Upcoming Hearings and Votes (Week of 3/18/24)
Welcome back to another edition of our weekly Upcoming Hearings and Votes email! This week, we are focusing our efforts on bills related to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ Granite Staters. Let’s dive in!
Learn more and take action below:
Upcoming Public Hearings - Tuesday, March 19
2:15 PM: HB 470 - Legalizing Drug Testing Kits (Senate Judiciary Committee, State House Room 100)
HB 470 would make it easier for Granite Staters to access life-saving drug testing kits to prevent overdoses and save lives. 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. It is more important than ever for New Hampshire to adopt evidence-based harm reduction strategies to save lives.
Upcoming Work Sessions
A House Finance Subcommittee will hold a second work session on HB 1633, which looks to legalize recreational cannabis in New Hampshire. While the bill meets many of New Futures’ Principles for Responsible Cannabis Policy, it does not direct enough revenue toward substance use and mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery. Email the Committee to urge them to prioritize funding to reduce the harms of legalizing another addictive product.
Upcoming Senate Votes
The Senate will vote on two bills this week related to alcohol advertising to youth and mandatory outing in schools.
Alcohol Advertising: SB 335 would add responsible labeling and product placement restrictions to current alcohol advertising laws, limiting advertising to NH youth and helping to prevent underage drinking. Specifically, it would prohibit labels and advertisements that are marketed towards minors and other products that mimic commercially available non-alcoholic products. Email your Senator to urge them to support this bill.
Mandatory Outing in Schools: SB 341 would require school employees to disclose the gender identity or sexual orientation of students to parents. Requiring teachers to share sensitive information with parents before the student is ready removes the students' opportunity to feel supported by a trusted adult. Additionally, outing a student to unsupportive parents can threaten their physical and mental health. Email your Senator to urge them to defeat this harmful bill.
Upcoming House Votes
This week, the House of Representatives will vote on two bills related to sports participation for transgender girls and recovery housing.
Sports Participation for Trans Girls: HB 1205, a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity. Sports and athletics offer opportunities to build a sense of belonging and learn important life skills like teamwork, leadership, confidence, and self-discipline. It is unclear how this bill would be enforced, which could lead to intrusive and damaging inquisitions on any student-athlete. Email your Representatives to urge them to defeat this bill.
Recovery Housing: Amendment 0902h to HB 1521 supports the development of recovery housing in New Hampshire by helping cities and towns develop recovery housing resources. Last week, the Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted unanimously to pass the amended bill. This week, the bill go to the House floor for a vote.
Recapping Last Week
Last week, there were no public hearings or votes on any of New Futures priority bills. To check in on the status of all our priority bills, visit our Current Legislation page and select an issue you care about!
