"No, I make no pretension to patriotism. So long as my voice can be heard on this or the other side of the Atlantic, I will hold up America to the lighting scorn of moral indignation. In doing this, I shall feel myself discharging the duty of a true patriot; for he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins." – Frederick Douglass "Love of God, Love of Man, Love of Country," speech at Market Hall, New York City, October 22, 1847
Dear State House Watchers,
Well, here we are at session’s end. The House and Senate wrapped up their business on Thursday, approving the budget bills and most of the Committee of Conference reports, closing a session marked by dramatic steps backward for the cause of civil rights, human dignity, and well-being. This will be our final regular issue of State House Watch for the 2025 session, but we’ll be back in a few weeks with a summary of the outcomes and our ‘take’ on the highs and lows of the past six months. We all deserve a restful and inspiring summer vacation, so we hope you’ll be spending it in ways that give you joy, nourish your creativity, and strengthen your connection to the long and often beautiful labor of love, justice, and solidarity.
Community readings of Fredrick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” took place in 16 towns yesterday, hosted by the Black Heritage Trail of NH. Read more here about Douglass’ history in New Hampshire and how his powerful words resonate with our current condition.
Legislators passed the budget bills by party-line votes in the Senate and the smallest margin in the House, following a veto threat by the governor over Group II retirement benefits for police, EMTs, fire fighters and corrections officers, and preparation of a continuing resolution in anticipation of a failed negotiation. After the first budget vote in the House, which failed, intense negotiations ensued with a few reluctant Republicans, one of whom was assured that Republican leadership would strongly support a proposal in the next session to defund refugee resettlement in the state. The maneuvers worked to secure enough votes to get it done. The governor’s concern for retirement benefits and school aid for Manchester were resolved in a separate bill that passed the Senate unanimously and with only 14 dissenting votes in the House.
As we have done all session, and in every budget year, we turn to the NH Fiscal Policy Institute for the full story. Read it here.
From InDepthNH: “The $15.7 billion package, down from the $15.9 billion, ‘invests no new money in housing, the overwhelming, number one issue in our state,’ said Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua. ‘It makes a deep, 18 percent cut to the University System driving up tuition and pushing away young talent from our state. Families will continue to struggle with high rents and hefty property tax bills while businesses will face difficulties recruiting and retaining a strong workforce,’ she said. Rosenwald added the budget does nothing for the rising cost of housing, health care, child care, higher education and energy. It cuts 18 filled positions from the Department of Corrections, she noted and issues a ‘tax’ to the poorest families for their health care and calls for a $51 million back of the budget cut for Health and Human Services which will disrupt health care.” Read more here. And here.
We appreciate these words from Keith Kuenning about some of the most irresponsible cuts in the new budget: New Hampshire’s budget betrays our children. “The proposed budget does more than neglect the needs of vulnerable youth — it actively undermines the very systems designed to protect them. Most troubling among these changes are deep cuts to the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), a vital safeguard created in 2017 after the tragic deaths of two young children who had been involved with the Division for Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)…. The Office of the Child Advocate was created to prevent tragedy. Gutting it now is a decision we will come to regret — because history, when ignored, has a cruel way of repeating itself. New Hampshire, we have seen this story before. The tragedies that led to the establishment of the OCA were not that long ago. We were there, we saw the news headlines. Let’s not live through it again.”
We also appreciate this op-ed from our friends Rev. Allison Palm and Rev. Jon Hopkins who had advocated in vain for Governor Ayotte to fulfill her promise to meet with faith leaders during this consequential session.
The state budget includes language that allows the governor to select the YDC settlement fund administrator, taking that power away from the NH Supreme Court, and also gives her the power to override victim settlement agreements. Three YDC victims filed a lawsuit on Friday in opposition to this change; they – and many others – had agreed to the settlement process believing that it would be fair. Read more here and here.
Also in the budget is language that eliminates state-mandated automobile inspections.
The governor signed the budget bills on Friday, as well as 32 other pieces of legislation that had made it to her desk. Read more here.
We’re happy to see that the bill to impose mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug-related offenses was defeated when the Senate failed to approve the Committee of Conference report for SB 14. Read more here. And listen to Representative Jodi Newell’s powerful floor speech in opposition to the proposal, sharing her own experience of the loss of a loved one and her insights into a failed strategy.
Scroll down for action alerts on several voter suppression bills and a bill that will undermine tenant protections, all of which passed the legislature on Thursday and are headed to the governor’s desk for final action. Please urge her to veto these harmful bills, as well as the multiple bills that will hurt transgender adults and young people in our state.
News from Washington, DC
At the national level, the news is bleak and alarming. The US Supreme Court issued several rulings as it wrapped up its session last week, including against universal injunctions, thereby limiting the power of judges to curtail the overreach of the Trump Administration, and effectively allowing temporarily for the Administration to block birthright citizenship. Read more here, here, and here. From AFSC: “This decision is an affront to constitutional rights, common sense, and the wellbeing of our communities. It also undermines the legal system as a whole and the ability of federal courts to put a check on presidential power in particular. However, the Supreme Court did not rule on the issue of birthright citizenship itself. We will continue to work with partners and communities across the country to challenge both unjust immigration policies and authoritarianism more broadly. We will be in Congress, in the courts, in our communities, and in the streets working for a world where democracy is upheld and our families are not torn apart. Our communities are stronger and safer with immigrants.”
The Supreme Court also ruled in favor of those who insist that a public school system have ‘opt out’ policies for parents to remove their child from a classroom when the material being taught conflicts with the family’s religious beliefs. Read more here.
An attempt to pass a War Powers resolution in the US Senate failed on Friday. Even though it was defeated, we’re glad to see that Senators Shaheen and Hassan voted in favor of the measure, and we urge them to find additional ways to restrain the Administration from further acts of war against Iran. Read more here.
The big news in Congress at this moment is the debate in the Senate on the federal budget reconciliation bill. At this writing, Senate Republicans have cleared a procedural hurdle and are preparing for 20 hours of debate, prior to which the full 940-page bill will be read aloud. A vote on the bill itself could take place late Sunday or on Monday. Read more here. If Senators approve the budget bill, it will need to return to the House of Representatives for agreement. Here's a summary of the differences between the House and Senate versions.
Last week we saw continued chaos and devastation as immigration agents terrorized communities and treated human beings with deadly disregard. We mourn the death of Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian man who died on Friday in ICE custody in Miami, the eighth person to die in ICE custody this year.
We appreciate this statement from the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) in response to the proposed addition of 36 more countries to Trump’s travel ban, most of which are African or Caribbean: “This is not about safety — it’s about racial exclusion. Once again, Black migrants are being scapegoated and used as political pawns in a white nationalist fascist agenda," said Nana Gyamfi, BAJI’s Executive Director.
ACTION ALERTS
Please help to defeat several bills that are headed to the governor’s desk. You can contact Governor Ayotte by phone (603) 271-2121, or email (GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov).
Urge her to VETO 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.
Urge her to VETO bills that will harm transgender adults and youth:
VETO HB 377 and HB 712, which would deny gender affirming care to young people.
VETO HB 148, which would allow discrimination against transgender people in bathrooms, athletics, and jails/prisons.
Urge her to VETO HB 324, which would ban books in NH schools.
Urge her to VETO these harmful election-related bills:
VETO SB 213, relative to electioneering by public employees.
VETO SB 218, relative to absentee ballots.
VETO SB 287, requiring applicants for absentee ballots to present a copy of their photo identification with their application.
VETO HB 613, relative to use of accessible voting systems.
You can also use this pre-drafted, customizable email template from Open Democracy.
Share Your Story with New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights (NHCVR) for a storybook to present to the Governor highlighting the impact SB 287, in addition to the other restrictive absentee voting bills, would have on real people who vote absentee, especially people with disabilities, older people, veterans, retired members of law enforcement/firefighters, undeclared voters, and ‘snowbirds.’
WATCH “Union” on Thursday, July 17 at 6:30 PM at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst Street, Manchester. This film documents the successful and against-all-odds effort by overworked Amazon employees to unionize Amazon’s JKF8 Warehouse in New York. Hosted by the New Hampshire Faith & Labor Alliance, several New Hampshire unions and friends of labor. Join us for a screening of this full-length documentary (102 minutes). Program begins at 6:30 PM; film begins at 7:15 PM. The tickets are free, but it’s important for folks to register here. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Contact Senator Shaheen and Senator Hassan directly or through 5 Calls and urge them toOPPOSE HR 1, the federal budget reconciliation bill that includes devastating cuts to healthcare and food assistance while at the same time increasing funds for deportation, detention and border wall construction. Faith leaders from across the country have signed a letter urging leaders to vote down this bill. Read more here .
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen - https://shaheen.senate.gov, (202) 224-2841
Sen. Maggie Hassan - https://hassan.senate.gov, (202) 224-3324
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 and Senate
On the last day of the session, the House and Senate voted on the final recommendations for each Committee of Conference (CoC), including the state budget bills. Here are the outcomes for all of the CoC reports on our tracking list:
HB 1-A, making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2027. HB 1 is the spending plan for the State of New Hampshire government for the fiscal years 2026 and 2027, effective from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. Senate adopted the report, (roll call, 16Y-8N); the first House vote failed (roll call, 182-183); then the House adopted the report (roll call, 185-180).
HB 2-FN-A-L, relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures. HB 2 is the accompanying or enabling bill for the budget, or HB 1. Senate adopted (roll call, 16Y-8N); the House adopted (roll call, 184-183).
HB 60, relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term. House and Senate adopted.
HB 67-FN-A,relative to agreements with the secretary of state for the use of accessible voting systems. House and Senate adopted.
HB 71-FN,(Second New Title) prohibiting the school facilities to be used to provide shelter for aliens [sic], relative to department of health and human services contracts, requiring the use of public notices before re-assessment of property values for tax purposes, and relative to construction of a public pier on Hampton Beach and making an appropriation therefor. House and Senate adopted.
HB 143, (New Title) relative to the issuance of no trespass orders on municipal or school district property, the responsibility of local school districts to provide meals to students during school hours, and reimbursing schools for meals provided to students at no cost, and relative to expanding the crime of endangering the welfare of a child. House and Senate adopted.
HB 154, enabling voters to request to have their ballots hand-counted. House and Senate adopted.
HB 273, relative to a parent’s access to their minor child’s library records. House and Senate adopted.
HB 282, (New Title) increasing the maximum benefits for first responders critically injured in the line of duty, relative to the determination of education adequacy grants and calculation of certain group II benefits within the retirement system. House and Senate adopted.
HB 377-FN, (New Title) relative to health care professionals administering hormone treatments and puberty blockers and relative to recognizing the second Thursday in October as children’s environmental health day. House and Senate adopted.
HB 464, (New Title) prohibiting certain candidates for political office from participating in counting ballots. House and Senate adopted.
HB 506-FN,(New Title) relative to background checks during motions to return firearms and ammunition and relative to invalidating out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants and relative to requiring schools to engage an owner’s project manager for construction of school building aid projects at the time of application. House and Senate adopted.
HB 557, relative to the information that appears on the school budget ballot. House and Senate adopted.
HB 613, (New Title) relative to use of accessible voting systems. House and Senate adopted.
HB 701, (New Title) relative to the terminal patients’ right to try act. House and Senate adopted.
HB 710-FN, (New Title) enabling electric utilities to own, operate, and offer advanced nuclear resources, and relative to purchased power agreements for electric distribution utilities and limitations on community customer generators. Conferees could not reach agreement. The bill is defeated.
HB 712,(New Title) limiting breast surgeries for minors, relative to residential care and health facility licensing, and relative to the collection and reporting of abortion statistics by health care providers and medical facilities. House and Senate adopted.
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. House and Senate adopted.
SB 14-FN, (New Title) relative to the penalty for certain fentanyl-related offenses; relative to establishing a mandatory minimum sentence for the crime of distribution of a controlled drug with death resulting; and relative to amending the penalties for the possession and use of a quantity of psilocybin for persons 18 years of age or older. Senate laid bill on the table. The bill is defeated.
SB 97-FN, relative to intra-district public school transfers. House and Senate adopted.
SB 108-FN, relative to the department of energy. House and Senate adopted.
SB 118-FN, (Second 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; establishing the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund; and permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use. House and Senate adopted.
SB 232, clarifying certain net metering terms and conditions. House and Senate adopted.
SB 291, relative to the religious use of land property tax exemption. House and Senate adopted.
SB 213, (New Title) relative to electioneering by public employees. House and Senate adopted.
SB 218, (New Title) relative to absentee ballots. House and Senate adopted.
SB 221, (New Title) relative to the verification of voter rolls annually. House and Senate adopted.
SB 287, requiring applicants for absentee ballots to present a copy of their photo identification with their application. House and Senate adopted.
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.
Asylum Screening Tool – From the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, this tool offers a template that practitioners can use to help identify possible asylum eligibility. The screening questions are intended to elicit information about the basis of an asylum claim, identify possible bars and challenges, and flag areas where further follow-up may be needed. Accompanying the screening tool are some notes to help guide practitioners in assessing relief and spotting potential issues.
Job Postings
America Votes NH is hiring for a full-time Voting Rights Campaign Director as a part of a team focused on elections, campaigns, and voting rights in New Hampshire. The Voting Rights Campaign Director will lead a nonpartisan coalition, the NH Campaign for Voting Rights (NHCVR), and work with the America Votes coalition to organize around key voting rights issues in the state legislature, build relationships with stakeholders, and ensure voting access for all Granite Staters. Learn more and apply here.
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 July 2 vigil will be at Pappas' district office, 15 Third Street, Dover. The July 9 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!
Monday, June 30
Rights & Democracy NH Summer Training Series - 6 PM to 7:30 PM. Hosted by Rights & Democracy. Join RAD’s summer training series to learn how to talk to people you disagree with, have real conversations that matter, and build a world that works for all of us—one conversation at a time. This training series will occur every Monday and Wednesday from July 30 through August 20.
Tuesday, July 1
Immigrant Solidarity Vigil – 9 AM – At the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street, Manchester. For more information, contact GSOP, gsopstaff@granitestateorganizing.org.
ACLU Briefing: Inside the Supreme Court Term - 5 PM. Hosted by ACLU. Join the ACLU and our team of legal experts for a debrief of the most critical rulings of this Supreme Court term. Learn about how these rulings influence the work ahead and how you can get involved.
Wednesday, July 2
DACA Community Call: What Can DACA Recipients in Texas (and anywhere) Expect - 7 PM to 8 PM. Hosted by United We Dream. Join us to hear updates from legal experts on the 5th Circuit’s decision on DACA, what the latest DACA decision means for recipients in Texas and beyond, and how to stay protected with trustworthy resources and guidance.
Sunday, July 6
Steps Toward a Democracy Money Can't Buy - Seacoast Walk - 3 PM. 66 Rock St, Portsmouth. Hosted by Open Democracy NH, League of Women Voters NH. Lace up your sneakers and join us as we walk away from big money in politics! We’ll kick off with remarks from powerful speakers at Rock Street Park before joining the Civil Rights Sunday’s group at Market Square. From there, we’ll walk together to Peirce Island for a view of Fort Constitution—building momentum for change, one step at a time. Ice cream and pocket Constitutions will be provided!
Tuesday, July 15
Teaching Public Health (Part 1): Promoting Learning – 1 PM to 2 PM. Hosted by Boston University School of Public Health. This is the seventh installment of our Teaching Public Health series, which began in 2018. This year’s program will feature a series of three discussions that convene contributing authors from the second volume of Teaching Public Health, which is set to be released this fall. The additional programs will explore the themes of Building Community (Session 2) and Ensuring Currency (Session 3).
Thursday, July 17
Good Trouble Lives On Rally - 2 PM to 6 PM. NH State House, 107 N. Main St. Concord. Hosted by NH 50501. Come celebrate the legacy of John Lewis as we remind our representatives that Good Trouble Lives On! We will have speakers, entertainment, refreshments, and sign making.
“Union” – 6:30 PM at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst Street, Manchester. This film documents the successful and against-all-odds effort by overworked Amazon employees to unionize Amazon’s JKF8 Warehouse in New York. Hosted by the New Hampshire Faith & Labor Alliance, several New Hampshire unions and friends of labor. Join us for a screening of this full-length documentary (102 minutes). Program begins at 6:30 PM; film begins at 7:15 PM. The tickets are free, but it’s important for folks to register here. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Thursday, July 24
Mary Anne Trasciatti - Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: The Rebel Girl, Democracy, and Revolution - 6:30 PM. Gibson's Bookstore, 45 S. Main Street, Concord. Born in Concord, NH in 1890, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was involved in almost every major campaign of the U.S. Left in the first two thirds of the twentieth century. An outstanding orator, writer, and tactician, Flynn is one of the most important figures in the history of the American labor movement. Inspired by the Irish freedom struggle and appalled by the exploitation and grinding poverty she saw around her, she devoted her life to the advancement of civil liberties. In her new book, Mary Anne Trasciatti traces Flynn’s personal and political life to explore the broader social issues of a fraught era.
Friday, July 25 to Sunday, July 27
5th Annual Youth Organizing & Leadership Retreat - World Fellowship Center, Albany, NH. Hosted by 350NH Join us for a student-run leadership and organizing retreat for students across NH! Organizing for a better world is challenging in these times, but our Youth Organizing Team is up for the challenge. If you are looking for a way to get more involved in climate justice organizing, want to learn how to turn your frustration into action, or want to build youth power in NH then please join us for our leadership and organizing retreat. Deadline to sign up is June 25th! Learn more at the information session on June 26th here.
Saturday, August 9
Ward 5 Community Meeting - 10 AM to 2 PM. Manchester Community Resource Center 4th fl - 434 Lake Ave, Manchester. Hosted by Owen Westover. Join your neighbors for an open, grounded conversation about the future of our ward. This meeting is for all of us—renters and homeowners, workers and small business owners, lifelong residents and recent arrivals. In times of challenge and change, our strength is in how we show up for each other. After the forum, stay for informal conversation and connection. Snacks and drinks will be provided. We are working to provide Spanish interpretation to ensure everyone can participate.
Thursday, August 21
Storytelling and Narrative for Refugee and Immigrant Communities: Building Solidarity, Allyship, and Influence - 5 PM to 6:30 PM. Hosted by We Are All America and others. Join us for the next session of We Are All America's Leadership Development Program, a bimonthly workshop series designed to empower refugee and immigrant organizers across the United States. Led by immigrants and refugees for immigrants and refugees, this program offers valuable opportunities to learn advocacy tactics, shift narratives, and connect with resources and networks to create more welcoming and inclusive communities. Through these workshops, participants gain the skills and knowledge needed to advance pro-refugee and pro-immigrant policies at both state and national levels.
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!