State House Watch: June 1, 2025

“You become strong by doing the things you need to be strong for.” —Audre Lorde

Greetings, State House Watchers,

We begin by offering joyous congratulations to our co-worker Grace Kindeke who graduated last week from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in Africana Studies and Sociology. Well done, Grace! Your friends and family, your colleagues, and your ancestors bear witness to your courage, tenacity, and brilliance.

Pride month has begun! We thank Queerlective for this statewide calendar of events. Join the celebrations near you, and take a moment to contact Governor Ayotte to urge her to veto HB 148, a bill that will codify discrimination against transgender people in NH.

We are headed into the remaining weeks of the 2025 state legislative session. Both the House and Senate will meet on Thursday, June 5 to act on their remaining bills. The Senate will also debate and vote on their version of the state budget. We will then move into the Committee of Conference (CoC) phase of the process, when bills (including the budget bills) that have passed both bodies but in different versions must be accepted, reconciled in a CoC, or rejected. June 12 is the last day to form CoCs, and June 19 is the last day for agreement to be reached within the CoCs. The final votes of the session will take place on Thursday, June 26.

The Senate Finance Committee has been making changes to the version of the state budget they received from the House. Read more here about their decisions to restore some of the state boards that had been eliminated by the House, as well as some funding for the University System of New Hampshire. Additional information here. The fate of the Office of the Child Advocate is still unclear, and access to Medicaid has not been fully restored.

To learn more, we plan to attend the NH Fiscal Policy Institute webinar on Tuesday, June 3 at 10:30 AM. Register here. (We also appreciate this NHFPI blog post about the impacts on NH households of the federal budget reconciliation bill that passed the US House of Representatives on May 22.)

The dramatic expansion of the already costly school voucher program seems certain this year, which means that more public funds will be used to support religious schools. Read more here: “In the four years since New Hampshire launched a school voucher program, 11 of the 28 Christian schools in the state have either newly opened or grown by at least 50%, a Concord Monitor analysis of state enrollment data found. Overall, statewide enrollment in independent Christian schools – which now educate almost one-fifth of private school students – has increased 30% during that period, from 2,242 to 2,911 students…. A Monitor survey of the 25 schools that received at least $100,000 in EFA funds in 2022-23 found that up to 27% of the schools’ total annual revenue comes from the government program. The outsized impact of EFAs on Christian schools should come as no surprise. In the 2022–23 school year, nearly 90% of all voucher dollars spent on tuition went to religiously affiliated schools, the Monitor previously reported. A quarter of that funding was concentrated at just four institutions: Laconia Christian, Concord Christian, Portsmouth Christian and Mount Royal.”

Immigration news
The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration another tool for mass deportations last week, by granting permission to end the humanitarian parole program for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The decision means that more than half a million people who have been lawfully present in the United States are now vulnerable to deportation. Combined with a previous Supreme Court decision to allow the cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, and Trump Administration decisions to end other TPS benefits, more than a million people are having their legal status stripped from them. The disruption to families and communities is immeasurable and immoral.

Two New Hampshire towns – Hanover and Lebanon - are on the Trump Administration’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions that are at risk for punitive measures unless they take action to reverse these policies. The threat comes despite any clear definition of what constitutes a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Rockingham County has announced its participation in a 287g agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, as has Hillsborough County. See the growing list here. Even where these agreements are already in place, it is important to continue to urge our state, county, and local law enforcement to reject or withdraw from these agreements, and if not, to shrink their participation to the most narrow of circumstances. We do not want our communities to be over-policed in service to a xenophobic and racist agenda.

We’re grateful for this op-ed by Dana Wormald in the NH Bulletin: Because of suspicious minds, New Hampshire communities are caught in a trap. “Whatever defense the right raises for the persecution of certain immigrants, the price paid at the neighborhood level is far too high and will last a generation or longer. When due process is denied by fiat, when the innocent are purposely ensnared in an inescapable net, when cultural profiling is not only tolerated but invited, how can “melting pot” bonds be formed and nurtured? When discrimination is sanctioned and diversity is criminalized, how are our city blocks and cul-de-sacs strengthened now and tomorrow? How are we to find our empathy when the stories of different lives, lived honestly, are erased by paternalism? At a very basic level, there are two ways to take part in society. You can see people as threats, or you can see them as partners. When the popular pendulum swings toward “threat,” which is the state and nation we are living in now, the risk of community deterioration grows. It is only through the embrace of partnership that villages thrive.”

Other recent disheartening moves by Governor Ayotte include her signing into law a bill that gives Sig Sauer protection from lawsuits related to injuries caused by their weapons, and her denial and disregard for a request by Pamela Smart for a commutation hearing.

We’re watching with interest the latest maneuvers at Market Basket – where Arthur T. Demoulas has been placed on leave - with memories of the inspiring actions by staff and customers in 2014 in solidarity with the CEO and his pro-worker policies.

ACTION ALERTS
The House and Senate will meet in session on Thursday, June 5. There are many harmful bills scheduled for votes:

Please contact your Representatives and urge them to OPPOSE the following bills. You can find their contact information here.

OPPOSE SB 72-FN, establishing a parents’ bill of rights in education. From the minority report: “In school settings, this bill creates a new requirement that school staff respond to ‘any and all’ parental inquiries, regardless of their appropriateness, surveilling students’ romantic and personal relationships, and in effect undermining the Department of Education’s One Trusted Adult Program.”

OPPOSE SB 14-FN, relative to the penalty for certain fentanyl-related offenses. From Rep. Buzz Scherr for the Minority of Criminal Justice and Public Safety: “This bill and the majority’s proposed amendment continue the failed practice of using mandatory minimums to fight the war on drugs. Fentanyl is dangerous and kills people, just as meth and heroin have been doing for decades. The state and federal use of mandatory minimums in the 1990’s put in place to deal with the scourge of meth and heroin led to huge increases in incarceration rates for drug offenses. They failed to win the war on drugs, a war we continue to fight today. No evidence exists that New Hampshire judges, most of whom were appointed by Governor Sununu, are failing to craft appropriate sentences for those selling drugs, including fentanyl. Yet, mandatory minimums for fentanyl continue to have a superficial political attraction as an easy solution. But they always fail in practice. We do not need to spend even more money on prisons for a solution that doesn’t work.”

OPPOSE SB 96, relative to mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents. From the minority report: “It is imperative to realize that at times students may prefer to speak to someone other than a parent. They may be struggling with gender identity, friendships, or social dynamics. It becomes a serious dilemma to expect an educator to make the decision whether or not to document and decline sharing information. It is much too subjective to expect teachers to know whether or not the disclosure will result in abuse. This places an unfair burden on the educator. Students have rights and those rights need to be protected. This bill fails to respect those rights.”

OPPOSE SB 100, relative to violations of the prohibition on teaching discrimination. This harmful bill would prevent the teaching of true history and is a thinly veiled attempt to codify the “divisive concepts” law (which NH courts have already ruled as unconstitutional). 

OPPOSE SB 213, relative to absentee voting. This burdensome bill requires voters provide proof of identity, U.S. citizenship, age, and domicile again when applying for an absentee ballot. It also requires a witness affirmation signed by a Notary Public or Justice of the Peace to confirm the voter's identity, imposing undue burdens that are likely to suppress turnout. 

OPPOSE SB 295-FN, (New Title) relative to education freedom accounts. This bill moves household income thresholds for the school voucher program. From the minority report: “When we take into consideration the precarious financial situation facing New Hampshire, where nearly every other program and agency in the state is being dealt significant cuts, this is not the time to expand such an unpopular program. Moderate estimates indicate that the cost of expanding the program could easily run to $17 million. Other estimates put the cost at much higher. This particular bill is really not much more than a diversion seeking to focus attention away from the fact that the voucher program is being expanded by adding a so-called cap to the enrollment numbers for the program. However, this cap is not a cap because when a certain percentage of the cap is reached, the cap is increased by 25%. A cap is not a cap when it does not cap anything.” Read more here. 

Please contact your Senator and urge them to OPPOSE the following bills at Thursday’s session. You can find their contact information here.

OPPOSE HB 60, relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term. This pro-eviction bill would harm tenants and increase homelessness in a state already experiencing high housing costs and low housing availability. Although it has been amended to be less harmful, we agree with housing advocates that enabling state law to make it easier in any way for tenants to be evicted without just cause is unconscionable. 

OPPOSE HB 10-FN, establishing the parental bill of rights. 

OPPOSE HB 115-FN, relative to universal eligibility for the education freedom account program. 

OPPOSE HB 71-FN, prohibiting the use of the facilities of a public elementary school, a public secondary school, or an institution of higher education to provide shelter for aliens who have not been admitted into the United States and relative to department of health and human services contracts.

OPPOSE HB 377-FN, relative to health care professionals administering hormone treatments and puberty blockers. This bill prohibits the performance of a medical procedure or the prescription or issuance of medication, upon or to a minor child, that is intended to alter the minor child's gender or delay puberty. This bill also provides for a limited period in which a health care provider may systematically reduce or taper puberty-blocking or cross-sex hormone medications or drugs to avoid harm to a minor already receiving treatment.

OPPOSE HB 712-FN, limiting breast surgeries for minors. 

OPPOSE SB 221, relative to the verification of the checklist. From the minority report: “This bill, as amended, requires an annual purging of voter registration records using a five-year look-back period, replacing the current 10-year purge using a look-back period of four years. Put another way, if you have not voted in the past five years, you will be purged from the voting records. While the minority supports record verification more than once every 10 years, purging annually will be expensive for each municipality and will result in many voters being wrongly disenfranchised. A less expensive and more reliable alternative would be for New Hampshire to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which is a bipartisan group of state election officials that responsibly share their data for these purposes.”

Key:
LOB – Legislative Office Building (33 N. State St. Concord)
SH – State House (107 N. Main St. Concord)
OTP – “Ought to Pass,” the recommendation for approving a bill or an amendment
OTP/A – Ought to Pass with Amendment
ITL – “Inexpedient to Legislate,” the recommendation for defeating a bill or an amendment. 
ITL” can also be used as a verb.
“Without Recommendation” - This indicates that the committee vote was a tie for both ITL and OTP.  During the House session, these bills will be considered first as Ought to Pass.
Re-refer – When a Senate committee wishes to hold onto a bill for further consideration. The recommendation to re-refer must be approved in the full Senate. The committee will have until the end of the calendar year to meet about the bill and make a recommendation for further action. 
Retain – When a House committee wishes to hold onto a bill for further consideration. The committee makes this decision for themselves; approval in the full House is not needed. The committee has until the end of the calendar year to make a recommendation for further action.
RC – Roll call vote. Each legislator’s vote is recorded and attributed to them.
VV – Voice vote
DV – Division vote

Last week in the House 
The House did not meet in session last week.

Last week in the Senate
The full Senate did not meet in session last week.

Coming Up in the House 
The House will meet in session on Thursday, June 5 starting at 10 AM. Watch it here. Here are the bills on our tracking list that will be deliberated and voted on.

On the Consent Calendar

COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
SB 47, requiring certain health insurance policies of a birth mother to provide coverage for a newly born child from the moment of birth. Committee recommends OTP.
SB 89, enabling non-citizens who are legally authorized to work in the United States to deliver alcohol. Committee recommends OTP. This bill proposes to amend New Hampshire law to allow non-citizens who are legally authorized to work in the United States to deliver alcoholic beverages. This change would expand employment opportunities in the alcohol delivery sector to include individuals with valid work authorization, such as those holding work visas or permanent resident status. 
SB 245-FN, prohibiting surprise ambulance billing and regulating ground ambulance reimbursement. Committee recommends OTP-A. From the committee report: This bill, as amended, closes a longstanding gap in consumer protection by addressing surprise billing for ground ambulance transport and unsustainably low insurance reimbursements that threaten emergency medical services (EMS) operations. The bill prohibits balance billing by out-of-network ambulance providers and establishes a fair, predictable reimbursement framework.

WAYS AND MEANS
SB 249-FN, relative to the uncompensated care and Medicaid fund. Committee recommends OTP-A.

On the Regular Calendar

CHILDREN AND FAMILY LAW
SB 72-FN, establishing a parents’ bill of rights in education. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY
SB 14-FN, relative to the penalty for certain fentanyl-related offenses. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL.  

EDUCATION POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION 
SB 57, establishing a study committee to analyze reducing the number of school administrative units. Committee recommends OTP-A.
SB 69-LOCAL, relative to acceptance of or rejection of charitable contributions, gifts, or donations by local school boards. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL.
SB 96, relative to mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL. 
SB 100-FN, relative to violations of the prohibition on teaching discrimination. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL. From the minority report: “This legislative attempt to stifle free speech will undoubtedly send a chilling effect into classrooms where teachers fear their credentials are at risk by there being a mechanism for mere speculative reports of a “violation” in teaching the honest history of painfully complex topics like racism. The lasting effects of racism on and in communities have taken hold for generations and exist still today. This bill takes things another step further by refusing to acknowledge that certain groups have historically had disproportionate access to funding, resources, access to the ballot box, and other rights delayed or still not afforded to them. By failing to acknowledge this, we do an injustice to the work and progress many communities have made in seeking equality under the law.”
SB 206-FN, requiring public schools to adopt policies to limit the use of cell phones by students. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL.
SB 210, establishing a study committee to study the issue of school bullying. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL.

ELECTION LAW
SB 213-FN, relative to absentee voting. Majority recommends OTP-A; minority recommends ITL. 
SB 218, relative to absentee ballot outer envelopes. Majority recommends OTP-A; minority recommends ITL. From the minority report: “This bill, as amended, would compel New Hampshire voters who need to register before they can request an absentee ballot to prove they are US citizens in order to receive a ballot. The bill assumes that all voters have access to their citizenship documentation, can afford to obtain copies of such documentation, and have access to a copier and/or a computer. The bill’s sponsors and advocates offered no evidence in the public hearing that the bill would make voting more ‘secure.’ For instance, no evidence was adduced to show that non-citizens are impersonating registered voters or are otherwise using absentee ballots. The minority is not surprised by the absence of any relevant evidence, as noncitizens face up to one year in federal prison for voting in federal elections – and also risk deportation. Given these penalties and the absence of any evidence for illegal voting by non-citizens, the minority believes that the bill will not realize any benefit to the public. Furthermore, the minority would prefer to wait until the resolution of the existing lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of last year’s HB 1569 (2024), which imposed citizenship requirements for voter registration. For these reasons, the minority recommends Inexpedient to Legislate.”
SB 221, relative to the verification of the checklist. Majority recommends OTP-A; minority recommends ITL. 
SB 287, requiring applicants for absentee ballots to present a copy of their photo identification with their application. Majority recommends OTP-A; minority recommends ITL.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION 
SB 178, relative to the department of health and human services laboratory services for testing of water supplies. Committee recommends OTP-A.
SB 180-FN, designating Coos county as a distressed place-based economy. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends OTP.

FINANCE 
SB 118-FN, (New Title) relative to the personal needs allowance of residents of nursing homes; making an appropriation to the department of health and human services for Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility staff; and establishing the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund. Majority committee recommends OTP. Minority committee recommends OTP-A.
SB 295-FN, (New Title) relative to education freedom accounts. Majority committee recommends OTP-A. Minority committee recommends ITL. 

Coming Up in House Committees
There are no hearings in House standing committees next week.

Coming Up in the Senate 
The full Senate will meet in session on Thursday, June 5 starting at 1 PM. Watch it here. Here are the bills we’re tracking which will be deliberated and voted on. 

On the Regular Calendar

CAPITAL BUDGET 
HB 25-A, making appropriations for capital improvements. Committee recommends OTP-A.

CHILDREN AND FAMILY LAW
HB 560, relative to parental access to a minor child’s medical records. Committee recommends OTP.

COMMERCE 
HB 60, relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term. Committee recommends OTP-A.

EDUCATION 
HB 10-FN, establishing the parental bill of rights. Committee recommends OTP-A.
HB 115-FN, relative to universal eligibility for the education freedom account program. Committee recommends OTP-A.
HB 361, prohibiting mandatory mask policies in schools. Committee recommends OTP.

EDUCATION FINANCE 
HB 718, requiring the state board of education to report the unfunded financial impact to school districts for rules adopted by the board which exceed state or federal minimum standards. Committee recommends OTP-A.

FINANCE 
HB 71-FN, prohibiting the use of the facilities of a public elementary school, a public secondary school, or an institution of higher education to provide shelter for aliens who have not been admitted into the United States and relative to department of health and human services contracts. Committee recommends OTP.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
HB 377-FN, relative to health care professionals administering hormone treatments and puberty blockers. Committee recommends OTP-A.
HB 712-FN, limiting breast surgeries for minors. Committee recommends OTP-A.

Coming Up in Senate Committees 
You can watch the Senate hearings here. You can sign in for Senate bills here. And you can contact Senate committees here.

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025 

FINANCE, Room 103, SH 
10:00 AM EXECUTIVE SESSION 

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2025 

FINANCE, Room 103, SH 
1:30 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION

Recommendations
The YOCOP (Youth Organizing Community of Practice) 2025 Mutual Aid Fund is open and accepting applications. Find more information here: YOCOP Mutual Aid Fund Application and the YOCOP Mutual Aid Fund Policy.

Are you finding it hard to keep up with all of the harms being enacted by the current administration? Here’s a helpful but daunting report: Documenting the Damage - 100 Harmful Policies from the First 100 Days of the Second Trump Administration. And you can track all Trump executive orders and actions here.

Do you live, work, attend school, or do business in Concord? The City of Concord’s Diversity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging (DEIJB) Committee is seeking to understand the lived experiences of Concord’s diverse community groups regarding access to city services, programs, and opportunities, and feelings of belonging and inclusion. Sign up now for a focus group interview here. 

Job Postings
The Resource Organizing Project (ROP) is hiring two positions to focus on donor and funder organizing across New England. The first position is a Donor Organizer who will be working to recruit and engage cross-class individual movement donors. The second position is an Associate Director for Resource Mobilization who will co-lead our overall strategy for expanding the pie of movement resources through collective fundraising projects. Learn more about both positions and apply here.

Upcoming Events 
Many thanks to Mike Franklin for creating this list of weekly vigils for peace and justice across the state. Find it here. 

Much gratitude to Occupy Seacoast for this comprehensive calendar of actions across the state. Find it here. 

Every Third Tuesday
Protect, Resist and Build with AFSC– 8 PM to 9:30 PM. Hosted by AFSC. Monthly webinar series that brings together AFSC constituents to learn about how to protect, resist, and build just peace, just migration, and just economies.

Every Wednesday
Solemn Vigils for Ceasefire Now - 2 PM in Dover at the district offices of Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congressman Chris Pappas. The June 4 vigil will be at Pappas' new district office location, 15 Third Street, Dover. The June 11 vigil will be at Shaheen’s office, 340 Central Avenue, Dover; we gather at the entrance to Henry Law Park.

Every Thursday 
Meeting for Worship with Attention to Peace in Palestine & Israel - 5:30 PM. Hosted by AFSC.

Solemn Vigils for Ceasefire Now – 12 noon at City Hall Plaza, in front of the State House, Concord.

Every Friday 
AFSC Action Hour for a Ceasefire – 12 noon. Join AFSC staff every Friday at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. 

Stronger Together: Protect Our Neighbors Weekly Visibility – 4 PM to 5 PM. Hosted by the Stronger Together Coalition. Corner of North Main Street and Loudon Road, Concord. Join us for a weekly visibility to stand against the war being raged against our communities. Our immigrant loved ones and neighbors are being targeted and kidnapped off the streets. Our public dollars are being funneled into a violent, bloated deportation and detention machine while local police are being weaponized against the communities they are supposed to serve, and life-giving programs are being defunded. Stand with us to protect our communities. All are welcome! 

June is Pride Month! 
We thank Queerlective for this statewide calendar of events. Find the ones near you!

Monday, June 2
A Call to Love One Another – ecumenical worship service – 6:30 PM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 79 Clinton Street, Concord. Join faith leaders from several denominations who will lead us in this ecumenical worship service uplifting the message to love one another, no exceptions. During these times of uncertainty, when people of faith in NH are feeling disconcerted & the values of justice and dignity seem under strain, the power of coming together—across traditions, across differences—in a spirit of love, offers hope. We are very grateful that Bishop Rob, Reverend Gordon Rankin, and Reverend Erica Baron will co-lead this service. This service will also be livestreamed via Wesley United Methodist Church's livestream which can be found on their website. Whether you are a person or faith or not, please join us for soulful nourishment.

Tuesday, June 3
Poetry Reading with Martín Espada – 5 PM to 6 PM. Hosted by Witness at the Border. Martín Espada will meet with the Witness at the Border community for a reading and discussion about his recently released book “Jailbreak of Sparrows.”

Wednesday, June 11
Paint Me a Road Out of Here Film Screening & Panel Discussion - 6 PM. Colonial Theater – 20 Commercial Street, Keene. Featuring artists Faith Ringgold and Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, Paint Me a Road Out of Here uncovers the whitewashed history of Ringgold’s masterpiece, “For the Women’s House,” following its 50-year journey from Rikers Island jail to the Brooklyn Museum in a poignant, funny, and true parable of a world without mass incarceration. The screening will be followed by a talk back with Joseph Lascaze from The Sentencing Project, and AFSC’s Ophelia Burnett, founder of O So Beautiful: The Women’s Reentry Initiative.

Thursday, June 12
Supporting Our LGBTQIA+ Community - 6 PM. Hosted by Unitarian Universalist Action NH. 

With best wishes,
Maggie Fogarty, Grace Kindeke and Kathleen Wooten 

AFSC’s New Hampshire “State House Watch“ newsletter is published to bring you information about matters being discussed in Concord including housing, the death penalty, immigration, education, civil liberties, and labor rights. We also follow the state budget and tax system, voting rights, corrections policy, and more. 

The AFSC is a Quaker organization supported by people of many faiths who care about peace, social justice, humanitarian service, and nonviolent change. Maggie Fogarty and Grace Kindeke staff the New Hampshire Program which publishes this newsletter. Kathleen Wooten is AFSC’s State House Watch researcher and database manager.

"State House Watch" is made possible in part by a grant from the Anne Slade Frey Charitable Trust. Your donations make our work possible. Click the DONATE NOW button on our web page to send a secure donation to support the work of the AFSC’s New Hampshire Program. Thank you!