Upcoming Hearings and Votes (Week of 2/5/24)
Welcome back to another edition of our weekly edition of Upcoming Hearings and Votes! There are plenty of opportunities to use your voice to impact legislation this week on issues that attempt to restrict rights for LGBTQ+ youth and a bill that looks to ban social-emotional learning in schools (the hearing happened this morning, but there’s still time to sign in!).
Learn more below:
Hearings on Monday, February 5
10:15 AM: HB 1473 - Protecting Social-Emotional Learning in Schools (House Education, LOB Room 205)
HB 1473 would ban social-emotional learning (SEL) in public schools, prohibiting educators from teaching students important life skills like self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.
Hearings on Tuesday, February 6
9:15 AM: SB 524 - K-12 and College Sports Ban Transgender Girls (Senate Education, LOB Room 101)
SB 524 would require public K-12 schools and public colleges and universities to designate athletic events by biological sex at birth and ban transgender females from participating.
10:15 AM: HB 1356 - Banning School Employees from using students’ preferred names and pronouns (House Education, LOB Room 205)
HB 1356 would ban public school employees from using students’ preferred names and pronouns without written permission from the student’s parents or guardians.
Upcoming Votes: Senate
On Thursday, the Senate will vote on two New Futures’ priority bills: SB 399, which improves access to lead testing, and SB 495, which will strengthen patient protections in New Hampshire’s substance use treatment system. Upon successful passage, both bills will likely be re-referred to the Senate Finance Committee for review.
Recapping Last Week
Votes - House of Representatives
The House of Representatives held a vote to reconsider HB 396, which is an extreme bill that bans transgender people from bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams that align with their gender identity. The vote to reconsider failed 190-187, meaning the bill will now advance to the Senate.
To show lawmakers that these bills will impact people’s lives, please consider sharing how this legislation would impact your life or the lives of your loved ones.
Hearings:
Public hearings were held last week on bills regarding access to the RSV immunization for young children, protecting the Alcohol Fund, and a handful of bills aiming to restrict the rights and freedoms of transgender youth.
There are still opportunities to take action on these bills:
- Email Senate Health and Human Services about ensuring access to RSV immunization for NH children
- Email House Commerce and Consumer Affairs about protecting the Alcohol Fund
- Share how you or a loved one are impacted by the attack on LGBTQ+ rights in New Hampshire
For more information about these issues and other priority legislation, visit new-futures.org/current-legislation.
