Week of March 31, 2025
New Futures
We work to improve the health and well-being of all Granite Staters through public policy change and civic empowerment.
Welcome back to another week of This Week at the State House! Last week was a busy one – catch up in our recap section! The House Finance Committee is expected to vote this week on a few priority bills as well as HB 1 and HB 2, the state budget bills. We’ll provide an in-depth look at the budget on Friday at 1:30 p.m. during our State Budget Lunch & Learn. Register for the webinar now if you haven’t already.
New Futures is also monitoring the impacts on critical services following news that the federal administration has issued an immediate $80 million cut in funding to New Hampshire.
Upcoming Committee Votes
The House Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on a recommendation for the following bills on Tuesday, April 1:
Defending the Prescription Drug Affordability Board: House Bill 570 as amended by the House would eliminate New Hampshire’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), our strongest effort to address rising prescription costs. Dismantling the PDAB would be a devastating step backward, removing vital oversight of prescription costs and leaving our families, older adults, and patients to pay the price.
Strengthening our Substance Use Treatment System: Although New Hampshire’s substance use treatment system has made significant strides over the past decade, there's more we can do to ensure that patients receive the treatment and services they need. House Bill 751 would improve our substance use treatment system by strengthening patient protections and ensuring high-quality services across the state.
Upcoming Hearings
Mandatory Outing in Schools: House Bill 10 would require teachers to "out" LGBTQ+ students to their parents when requested. Bills with mandatory disclosure, like HB 10, endanger the mental health of all students by creating a sense that teachers are no longer a source of trusted support. Unfortunately, this bill crossed over from the House, having received a 212-161 vote on the floor, largely along party lines.
Tuesday, April 1, 9:15am
Senate Education Committee, Legislative Office Building Rm 101
Recapping Last Week's Votes
The NH Senate voted to advance the following bills:
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Momnibus 2.0: New Hampshire moms face large gaps in maternal health and wellness. Senate Bill 246 would improve maternal mental health, strengthen workforce protections, expand family supports, and support moms across New Hampshire. The Senate voted to pass this bill, then they voted to table the bill. This allows them to hold onto the bill to include in the state budget bills when they cross over from the House.
Improving Access to Child Care: In New Hampshire, child care for a family with two children under five costs more than $32,000 per year. Child care scholarships provide critical support for working families, but complex paperwork requirements, upfront payment demands, and burdensome data tracking for providers create significant burdens. SB 243 streamlines the New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship program for parents and providers and will help more families access affordable child care in New Hampshire. The Senate voted unanimously to pass SB 243 and the bill will now advance to the House of Representatives! Email your Representatives: Support SB 243
Growing the Health Care Workforce: Senate Bill 244 builds on the work of the New Hampshire Health Care Workforce Coalition to address our state’s workforce crisis that impacts access to quality and timely health care for our residents. SB 244 includes investments in important programs and initiatives that attract, train, and retain health care workers within New Hampshire. These investments include the Health Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Hub, Medicaid reimbursement rate increases for opioid treatment providers, and support for NH Needs Caregivers, among others. The Senate voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 244, then tabled the bill for possible inclusion in the state budget bills when they cross over from the House.
Strengthening Crisis Care: Senate Bill 255 is a fiscally responsible, bipartisan plan to permanently fund the New Hampshire Rapid Response Access Point (part of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network) using the same proven model that has worked for our 911 system for decades. The Access Point provides 24/7 counseling via call, text, and chat for those of us experiencing mental health or substance use crises. SB 255 was tabled on the Senate floor and may be included in the Senate’s version of the NH state budget.
Removing Anti-Discrimination Protections: It's important for all Granite Staters to feel safe and have privacy in the places we visit every day, like hospitals, workplaces, libraries, and shops. Unfortunately, Senate Bill 38 and Senate Bill 268 would make life harder and less safe for transgender Granite Staters. They would roll back bipartisan discrimination protections in restrooms and locker rooms at places like these. While claiming to protect safety, these bills ignore current laws making it already illegal to harm or harass anyone in these spaces. The Senate tabled (stalled the progress of) SB 38 last week, deciding to concentrate on SB 268, which has similar language. Then SB 268 passed 16-8 along party lines. It has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, where it awaits a hearing date.
Mandatory Outing in Schools: Senate Bill 96, like HB 10 mentioned above, would require teachers to "out" LGBTQ+ students to their parents when requested, endangering the mental health of all students by creating a sense that teachers are no longer a source of trusted support. Unfortunately, the Senate voted 16-8 along party lines to advance this bill. It will soon be scheduled for a hearing in the House Education Policy and Administration Committee.
The NH House of Representatives voted on the following bills:
Legalizing Drug-Checking Equipment: The House of Representatives voted to pass HB 226 with an amendment. Under current law, with the exceptions of fentanyl and xylazine test strips, possession with intent to distribute life saving drug-checking equipment is an unclassified misdemeanor and punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of $2,000. HB 226 would make the use and distribution of test equipment legal in New Hampshire. This bill will now cross over to the Senate.
Immunization Requirements: HB 664 and HB 679 are two bills that would remove all immunization requirements from schools and child care centers in New Hampshire. Not only would these bills jeopardize the health of New Hampshire’s youngest residents, but they may also unnecessarily risk critical funding for child care centers. The House of Representatives voted to kill HB 664, however, it voted 204-165 to pass HB 679, which will now advance to the Senate. A public hearing will be scheduled in the Senate soon - stay tuned for more updates.
Supporting the Development of Recovery Housing: In New Hampshire, access to housing remains one of the greatest obstacles for people facing substance misuse. House Bill 432 would support the development of recovery housing in our state by helping cities and towns develop recovery housing resources. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives voted unanimously by voice vote to table HB 432, meaning the bill will not move forward this session. New Futures will continue to fight to support recovery housing this legislative session and in the years to come.
Protecting Teen Voices and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey: The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a completely anonymous, optional survey that allows teens to privately share their experiences so parents, schools, and communities can prevent unsafe and unhealthy behaviors. House Bill 446 would require families to opt-in to the survey rather than opt-out, which would significantly reduce participation and make it impossible to learn how to keep Granite State youth safe and healthy. Unfortunately, this bill passed the House by a vote of 202-166. It has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
Removing Anti-Discrimination Protections: Like Senate Bill 268 mentioned above, House Bill 148 threatens the mental well-being of the Granite State's young people by specifically targeting LGBTQ+ youth and families. Last week, the House voted 201-166, mainly along party lines, to send the bill to the Senate, where it has been assigned to the Judiciary Committee and awaits a hearing date.
Bans on Medically Necessary Care: Transgender teens, like all teens, have the best chance to thrive when they are supported and can get the doctor-prescribed medical care they need. Medical decisions should rest solely with doctors and families — not lawmakers. House Bill 377 and House Bill 712 would prevent Granite State youth from receiving evidence-based, medically necessary care and would subject health care providers to lost medical licenses and felony charges for offering these services. HB 377 received a roll call vote of 197-167 last week, mainly along party lines. HB 712 also passed, receiving a vote of 200-165. Both bills have been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and will soon be scheduled for hearings.
Recapping Last Week's Votes
Protect Access to Immunizations: House Bill 524 would end our state's current system for providing access to vaccines for children. Currently, insurance companies pay into a central fund (run by the NH Vaccine Association), which helps purchase vaccines for all children in the state at a 30 percent discount. Without the NHVA, pediatricians, doctors, nurse practitioners, and other health providers would have to buy immunizations upfront at full price, administer the vaccine, and then bill insurance companies for reimbursement. Many health providers are small businesses and the costs associated with maintaining their own immunization inventories are too high to continue offering immunizations. Additionally, families with private insurance will face increased insurance premiums and administrative costs. The House Ways and Means Committee voted to retain HB 524, meaning it has stalled.
For more information about these issues and other priority legislation, please visit our Current Legislation page.