2022 Legislative Update, Week of March 21st

This last week was a tough one, with the House Legislature passing bad bills including HB 1266, an anti-sanctuary bill, HB 1476, undoing bail reform, and HB 1393, relating to school district budget caps. The New Hampshire Legislature also decided to pass a resolution in support of Israel, even though they should not be taking on international issues. This resolution will now go to the Senate.

The fight is not over as these bills head to the Senate, so please do not lose hope and get ready to keep speaking up! This coming week, there are two healthcare bills that will be heard in committee and on the Senate floor. See Top Actions this Week below for more information.

This week, we also urge you to attend the No Coal No Gas trial, where five brave people will be having their trial for stopping a train to shut down the Merrimack Generating station. RSVP here.

If you or anyone you know is thinking of running for office, we will be offering a deep candidate training with Working Families Party. Beginning on April 7th and running through the end of May, this will be an 8-week series of powerful 2-hour virtual trainings, covering important messaging and skills. Please help spread the word and get y’alls candidate prospects signed up! Apply here.

The 8 Training Topics and Dates: 

• Independent Political Power (Thursday, April 7)
• Strategy & Targeting (Thursday, April 14)
• Messaging (Thursday, April 21)
• Field (Thursday, April 28)
• Digital & Tools (Thursday, May 5)
• Fundraising (Thursday, May 12)
• Tackling Systemic Inequality (Thursday, May 19)
• Structure & Timeline (Thursday, May 26)

Last, I wanted to share some exciting, important news. I will be transitioning into a national role with Race Forward to serve as the Lead Organizer on the H.E.A.L. Together (Honest Education, Action & Leadership) initiative. Working for Rights & Democracy has been the most fulfilling job I’ve had thus far. I am sad that I will leave this role, but I am excited that I will be continuing to work around anti-racism and accurate, honest, strongly-funded public education. I thank my RAD family for being such an awesome place to work and I thank every single one of our readers. Our co-writers Dave Bates and Sebastian Fuentes will continue helping to send these legislative updates.

I have so much trust that RAD will be the best that it has ever been as an organization and I’m excited to see what RAD and the state of New Hampshire builds in the political arena and in our schools. Before leaving I want to ask people to please become a sustaining member of RAD. This is an organization worth investing in. If you need to get in contact with RAD, please reach out to Ed Taylor, our New Hampshire State Director, at ed@radnh.org, And if you need to reach me personally, you can email me at asmaelhuni@yahoo.com.

See Rights & Democracy’s 2022 NH legislative priorities

Invite others to sign up here for these weekly updates.

Until next week, and in solidarity,

David Bates
Sebastian Fuentes
Asma Elhuni, NH Movement Politics Director, Rights & Democracy

Sign in to register your support or opposition on RAD priority bills, contact your legislators, and/or testify in writing and in person!

HEALTHCARE JUSTICE

Support HB 1390: On Thursday, March 24th, the Senate will hold a floor vote on HB 1390, which requires language access services for limited-English proficient speakers and deaf or hard of hearing individuals when healthcare services are provided through telemedicine. Voice your support to your Senator.

Support HB 1622: On Wednesday, March 23rd, the House Finance Committee will vote on its recommendation for HB 1622, requiring insurers to maintain adequate access to healthcare services in their network. Voice your support to the Finance Committee.

Healthcare Justice

Wins:

• The House passed HB 103, which would expand State Medicaid to cover preventative adult dental care, such as cleanings, for low-income adult citizens, rather than just emergency room tooth extractions.

Reproductive Rights

Wins:

• The House passed HB 1673, modifying last year’s abortion ban by limiting the instances in which ultrasounds will be required to verify gestational age, creating a post-24 weeks exception for the health of the mother and fatal fetal anomalies, and removing criminal and civil penalties for medical providers.

Losses:

• The House passed HB 1625, repealing the prohibition on harassing women entering or leaving a reproductive health care facility by protesting on the road or sidewalk.

Public Health

Wins:

• The House politely killed HB 1271, limiting the authority of the department of health and human services to mandate vaccinations, by sending it to Interim Study.

Losses:

• The House passed HB 1379, which restricts the authority of the NH Health Department to require immunizations for children.

Education and Racial Justice

Wins:

• The House passed HB 1263, which includes language requiring that public schools teach NH children about the prevention of sexual violence.
• The House defeated HB 1255, which would have exposed teachers to discipline if they appeared to advocate for socialism or portray the founding or history of the United States in a negative light.
• The House defeated HB 1313, which would have extended last year’s “divisive concepts” law to colleges and universities in New Hampshire.
• The House politely killed HB 1632, which would have required that the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights movement in the United States be taught only in conjunction with a host of international genocides and atrocities.
• The House politely killed HB 1137, which would have expanded mandates on the publication and public review of curricular materials to enable the harassment of teachers.
• The House defeated HB 1336, which would have expanded and codified disciplinary sanctions against teachers.

Losses:

• The House tabled HB 1090, which would have repealed the prohibition on teaching about discrimination and replaced it with language that ensures that the instruction of both historical facts and current experiences of protected classes is permitted in NH classrooms and that teachers may teach without fear of civil liability.
• The House tabled HB 1576, which would have repealed last year’s prohibition on the teaching of “divisive concepts.”
• The House tabled HB 1638, which would have changed the entity dealing with complaints under last year’s “divisive concepts” law to the local school superintendent.

Immigration Justice

Losses:

• The House passed HB 1266, which requires local police departments to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• The House defeated HB 1442, which would have required that election and voter information be made available in multiple languages.

Criminal Justice Reform

Wins:

• The House passed HB 1296, which restricts the use of asset forfeiture by the police and assigns a public defender to persons involved in an asset forfeiture case.

Losses:

• The House passed HB 1476, undoing NH bail reform. This bill would mandate the pretrial incarceration of an individual accused of any offense if they are on release for any other offense at the time of arrest, including a Class B misdemeanor charge that carries no jail time.
• The House defeated HB1349, which would have decriminalized the possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms.

Climate Justice

Losses:

• The House Tabled HB 1250, which would have required the public utilities commission to consider climate change in making rate-setting decisions.

Housing Justice

Losses:

• The House tabled HB 1200, which requires a landlord to give a tenant 45 days’ notice when they decide to increase rent at the expiration of a lease.
• The House defeated HB 1133, prohibiting the termination of a lease during the sale of rental properties.
• The House tabled HB 1291, prohibiting discrimination against tenants using housing assistance vouchers to help pay the cost of housing.
• The House tabled HB 1177, which would have required that towns allow 2-4 family homes in residential areas served by town water and sewer.

Workers’ Rights

Losses:

• The House tabled HB 1251, which would have prohibited the payment of subminimum base wages for tipped workers.

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