senate Remote Sign-in

Shenanigans at the Legislature? We leave you with a link to a NH Bulletin article published on 1/29 about the work-around used to fast-track a bill to the Governor’s desk without a public hearing. Legal, but is this how we want our legislature to behave? Here’s the article about mandating open enrollment and tuition payments by school districts: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/

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Legislative alert for Jan. 26-30, 2026

Thank you to all the people who signed in to support or to oppose key bills last week. In the House Election Law Committee the tallies were announced and are part of the permanent record. We discovered that’s not the practice in House Judiciary, which is a disservice to the public, we believe. Not sure about other committees this year.

With apologies and related to the above, we missed an important hearing last week, on HB 1114, a bill to preserve public comments on legislation, as part of the permanent record of a bill. League supports HB1114 because we believe that voters’ voices deserve to be heard. (It is too late to sign in online as the hearing was Thursday, but when it comes up for a vote we’ll let you know. It is in House Legislative Administration Committee, so if your own rep is on that committee, you can urge them to recommend Ought To Pass before next Thursday’s executive session.]

Bills coming up in the House committees:

Monday, Jan. 26

House Education Policy (room at Granite Place TBD) will be hearing two bills on school vouchers.

HB 1513 requires additional info gathering and reports for the education freedom account program.

House Ways and Means, room 159 at 1 Granite Place

11:00 HB1708 to increase the Business Profits Tax and reduce the Statewide Education Property Tax.

11:30 HB 1293, allowing towns to tax certain properties owned by charitable or non-profit organizations, if the property is valued at over $1 million. [no position by League, but this may be relevant to some communities. First thought is hospitals or academies that may be 501(c)3 entities.]

Tuesday, Jan. 27

House Election Law, room 158 at 1 Granite Place

Another long list of bills this week. These may be of most interest to voters:

10 am HB1627 proposes a single ballot primary for state and federal offices. “All candidates for an office shall be listed on a single primary ballot and all registered voters may vote for any candidate.” [League takes no position.]

10:20 HB1520 [again with apologies, I gave a heads up to this bill last week, but I gave the wrong NH citizenship bill number and even, embarrassingly, showed up to testify.] HB1520 defines both NH and US citizenship for the purposes of voting and requires the secretary of state to distribute NH citizenship cards [no such thing exists] to native citizens and those persons from other states who take an oath of allegiance to the state of New Hampshire [also doesn’t exist—any volunteers to write one?]. [LWVNH will testify in opposition to this bill that will only further confuse voters, at a projected cost of $2.5 million!] CALL to ACTION – sign in “I Oppose” HB1520. See directions below*.

11:00 am CACR14 and 11:20 CACR21, both of which seek to put into the NH Constitution things that are already in law and widely believed: that one must be a citizen and a legal resident of a community to vote. [Well duh. Waste of time to discuss, especially considering that a CACR requires a 3/5 vote of both House and Senate to get on the November ballot, and then a 2/3 vote of the public voting to become part of the Constitution. It’s a high bar because what is in our Constitution matters!]

2:40 pm HB1695  requires the Secretary of State to include a voter’s guide to any proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. [League was in on the planning of this amendment. As a nonpartisan organization committed to empowering voters, we have tried over the years to explain in neutral terms the implications of a yes vote and a no vote on proposed constitutional amendments that make it to the November ballot. But many people don’t see our explanation in advance, or any other explanation, get to the polls and are stymied by what the amendment would do and have no idea how to vote. If approved, this bill would require the Sec of State to include a clear statement on the ballot itself of what the constitutional amendment would accomplish. We wholeheartedly support this bill! Please sign in “I Support” on HB1695.]

House Municipal and County Govt, room 154 Granite Place

11:20 HB1309 The subject matter of all business to be acted upon at the town meeting shall be distinctly stated in the warrant, and the intent and effect of each warrant article shall be stated without deception or deliberate ambiguity.  [the italics are the proposed added language to this town meeting warrant articles law.]

Several other town meeting and warrants bills will also be heard. Check out the full list of bills in this committee at this site if one of your concerns is local govt.

Wednesday, Jan. 28

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety, room 159 at 1 Granite Place

10:30 HB 1034 prohibits carrying a firearm on school property, also prohibits hiring armed guards in schools absent the satisfaction of a criminal background check. [this is the flip side of some other firearms bills heard last week.]

11:00 HB 1047 makes killing the Governor or a state official a capital offense. [several other expansions of the death penalty and capital offense bills were heard recently]

House Judiciary Committee, room 230, at 1 Granite Place

2 pm, a proposed constitutional amendment: CACR 20, the power of the supreme and superior courts is repealed. [This puts the entire power to establish courts in the hands of the legislature. We suggest careful reading, because this appears to change the “balance of power” and “checks and balances” we all studied in high school. Part VIII of the bill seems to be an attempt to explain the bill to voters. This is a one-party sponsored bill.]

During the week, many of the House committees will hold executive sessions on bills already heard. The public may observe but not testify. If you are following particular bills, check the docket to see when it may have an executive session. At the executive session the committee discusses then votes how to recommend each considered bill. The bill will then go to the House floor for a vote on the amendment, but not before February.

In the NH Senate The Senate will meet in voting session on Thursday, Jan. 29. Most of their bills are on the Consent Calendar (meaning the committee recommendation was unanimous) so we think the session may be quick. None of our priority bills will be voted on. To check the list yourself, read the Senate Calendar.

Tuesday, Jan. 27

Senate Finance Committee, room 103 in the state house

1:15 pm. CACR 12, providing that a super-majority vote of the general court shall be required to enact any broad-based taxes.

* CALL TO ACTION: To post your “I Support” or “I Oppose” views, and short testimony if you wish, on House bills having hearings this week go to this NH legislature’s webpage. Jot down the date, committee, and bill number before you start to make the process easy. You will need to give your name and town. Your voice matters!

A League member asked me recently, why is the Fiscal Note for some bills, where obviously costs would be incurred, often zeroed out, with a comment like “no response yet from the department?” Here’s the explanation: It takes time for a department to do the kind of fiscal analysis that should be provided. What often happens is that bills with large fiscal implications get hearings in the committees, may get to the House floor for a vote (on the underlying proposal) and then go on to House Finance for another hearing, at which time the relevant department is expected to provide more solid information. Then the Finance committee makes another recommendation (ought to pass or inexpedient to legislate usually) and the bill goes back for another vote of the full House. That would have to take place by early April, and only if the bill passes that second time does it move forward to the Senate for another dual round of hearings. (Or the Senate and House process would be reversed, for Senate bills.)

That should give the legislators and the public plenty of time to look at the finances…eventually.

Today’s email from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School has this article heading: Voting Restrictions Picked Up Steam in 2025. States enacted 31 laws restricting access to the ballot in 2025, one shy of the record set in 2021.

National issues are much in the news. If you wish to express your views to our Congress people, here are their phone numbers. You will reach an aide or an answering machine, but your remarks are tallied on each issue and reported to the Representative or Senator. Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent from New Hampshire.

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

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

• Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-district 1): Call (202) 225-5456 / (603) 285-4300

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

• *&*&*

Legislation alert for week of Jan. 20-24

We apologize for this lengthy legislative alert. The House is holding hearings on a huge number of bills in the next two weeks. We have highlighted some of broad public interest and those that League of Women Voters consider priority issues. You can read the entire House Calendar at this link.

We have tried to use bold font and color differences to make it easier to skim to those bills you care about.

After the Senate bill list are directions to log-in your positions with the committees. After the House bills list are directions for log-in on House bills. Each is headlined “CALL TO ACTION”

Some of the bills being heard in the Senate next week include these:

Tues., Jan. 20

Senate ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 122-123, State House

9:15 am SB 437, creating a line on the [election reporting form] that enumerates the number of people who attempted to register to vote but were denied registration due to lack of required documentation (League supports this record keeping change, in light of more complex requirements for voter registration. We need to know whether the new requirements are preventing voters from registering. Please sign in “I support” – see directions below**)

Senate FINANCE, State House, room 203

1:30 pm SB 603, directs the dept of Health and Human Services. to transfer funds as necessary to compensate for any reduction in federal funds received by the state for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

1:50 pm SB 419, the housing champion designation and program and the affordable housing fund, and making appropriations therefor. [this program was supported by many last year but was not fully funded in the budget. Affordable housing is in short supply in NH. This is a Democrats-sponsored bill, flip side of HB1196 being heard in House Housing Committee, same time on same day.]

2:10 pm Hearing on proposed non-germane Amendment # 2026-0071s authorizing parents to enroll their children in any public school in the state and creating a limited exemption from parental consent required for certain recordings under the parental bill of rights. Amendment to SB 101-FN, authorizing parents to enroll their children in any public school in the state

Senate JUDICIARY, Room 100, State House

1:55 pm SB 463-FN, relative to possession of firearms in safe school zones.

Thurs., Jan. 22

Senate EDUCATION FINANCE, Room 103, State House, beginning at 10 am: a number of bills regarding school funding and school vouchers. See the link and the scheduled times at this link: For each bill listed, you can click on the bill number and see the sponsors and the text of the bill.

“CALL TO ACTION” on Senate bills

**For any of these Senate bills, you may testify in person or login your support or opposition on the legislature’s website.

1. Jot down date, committee name, and bill number before you begin, and then the process goes smoothly.

2. Go to Senate Remote Testimony and follow these steps.

3. Click on the date of the hearing, choose the committee, choose the bill by number. You’ll also be asked for your name and town.

4. You will need to check a box before your submission is recorded, saying your testifying is truthful etc.

5. Your opinion becomes part of the permanent record on each bill you choose. This needs to be done before 11:59 pm on the day a specific bill is heard. All above bills are already on the website, waiting for your input.

House committees are hearing many bills this week, including these:

Tues. Jan. 20

House ELECTION LAW, room 158 at 1 Granite Place Concord

10:00 am HB 1300, changing the state’s congressional districts [but we now expect a “replace all language” non-germane amendment that will change the entire bill. Mid-decade redistricting of congressional districts will be dead in the water. Instead the House will use this bill # to try to overturn last week’s vote in the House that defeated local property tax caps. Much to study. See below]. [no need to take action on HB1300 as it was published. See below for the amendment.]

10:15 am Public hearing on proposed non-germane amendment #2026-0093h to HB 1300. This amendment requires that at every even-year November general election, voters shall decide whether to cap local property tax increases for the next 2 fiscal years to inflation plus growth from new taxable properties. Copies of the amendment are available on the General Court website. [Basically a reboot of HB 675, which was defeated last week in the House. League has no official position on this bill. If you sign in pro or con personally, be sure to click on the box “for non-germane amendment” after you’ve indicated support or opposition.]

10:20 am HB 1487, creating an independent redistricting commission to propose redistricting maps for the legislature to consider. [League is delighted to support this bill. We’ve been arguing for an independent commission for more than 12 years. Please sign in “I support” on HB1487.]

11:00 am HB 1284, requiring the inclusion of a voter’s year of birth on the voter checklist.

11:10 am HB 1329, requiring the Secretary of State to add voters’ ages to the voter file. [League is not sure why these two similar bills are being proposed. Maybe the state will send us all birthday cards in future?]

11:45 am HB 1342, restricting access to certain information relative to voters subject to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. [This bill applies to military stationed overseas and other citizens living abroad only.]

1:00 pm HB 1678, requiring the Secretary of State to accept voter registration forms directly from voters and to create an online portal for direct voter registration. [this would be a big win for League and other voting rights group. We recognize that going in-person to the town clerk is an outmoded way of registering or re-registering when you move. We support this bill; please sign in to support HB1678.]

1:20 pm HB 1600, requiring the Division of Motor Vehicles to allow people to register to vote at the same time they apply for or renew a drivers license or nondrivers ID card. [League supports heartily. Many other states have been doing this for years. A convenience for all. Please sign in to support HB1600.]

House EDUCATION FUNDING, room 230 at 1 Granite Place. A number of school funding bills:

10:00 am HB 1714-FN, authorizing the state to issue bonds to fund public school expenses.

10:30 am HB 1826-FN, relative to the cost of an opportunity for an adequate education.

11:00 am HB 1831-FN, repealing the education trust fund targeted aid cap. Repeals last year’s budget cap on targeted education aid for students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch, but only in districts with 5,000 or more eligible students. That is only Manchester, which could lose $10 million as a result. The cost will be pushed onto local taxpayers. HB1831 repeals the cap before it takes effect, ensuring continued services for some of the state’s most needy students.

11:45 am HB 1104, modifying the priority of applications for school building aid grants.

1:00 pm HB 1827-FN-A, establishing a grant program to support school districts’ extraordinary needs and fiscal capacity disparities relative to providing an adequate education.

1:30 pm HB 1799-FN, relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education. [These are all important bills on one side or the other of the school funding issue. League is looking for people interested in following the bills and alerting us to key ones.]

House HOUSING Committee, Room 231, Granite Place

9 am HB1196 repeal the Housing Champions program and funding. [See the complicated fiscal note at the end. This is a Republican-sponsored bill, flip side of SB419 being heard on same day, same time in the Senate.]

A whole day’s worth of other housing related bills follow. Then more on Thursday, same room. League is looking for members with the interest to follow this complicated issue and alert us to specific bills.

House SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 229, Granite Place

3 pm HB1002, repeal the solar energy tax exemption. [If you are a solar energy user or believe that renewable energy is a good thing to encourage, you may want to weigh in against this one-party sponsored bill to take away a financial incentive to use solar power.]

Wednesday, Jan. 21

House EDUCATION POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 232, Granite Place

Starting at 10 am, a slew of bills micromanaging school curricula. [We’d love to have a League member attend and report on which of the bills seem to have legs, to actually move forward.]

[On Thursday, starting at 10 am, some of these bills will be exec’d,* Seems too fast to let legislators actually think about them.]

Wed. Jan. 21

House JUDICIARY, Room 230, Granite Place, a number of bills but this one has my blood boiling:

2:00 pm HB 1115, adding a definition of “citizen of New Hampshire” as a voting requirement. [We know we must be “residents” of the state and a town to vote in NH, and a “citizen” of the US. The bill calls for taking a “pledge of allegiance to New Hampshire”! But there is no such thing as a “citizen of NH,” nor should there be. [This is a personal rant from the writer of this legislative alert, but from the League’s viewpoint, it is just one more bill attempting to restrict voting. This writer can barely wait until Feb 3 when House Fish and Game holds a hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment, “CACR 15, providing that citizens of New Hampshire shall have the constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest game and fish, subject to restrictions existing in law.” Get ready to recite this non-existent pledge of allegiance to NH when you get your fishing license.] [League opposes.]

Friday, Jan. 23

House CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 159, Granite Place

Starting at 10:00 am. Continued public hearing on the capital punishment bills that drew so much attention last week: HB 1749-FN, reinstating the death penalty for murder offenses. 11:00 a.m. HB 1413-FN, reinstituting the death penalty in cases of capital murder. 1:00 p.m. HB 1737-FN, reinstating the death penalty for certain offenses against minors under 13 years of age.

Monday, Jan. 26

House FINANCE, Room 230, Granite Place

11:00 am HB 1750, making a supplemental appropriation to the Dept of Health & Human Services for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“CALL TO ACTION” on House bills

**For any of these House bills, you may testify in person or login your support or opposition on the legislature’s website.

1. Jot down date, committee name, and bill number before you begin, and then the process goes smoothly.

2. Go to House Sign-in Form and Remote Testimony Submission and follow these steps.

3. You’ll be asked to type in your name and town and email.

4. Click on the date of the hearing, choose the committee, choose the bill by number.

5. Most of you will choose I am “a member of the public” and choose representing “myself.”

6. Click on either ‘I support this bill” or “I oppose this bill”. If you wish, you may add a short testimony, but you don’t have to. Your opinion becomes part of the permanent record on each bill you choose. Then click on the “submit” button to review your choices and then submit.

This needs to be done before 11:59 pm on the day a specific bill is heard. All above bills are already on the website, waiting for your input.

*What is an executive session and when it is held? During an executive session, the committee that heard a bill discusses and then takes a vote among themselves about what action to recommend on each bill. It is a public meeting and the public may watch, but the public has no input at this point. The bills with their recommended actions then go to the full House or Senate for a vote. They will be listed on the Calendar the week before the vote is to be taken by the full House or Senate. While most committees do post executive sessions ahead of time, this is not required, and many committees act on bills the same day as the hearing, as time allows. The committee can recommend Ought To Pass, or Inexpedient to Legislate (which means kill the bill) or retain it for further study. More about that later. (partly borrowed from NH School Boards Assn email)

*&*&*

Legislative alert–Jan 12-20, 2026

Jan. 7 & 8 were voting days for the House and Senate on bills retained last year. Here are some bills that made the news:

The Senate: HB 451 established the paint product stewardship program. There are bipartisan sponsors, and the bill now goes to the Governor. This is the beginning of an unused paint collection program, funded by a small fee tacked on to each can of paint purchased. Testimony revealed that over 50% of the “hazardous waste” collected by towns is unused paint.

HB481 would change the state/federal primary from September to June, starting in 2028. The House had already passed it; Senate did too on Jan 7. Will go to the governor.

In the House

Election law: HB 317, preventing a supervisor of the checklist from verifying a person’s identity without identification, even if they personally know that person. Passed mostly along party lines; goes to the Senate.

CACR4 (a proposed constitutional amendment which would need a supermajority vote to get on the November ballot) says “only legal resident citizens who actually reside in the place they claim as domicile” may vote. Failed to get the necessary 3/5 vote in the House. Bill is dead.

HB 323, requiring the presentation of a government-issued photo identification in order to vote, basically bans use of student IDs [though LWVNH and others would argue that state schools that issue IDs are government issuers]. Passed the House; will go to the Senate.

HB 365, relative to proof of United States citizenship for “indigent” voters. This bill would allow someone who doesn’t have a document to prove citizenship to declare themselves “indigent” to get a voucher, to be used to get a birth certificate copy. [Passed the House, will go to Senate.

Housing: The “Partners in Housing program would reduce costs and accelerate housing production by identifying municipal and county-owned land suitable for development and expediting the planning board review process.” The House killed the bill on 1/7/26

Health/Judiciary: HB186 is another attempt to legalize recreational cannabis for adults. Passed the House 208-135; now goes to House Finance.

Education:  HB748 to set up a study committee for creating local Education Freedom Accounts. This bill was tabled in the House.

HB675, creating a school budget cap for local communities, was amended and argued and failed dramatically on a voice vote!

Other bills that passed: SB268: a bill to segregate bathrooms by gender, similar to bill that Gov. Ayotte vetoed last year.

House passed SB33, a book-ban bill.

HB121, allowing the state Dept of Education to take over schools in trouble and to require audits: passed 187-154.

Looking ahead: here are some of the hearings coming up January 12 to Jan. 20, as listed in the House Calendar:  these bills are all in House committees, with hearings held at 1 Granite Place (south tower). To make your opinion known online to the committee, log in to the House remote testimony website. You’ll need date, name of committee, and bill number. You can click “I support” or “I oppose”.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee, working overtime on Wed, Thurs, & Friday, room 159.

Wednesday, Jan. 14, starting at 10 am, a number of firearms bills

At 2:30 and 3:00, three bills to reinstate NH’s death penalty (which was abolished in 2019. NH has one person on death row.) HB1749 and HR1413 and HB1737.

Thursday, Jan. 15, at 10 am, HB1730 making the rape of a minor punishable by death.

Friday, Jan. 16 starting at 10 am, several bills about domestic violence.

Housing, room 231:

Tues., Jan. 13 starting at 9 am, a number of zoning-related bills.

Thursday, Jan. 15, starting at 10 am, bills about affordable housing and ADUs.

To follow housing issues in more detail, visit Housingactionnh.org and sign up for their weekly newsletter. It’s excellent!

Education Policy, room 232 on Wed. Jan. 14 at 1 am, HB1493 requiring health classes in high school to show gestational development videos (Gov. Ayotte vetoed a similar mandate last year.)

Education Funding, room 232

Monday, Jan. 12 at 2:15: HB1819, “requires the state board of education to annually review education freedom account service providers for continued compliance with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws” just as required for public schools.

Thurs Jan. 15 starting at 9:30, a number of bills about special education funding.

Election Law, room to be announced. First hearings on Tuesday, Jan. 20. We’ll have specifics about bills in next week’s Legislative Alert.

The filing period for town and school board elections in most NH towns is January 21 to 30. SB2 towns will hold deliberative sessions shortly thereafter. Elections and Town Meetings in most towns will be March 10 for elections, town meetings held within the week.

Make sure you are registered. The Secretary of State offers this website you can check. If not, we suggest registering in advance at your own town clerk’s office. You’ll need a photo ID, proof of where you live, and if you are registering for the first time in NH, you’ll need to prove citizenship. Bring your documents!

***

Legislative alert for January 5-10, 2026

Hearings on new bills in the NH Legislature will begin the week of January 12-16. Over 900 bills have been submitted; it will be a busy year.

League of Women Voters NH will focus on election law bills. We’ll also try to track public school funding bills, some healthcare legislation that is of broad public interest, and other bills that get a lot of public attention.

If you wish to testify in person, or maybe just to sign in pro or con on a particular bill in person at a hearing, keep in mind that the Legislative Office Building (behind the Capitol) is closed for renovations. All House committee meetings will take place about a mile and a half north, at 1 Granite Place, Concord, in the South Tower. The good news: plenty of free parking in the lots. Bad news: so far the cafeteria is not in operation. But we’ve been promised that all the meeting rooms have been set up for video/audio streaming so you can watch from home.

The Senate will continue to meet in the State House hearing rooms.

January 7 (and also Jan. 8 for the House) are voting days for the House and Senate on bills retained last year.

If you wish to influence the vote on any of the bills up for votes on Jan 7 & 8, contact your own state rep or state senator. No, you can’t just click a button online to “support” or “oppose” at this stage. Use email or phone your own reps/senator. Identify yourself as a constituent by giving your name and town. Then tell them what the bill means to you and how you hope they will vote.

The Senate committees have determined (mostly unanimously) that many of their bills should be killed or allowed a slow death by voting them to interim study (they won’t actually be studied).

One bill in the Senate that may produce a floor debate is HB 451 establishing the paint product stewardship program. There are bipartisan sponsors. The committee recommended Ought to Pass, by a vote of 3-2. This is the beginning of an unused paint collection program, which could help the environment but requires development of a plan by paint manufacturers.

In addition, HB481 that would change the state/federal primary from September to June, starting in 2027. The House already passed it; Senate is likely to do so.

The House also has a long list of leftover bills, many of which were addressed in other bills in 2025 so are no longer needed. Of the remaining likely to be debated, most with party-line recommendations from their committees, are these:

Election law: HB 317, preventing a supervisor of the checklist from verifying a person’s identity without identification, even if they personally know that person. Majority recommends Ought To Pass (10-7). Supporters argue that “this bill closes a loophole in NH’s voter ID law that allows an election official to let someone vote simply by claiming personal knowledge of the individual.” Opponents argue that “This unnecessary bill eliminates the longstanding (albeit very rarely used) ability of some election officials to recognize registered and qualified voters at the polls by sight and personal knowledge. It is the classic bill that is a solution in search of a problem; it also takes a needless swipe at the integrity of our outstanding election officials. No testimony was offered to suggest that this procedure has ever been misused, and one could argue that an identification based on personal knowledge is more reliable than one reliant on a bit of plastic that often has a less than flattering image. The bill is yet another attempt to throw a roadblock in the face of a qualified (but perhaps forgetful) voter, who may have left their ID at home inadvertently.” [LWVNH opposes this bill because it is one more attempt to limit the voting rights of people who don’t conform to the majority: elderly and disabled people are more likely not to have IDs in their possession, yet should be able to vote if they are registered.]

CACR4 (a proposed constitutional amendment which would need a supermajority vote to get on the November ballot) says “only legal resident citizens who actually reside in the place they claim as domicile” may vote. That is the existing concept of who may vote; opponents believe the precise phrasing leads to ambiguity and confusion. This comes out of committee on a party line vote of 10-7 as Ought To Pass. [LWVNH opposes; no further confusion over qualifications to vote is needed.]

HB 323, requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote, basically bans use of student IDs [though LWVNH and others would argue that state schools that issue IDs are government issuers]. This comes with an Ought To Pass party-line recommendation. [LWVNH opposes this bill, recognizing that for some young voters who can’t yet afford to drive and for some voters who rely on work IDs this could result in their being turned away. A photo ID proves only identify—look at the photo, look at the face—at the polls, so there is no logical reason for this bill.]

HB 365, relative to proof of United States citizenship for “indigent” voters comes out of Finance committee with a 16-9 Ought To Pass recommendation. This bill would allow someone who doesn’t have a document to prove citizenship to declare themselves “indigent” to get a voucher, to be used to get a birth certificate copy. [LWVNH and opponents note that the bill does not address the time and know-how needed to do this. Nor is the bill funded. We’d rather see the use of affidavits to prove citizenship restored.]

Housing: If you’ve been following housing issues in NH, you’ll know that a bill passed handily last year but ultimately didn’t make it into the budget. The “Partners in Housing program would reduce costs and accelerate housing production by identifying municipal and county-owned land suitable for development and expediting the planning board review process.” The bill is back with a new number HB572. You can find the committee arguments from both sides on p. 35of the House Calendar.

Health/Judiciary: HB186 is another attempt to legalize recreational cannabis for adults. Committee recommends Ought To Pass by a vote of 10-7.

Education: HB491 would establish a committee to study alternative funding methods for public education and how to reduce reliance on local property taxes. The committee recommends Inexpedient To Legislate 10-8, arguing that both the House and the Senate have already set up special committees to do this work.

HB748 has been amended to set up a study committee for creating local Education Freedom Accounts. Committee recommends Ought To Pass as Amended along a party line 10-8 vote. [the original bill on this plan to let local communities create their own school voucher programs, in addition to the state program now in effect, drew a lot of online comments: 25 in favor, 2,637 opposed.] [League opposes this use of public funds for private education without oversight or assessment.]

*On a related note, this quote from Reaching Higher NH on Dec. 14: Only 343 students left their district public school for the Education Freedom Account voucher program this year, in spite of new legislation dramatically expanding eligibility. Expansion has not caused families to run from their local public school. The number of students leaving their district school for the voucher program increased by only 46 students this year.” The article points out that the majority of families taking part were already enrolled in private schools or were home-schooled. Over 10,000 students are now getting state funding for private or home-school education expenses.

***Our next legislative alert will be coming to your email on Jan. 9 or 10. We’ll identify key bills coming up for hearings in the following week or two.

Legislative update from League of Women Voters New Hampshire. Sept. 2025.

In January we will resume sending legislative alerts weekly, when the Legislature begins its second year of the 2025-26 session. For now they will be sent just occasionally, when there is a significant event connected to the legislature.

First update is that there are over 400 bills filed so far for the new session. They aren’t just repeats of bills that failed—that’s not allowed, although some may tinker around the edges of failed bills and pretend to be new. We’ll have more info in December; right now all we have are bill titles.

On Sept. 16 the House Election Law Committee held an executive session to deal with bills they had “retained” last spring. Voting to retain a bill usually means the bills may have some merit but need some work, in the opinion of the committee. A subcommittee apparently has worked on them, and several amendments were discussed in the executive session. Some bills were recommended ITL (Inexpedient To Legislate, which means ‘kill this bill”). We won’t bother commenting on those. Among the other bills that will be voted on by the full House in January are these: [comments in italics in brackets are those of a League member who attended the executive session.]

• CACR4 a proposed constitutional amendment relating to voting eligibility. Providing that 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. The new language in this is “legal resident.” Doesn’t change anything, just makes one wonder what an “illegal” resident might be but still a citizen? [this is a proposed constitutional amendment, which means it needs a 60% vote in the House and Senate to make it onto the ballot, and then a yes vote from 66.6% vote of those voting in November. Let’s not fret about it now.]

• HB317 preventing a supervisor of the checklist from verifying a person’s identity without identification, even if they personally know that person. [since 2012, when NH enacted a photo ID law to get a ballot, this option has been used by elected officials at the polls to deal with people who don’t regularly carry IDs, such as non-drivers for reason of age or disability. But it’s also been used, in small towns especially, to deal with obstinate voters who are protesting the law. This bill essentially says to them, “Get over it. Show your ID. Stop asking for special treatment.” Where do your sympathies lie? Mine are not with the elderly woman I overheard once who said to her husband, “You told me I didn’t need to bring my purse because you were driving. Now what do we do?” And If she can’t be formally recognized by an election official, he will have to drive her home, retrieve her purse, and drive her back to the polls. And make his own lunch because she’s in a snit.]

• HB323 narrows the list of acceptable IDs to “government-issued photographic means of identification” in order to vote, in other words disallows student IDs. [okay, it seems an ID from a public high school or UNH, for example, should be considered “government issued,” but we know the goal of the bill sponsors is to make it harder for students to vote, so the legislature will nitpick this definition. Sad. In the last election we had more young people voting than ever before, and now that will be harder.]

• HB686:requiring a voter to provide identification when requesting an absentee ballot.[This requirement already went into effect Sept. 30 of this year via another bill last spring. So they tacked on a non-germane amendment, which I can rant about in principle another time. The amendment tries to define more closely “electioneering” by public employees, and judging by the arguing among the committee members, it fails to do so. It will move forward on a party-line vote for Ought To Pass.]

• SB103 would require some big towns (over 15,000 population) to have more than one polling location. [intent is to cut long lines that happened in a few towns recently. Bedford and Londonderry were mentioned by name. It will be interesting to hear the towns’ reactions,]

Higher Education: Our attention was caught by a WMUR article last week related to UNH. Apparently a promised grant to UNH falls into the same category as grants to some other colleges nationwide that aim to give a boost up to low-income students or those who may be first-generation college students in their families. As if the state budget cuts to NH’s college and university system aren’t enough to cope with … read the article here.

https://www.wmur.com/article/trump-trio-grant-low-income-new-hampshire-91725/66633445?

***Rally coming up: Mark Saturday, October 18 for the next “No Kings” rally. Concord’s is noon to 4 pm in front of the State House, rallies in other places at other times. [Many of us see this rally as a cry to restore the balance of power in the federal govt., to demand the system of checks and balances be preserved. I just saw a bill submitted in the US Senate recently, S2838, with this header: “A bill to protect our democracy by preventing abuses of Presidential power, restoring checks and balances and accountability and transparency in government, and defending elections against foreign interference, and for other purposes.” Kind of sums it up.]

Reminder about elections: Coming up on Oct. 7 in Franklin, on Nov. 4 in Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Dover, Keene, Laconia, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Rochester, and Somersworth —municipal and school board elections (plus a special election in Berlin to fill a state rep vacancy). Local elections matter. If you live in one of our cities, make a voting plan. Bring your photo ID. And if you have time, consider becoming a ballot clerk in your own city ward. Call your city clerk to find out the need and ask about training.

LWVNH and our partner organizations in the NH Campaign for Voting Rights are seeking volunteers to be election observers. You do NOT need to live in the city where you will be observing. Zoom training is provided. Contact NHCVR for more information. We want every eligible voter to be able to cast a ballot; observers can help make that happen!

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 2025-2026. 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.