Latest news with #EducationFreedomAccounts
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House, Senate dispense with other priority bills
On a busy final day of regular legislative business, the New Hampshire House of Representatives and state Senate acted on some major bills including a permanent expansion of Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) along with a bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use in New Hampshire public schools. There were a few hiccups Thursday as the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to set aside a Senate-passed bill (SB 54) that would impose more penalties on motorists accused of driving drunk who refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. State Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, had convinced the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee he chairs to add to the bill a proposed mandate that K-12 schools offer at least one hour a year of firearms training. Without debate, the House voted 256-106 to table the bill, effectively killing it for the year. State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, authored the EFA expansion (SB 295) that has now passed both the House and the Senate. Currently, EFAs are only available to families that make up to 350% of the federal poverty level, which is just above $100,000 for a family of four. The bill would eliminate the income limit but place an initial enrollment cap of 10,000 students; presently abut 5,400 are enrolled. The Senate still has to agree with changes that the House made to the bill on Thursday before passing it, 190-178. Sen. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, said EFAs have been very popular among middle class New Hampshire families. But Rep. Kate Murray, D-New Castle, said this expansion will cost the state at least $17 million more a year and she said the public at large doesn't like EFAs. 'Between the thousands of emails and online sign-ins against this bill, and warrant articles passed in communities throughout the state, the public has repeatedly expressed its strong disapproval of the voucher program,' Murray said. 'Instead of listening to the people we were elected to represent, Republicans voted to raise taxes to expand an unpopular program to that subsidizes wealthier households whose students are already in private schools.' Cellphone ban The House gave final approval to the cellphone ban (SB 206) that would direct all school boards to adopt policies that prevent student access throughout the school day. Earlier this year, the House and the Senate approved separate, more limiting bills that merely directed local officials to adopt the plans to deal with the issue. Gov. Kelly Ayotte urged the Senate to approve the House plan, which was similar to what the governor proposed in her budget last February. 'Screens are distraction for students and a barrier for teachers to do their jobs. A bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in the classroom will help kids focus on learning and let teachers do what they do best without being the phone police,' Ayotte said in a statement. 'I'm glad to see the House pass this today and thank them for taking action to help deliver a best-in-class education for all of New Hampshire's students.' In another mild surprise, the House voted 170-168 against legislation to move the state primary election from September to June in time for the 2026 election. Last March, the House had approved a different bill to make that change but to not have it begin until 2028. Rep. Matt Wilhelm, D-Manchester, said state and local election officials along with the candidates need more time to cope with the change. House Election Laws Committee Ross Berry, R-Manchester, had said there was still time to act, but the House narrowly disagreed. 'OK, I guess it's 2028,' Berry said in response. The state Senate has yet to approve the House-passed bill (HB 481) to move the primary for the 2028 election. klandrigan@
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The week ahead: Hot button bills face lawmakers in final, regular week of business
The final week of regular business for the New Hampshire Legislature features showdown debates on many top issues, from parental rights and mandatory prison terms for drug dealers, to a 'bell-to-bell' ban on cellphone use in public schools and universal access to Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). While much of the attention at the State House will be on the finishing touches to a proposed two-year state budget in the Senate, lawmakers face a Thursday deadline for final action on all other bills. Once they clear those decks, the closing weeks of the session will come down to the work of committees of conference to be named to thrash out differences between competing versions of the same bill. Gov. Kelly Ayotte has listed parental rights as a priority issue for her to achieve in 2025 and the House and Senate each have their own versions (HB 10 and SB 72) to debate this week. The real battle is in the House where House Child and Family Law Committee Chair Debra DeSimone, R-Atkinson, has crafted a compromise said to have the backing of Senate GOP leaders. DeSimone defended the most controversial provision that could prevent minors from being able to obtain contraception without parental consent. 'Disastrous consequences' 'No children should ever be prescribed any medical procedures or medication without parental consent to protect all children from undue and unnecessary harm by parental knowledge and information provided concerning family history,' DeSimone said. 'This bill is necessary to continue to build a strong, healthy society.' Rep. Heather Raymond, D-Nashua, said such a policy could have disastrous consequences. 'In states like Texas which now require parental permission for birth control, teen pregnancy rates have increased along with the rates of maternal and infant death,' said Raymond, noting that New Hampshire has the lowest teen birth rate in the U.S. House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, has reworked a bill (SB 14) that also has Ayotte's backing to impose longer minimum mandatory prison sentences for possessing large amounts of fentanyl or selling drugs that cause someone's death. 'It's time for New Hampshire to reclaim its place in New England as the state that dealers fear to tread,' Roy said. Roy's proposal would allow a judge to impose a more lenient sentence if the offender met several conditions including a clean record prior to this latest conviction. 'Under this bill, if a defendant is cooperative with law enforcement, not a leader in a drug dealing organization, does not have a recent conviction for the same thing, and the charges do not involve violence, a judge is free to use their discretion,' Roy said. Rep. Buzz Scherr, D-Portsmouth and an appellate law expert, said the bill is a political talking point, not an answer to dealing with deadly overdoses. 'Mandatory minimums for fentanyl continue to have a superficial political attraction as an easy solution, but, they always fail in practice,' Scherr said. 'We do not need to spend even more money on prisons for a solution that doesn't work.' Firearms training in public schools Roy championed another sweeping and controversial provision, adopting a mandatory one-hour firearms training course in K-12. A former police officer, Roy attached his provision as an amendment to an unrelated bill (SB 54) that would increase the penalty for someone accused of driving drunk who refuses to take a blood alcohol test. The House and Senate will each vote on two bills (SB 295 and HB 115) allowing all families regardless of income to receive a taxpayer-paid scholarship to help offset their student attending a private, religious, alternative public or home school program The House is likely to approve Ayotte's approach to cellphone use, which is to direct school boards to adopt policies that restrict access throughout the school day (SB 206). Both the House and Senate have passed versions of a more lenient reform that would give school boards more latitude on when they would be accessible. Democrats on the House Finance Committee oppose this latest idea because Republicans rejected their attempt to carve out an exemption for any teacher who wanted to incorporate cellphone use into a specific lesson plan. In other actions: • Mandatory mask policies (HB 361): The Senate is likely to pass this House-endorsed bill to block school districts from requiring mask wearing; former Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed an identical bill last year; • Capital budget (HB 25): The Senate will vote on its version of a two-year budget for public works projects financed by state, federal and fee-backed bonds. • Risk pools (SB 297): Secretary of State David Scanlan opposes and HealthTrust, the largest risk pool, supports this bill to allow either regulation by Scanlan or the Insurance Department of these programs that offer health, property or liability insurance to governmental units. klandrigan@
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Critical comment sparks final EFA committee vote
The House budget chairman's claim that all New Hampshire school board members were 'corrupt' sparked the final committee vote Wednesday recommending legislation (SB 295) to remove income limits for families eligible to get Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). The comment from Rep. Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, came as he lashed out over what he described as the failure of public schools to improve student test scores even as taxpayers pay more to support K-12 education. 'This educational system we have in our state is a failure; it just keeps going up in costs and no increase in testing results, no discipline at all because school boards are just corrupt,' Weyler said. He accused the public-school lobby of pulling out all the stops to try and stop expansion of the taxpayer subsidies for parents to send their children to private, religious, alternative public or home school programs. 'You have thousands of people working for this corrupt system and they are the ones making phone calls and I object to it,' Weyler said. In response, Rep. Rosemarie Rung, D-Merrimack, called on Weyler to apologize to all present and past school board members such as herself and other Republicans on the panel. 'Perhaps it is an exaggeration, but I don't see any improvement,' Weyler answered. 'Maybe it's an exaggeration but it is a failure.' The House Finance Committee approved a rewrite of Sen. Victoria Sullivan's EFA bill on a party-line vote, 14-11, with all Democrats in opposition. Leading Democrats said the bill violated House budget procedure because it would spend $17 million more next year than what was contained in the $15 billion state budget that the House approved last month. The House budget's EFA program (HB 115) would raise the income limit next year from 350-to-400% of the federal poverty level. For families of four, that would raise the family income threshold from $112,525 to $128,600 annually. Ayotte proposed more modest EFA expansion But Sullivan's bill that cleared the House panel Wednesday would eliminate any income eligibility restriction right away though it would set an enrollment cap of 10,000. Currently, about 5,300 students receive EFAs that cost the state budget $30 million annually. The proposal goes well beyond what Gov. Kelly Ayotte had proposed for an expansion of EFAs. In her budget address in February, Ayotte endorsed eliminating EFA income limits, but only for parents whose children are enrolled in public schools. Studies have shown that as many as 80% of parents who received EFAs already had their children enrolled in non-public schools. Rep. Kate Murray, D-New Castle, charged the cap was illusory since the bill states there would be no enrollment limit if it doesn't reach 10,000 students for two straight years. 'This cap is more of a diversion than anything else,' Murray said. 'There is no cap on this; it seems to me this is somewhat an attempt of diverting the attention away from the facts that our constituents do not support expanding this program.' Rep. Daniel Popovici-Muller, R-Windham, said Sullivan and other EFA supporters proposed the cap to counter what he called baseless claims from Democratic critics that this expansion could bankrupt the state. 'This will regulate the growth of the program to ensure that these doomsday scenarios do not come about,' Popovici-Muller said. Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, amended the bill to ensure that those already enrolled, their siblings, any students with disabilities and those from families making less than 350% of FPL would always be enrolled regardless of the cap. Under the amendment, if the enrollment in any one year approaches 90% of the cap then it would be increased 25% which would raise it to 12,500. Rep. Laura Telerski, D-Nashua, said it's fiscally irresponsible to increase spending on the program for wealthier parents while the state budget cut spending and would force moderate-income families to pay a 5% premium for their Medicaid-provided health care. 'Of all years, this is not the year we need to spend like this,' Telerski said. 'We need to tighten our belts like we are telling every department that they have to do.' +++ What's Next: The full House is expected to approve the amended bill next week. Prospects: Ayotte has not said she would reject the EFA expansion that's more generous than what she wanted. This bill could mean EFA supporters don't have to wait for a final state budget compromise to get the expansion they want. klandrigan@
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Home educators fight to keep advisory council
Home educators defend survival of advisory council Jennifer Wright, center inset and a home educator, spoke Tuesday against the idea of getting rid of the Home Education Advisory Council. Many home education advocates turned out Tuesday to oppose what one called an 'ambush' amendment to eliminate the 14-member Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC). 'You want home educators to get on board, sit down and shut up,' said Katherine Abbott of Portsmouth in defending the council's work. Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, argued that after 35 years of advocacy, leaders have gotten sidetracked, and the group has become dysfunctional. Several HEAC members have become critical of Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), taxpayer-subsidized scholarships for parents to send their children to private, religious, alternative public or home school programs, he said. 'HEAC has lost its way and deviated from its role per law and rule and is not adhering to its responsibility to provide support to home educators,' Cordelli said. Cordelli proposed his amendment to an unrelated bill (HB 57) to study whether the state should reduce the number of supervisory administrative units (SAUs) in New Hampshire. Several members of the HEAC said the creation of EFAs in 2021 has threatened to dilute the independent nature of home education by having families accept public funding. Many home educators believe accepting EFA money gives the state more control over their instruction. Amanda Weeden with Granite State Home Educators said the council since September has raised issues with Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut about the freedom of their movement. 'The optics of this non-germane amendment being snuck in, it is an ambush,' said Weeden. 'The (EFA) school choice movement is late to the party. We are the original school choicers.' Group began as a way to advise DOE on the topic The Legislature created HEAC in 1990 as a forum to give advice to the education commissioner on home education. 'Without this council, this valuable line of communication would be lost,' said Jennifer Pereira, who served on the council for eight years. Dianne Nolin, a member of HEAC, noted Gov. Kelly Ayotte has already announced that she will name a new education commissioner at the end of this school year when Edelblut will move on after eight years on the job. 'Through periods of change we need the experience of those who do the work every day,' Nolin said. Several opponents of Cordelli's idea called on the Legislature to get rid of agency rules that along with state law govern home education practices. 'This is an important liaison for us,' said Jennifer Wright, a home educating mom. 'Are there things that could be fixed? Absolutely. This has been going on since I was born. I think eliminating it would be really short-sighted.' Cordelli had said other advocacy groups such as the New Hampshire Home Educators Association founded in 1983 could take the place of HEAC and be more focused on the mission. But after nearly every speaker opposed Cordelli's idea, Cordelli told the House Education Policy and Administration Committee he chairs that he would drop the idea, meet with advocates and perhaps pursue cooperative legislation in the future. 'We can give HEAC a little more time,' Cordelli summed up. 'I am hopeful that the tone of discussion between traditional home educators and EFA families who are primarily home schooling will improve, that the rhetoric calms down.' What's Next: The full House early next month will vote on the SAU study bill without the home education issue in it. Prospects: Lawmakers never run short of ideas for study committees and this one too is likely to make it to the finish line. klandrigan@
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The week ahead: Legislature taking up governor's priority bills this week
This could be a big week at the State House as Gov. Kelly Ayotte may secure support for two of her two priority bills — banning cites and towns from adopting sanctuary city policies and expanding access to taxpayer-subsidized, Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). The sanctuary city ban bill (SB 62) is in the form she wanted, while the EFA expansion (SB 295) outline under discussion would go far beyond what Ayotte had called for in February in presenting her two-year state budget plan. EFA plans First-term Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, has moved another step closer to getting her EFA proposal that, starting in the 2025-2026 school year, would erase any income eligibility cap on parents who could receive the scholarships to send their child to any private, religious, alternative public or home school program. Sullivan's bill limits enrollment in EFAs to 10,000 a year; currently just over 5,000 parents have EFAs that average just over $5,000 apiece. Sullivan's EFA expansion coming close to reality The House of Representatives will vote Thursday on minor changes to the expansion of Education Freedom Accounts that State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, has championed. The House Education Funding Committee crafted its own amendment that contains all the principles of Sullivan's bill while adding some implementation changes in future years if interest doesn't approach that 10,000 limit. In both versions that number could get bumped up to 12,500. The House had earlier passed its own bill (HB 115) to erase the income cap in 2027 after raising the family income threshold in 2026 from 350% to 400% of the federal poverty level. Ayotte's plan is quite different. It would lift all income eligibility, but make future EFAs available only to parents who have their children enrolled in public schools and want to take them out. According to numerous studies, more than three-fourths of EFAs given out to date have gone to families that already had children enrolled in non-public schools. The full House will consider the bills when it meets on Thursday. Budget hearing The Senate Finance Committee will hold its one and only public hearing on the state budget in Representatives Hall Tuesday afternoon. House to vote on firearms education courses in public schools House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, pictured here during a recent debate, is proposing to require firearms education for all public school students. Then on Friday afternoon it opens its first public 'discussion' about what that spending plan should look like. Senate Democrats have protested the lack of hearings in the evening so working people could attend. They have sponsored their own 'They Cut You Out Tour' listening sessions recently in Hampton and Laconia. Safety and more On Wednesday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee holds its all-important work session aimed at coming up with the estimates for state tax and fee collections that will provide the basis for spending levels in the Senate's budget plan. Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn and his team are lobbying hard for legislation (SB 54) to change state law regarding a motorist accused of driving drunk who refuses to consent to a blood alcohol test. Presently, there is no penalty for declining the test and Quinn said that's why New Hampshire has the highest rate in the country of those who refuse to take it — over 70%. His preferred, Senate-passed bill would increase penalties for those who refuse and allow a judge to waive or lower punishment for those who agree to take the test even if they flunk it. House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, has proposed a sweeping add-on amendment to the bill that would mandate an 'age appropriate,' firearms training course in all public schools. Under the design, by the 2026-27 school year all K-12 students shall get instruction with the focus on those in grades 6-12 to include 'basic firearm mechanics, safe handling principles, secure storage practices and an overview of state and federal firearms laws.' A hearing on Roy's amendment is scheduled for Friday morning. Key House committee votes on Murphy's housing priority bill Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, has sponsored 10 bills to promote more affordable housing but a House panel passes judgement this week on his favorite, a bill (SB 84) that would set maximum lot sizes in at least half of the available land in cities and towns. Later that day Roy's panel is scheduled to make a recommendation on the amendment along with two others Ayotte supports to impose minimum mandatory jail terms for major fentanyl possession with intent to sell (SB 14) and anyone who sells drugs that causes the death of another (SB 15). Some other important bills that political observers will be following include: • Tenant eviction law (HB 60): A Senate panel takes testimony Tuesday on the House-passed measure that allows landlords to evict anyone after termination of a lease if they can't reach agreement on the new rent and give that party 60 days notice. • Starter home limits (SB 84): The House Housing Committee on Tuesday will decide whether to support the ambitious plan of Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, to limit house lot sizes. If adopted, 50% of all available house lots could be no more than half an acre in size if the property has town water and sewer and no more than two acres if the parcel has neither. • Sherrill's Law (SB 273): The House Transportation Committee will consider the Senate-passed bill to require all motorists to give a 'wide berth' to anyone along the highway there due to an emergency. State Police Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill was killed in 2021 while providing assistance to a work crew on I-95 when a tractor-trailer struck and crushed his cruiser. The driver pleaded guilty to felony negligent homicide and was given a one-year prison term with a longer term suspended for 20 years upon his release. • Child sex trafficking (SB 262): This bill would increase the prison term for sex trafficking of a child under the age of 18 from a mandatory seven- to 30-year sentence to one that would be at least 18 years to life in prison. • House bills on borrowed time: During its own session Thursday, the Senate will consider killing outright 16 House-passed bills, including one that would erase a buffer zone that critical access hospitals (HB 223) have since competing health care services can't be located within 15 miles of their businesses. Rep. Mark McLean, R-Manchester, authored this bill that attracted strong opposition from the New Hampshire Hospital Association. Other bills headed for the trash heap in the Senate would double the legal possession limits of marijuana for medically eligible patients (HB 190) and permit adults to possess blackjacks, slung shots and brass knuckles (HB 207). The Senate is looking kindly on another social issue priority of House Republicans, a bill to make it easier for parents to claim a religious exemption to the requirement that their child receive a vaccine (HB 358). The Senate proposes to add a technical amendment at the request of officials with the Department of Health and Human Services. klandrigan@
