Upcoming Hearings and Votes (Week of 1/29/24)
Welcome back to another edition of New Futures' weekly Upcoming Hearings and Votes update! There are plenty of opportunities to use your voice to impact legislation on issues this week. At New Futures, we are focusing our efforts on protecting the Alcohol Fund, ensuring RSV vaccines are free for all families who want them, and supporting LGBTQ+ youth.
Hearings on January 29
2:00 PM: HB 1205 - Sports and Locker Room Ban for Transgender Girls (House Education, LOB Room 205)
HB 1205 would ban transgender girls from playing school sports or using female locker rooms. Sports offer opportunities for all youth to learn important life skills such as leadership, confidence, and teamwork, and transgender girls deserve the same opportunities to participate as any other student. It is unclear how this bill would be enforced, which could lead to intrusive and damaging inquisitions on any student-athlete.
Hearings on January 30
9:00 AM: SB 375 - Sports and Locker Room Ban for Transgender Girls (Senate Education, LOB Room 101)
SB 375 is the Senate’s version of HB 1205 and would also ban transgender girls from playing school sports or using female locker rooms.
Hearings on January 31
10:00 AM: SB 559 - Ensuring RSV monoclonal antibody is free for NH children by adding it to the state’s vaccine program (Senate Health and Human Services, SH Room 100)
SB 599 expands the definition of a vaccine in state law to ensure that the new RSV monoclonal antibody is covered and included in the New Hampshire Immunization Program, which provides free vaccinations for all children in New Hampshire. This bill does not add the RSV monoclonal antibody to the vaccination schedule, meaning it remains optional for Granite State families.
10:00 AM: HB 1660 - Prohibits Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for minors (House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs, State House, Rep’s Hall)
This bill would increase hurdles for LGBTQ+ youth accessing gender-affirming care by banning Medicaid from covering surgical procedures related to gender-affirming care for youth.
10:30 AM: HB 1702 – Protecting the Alcohol Fund (House Commerce and Consumer Affairs, LOB Room 302)
HB 1702 repeals the Liquor Commission Fund and requires all revenue generated by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission to be deposited into the state's general fund. The bill removes the requirement that 5% of gross profits from alcohol sales be deposited into the Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund ('Alcohol Fund') and instead directs the legislature to set an amount based on an appropriation included in the state operating budget. In addition, this bill would also disrupt the funding structure of Medicaid expansion, potentially putting the program's funding, and the health care of thousands of Granite Staters, at risk.
Upcoming Votes: House of Representatives
On Thursday, February 1, the House of Representatives will likely vote to reconsider HB 396, a harmful bill that would legally enshrine the right to discriminate against transgender people, particularly transgender youth, by banning them from using bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity in both public and private places including schools, libraries, restaurants, stores, and more. The bill goes even further by banning transgender youth from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity, even though youth sports are an important way for young people to bond with peers and learn important life lessons like responsibility, teamwork, and self-discipline.
We must ask our state representatives to do two things on this issue: first, vote in favor of reconsideration, which would allow HB 396 to be brought back for another vote; and second, vote against the bill.
Recapping Last Week
There were no hearings on New Futures' priority legislation last week. However, there are several bills that are still being worked on by various House and Senate Committees - there is still time to have your voice heard on the issues below:
- Email Senate Judiciary about permanently banning hemp-derived THC products
- Email Senate Finance about increasing efforts to make homes lead-safe
- Email Senate Health & Human Services about investing in our health care workforce
- Email House Commerce and Consumer Affairs to amend legislation on cannabis commercialization
- Email Senate Health and Human Services to strengthen patient protections in substance use treatment settings
For more information about these issues and other priority legislation, visit our Current Legislation page.
