Upcoming Hearings and Votes (Week of 4/15/24)

Last Thursday marked the halfway point at the State House known as “Cross Over,” meaning that all advancing bills are now crossing over to the other chamber for public hearings.

Legislators have been hard at work through the first three-and-a-half months of the legislative session, holding public hearings, executive sessions, and votes on the 1,300 bills+ that were introduced. Roughly 500 of them are now “crossing over” to the other chamber.

Six New Futures’ priority bills will have public hearings next week, including bills relating to child care, gender-affirming care, hemp-derived THC products, ending hunger for older adults, and treatment services in county jails.

Learn more and take action below:

Upcoming Public Hearings

Wednesday, April 17

9:00 AM - HB 1213: Immunization Requirements for Child Care Centers (State House Room 100, Senate Health & Human Services)

HB 1213, as amended, impacts child care reporting and exempts child care centers from any and all immunization enrollment requirements. This weakens public health protections for young children and also unnecessarily risks critical federal funding for child care centers.

10:00 AM - SB 404: Child Care for Child Care Workers (Legislative Office Building, Room 104, Special Committee on Childcare)

As originally introduced, SB 404 would provide child care workers with automatic access to the New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship program regardless of household income, so that child care workers can stay in the workforce once they become parents.

The Senate passed a version of SB 404 that provides no guarantee that the program will ever be implemented.

SIGN IN NEUTRAL and include comments asking the Committee to get the bill back on track: Child Care for Child Care Teachers (new-futures.org)

*Include comments asking the Committee to get the bill back on track.

10:00 AM - HB 1660: Banning Medicaid from Covering Gender-Affirming Care (State House Room 100, Senate Health and Human Services)

Transgender youth, like all youth, have the best chance to thrive when they are supported and can get the doctor-prescribed medical care they need when they need it. Gender-affirming care is evidence-based and supported by medical authorities like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association. HB 1660 would ban Medicaid insurance plans from covering some types of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

1:30 PM - SB 505: Banning Hemp-Derived THC Products (Legislative Office Building, Room 206, House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs)

Due to a legal loophole, hemp-derived THC products known as delta-8, delta-9, and delta-10 were sold in New Hampshire until October 2023. A 2023 law banned the products for one year, meaning that without more legislative action, the products could return to shelves in October 2024. SB 505 looks to permanently ban these dangerous and unregulated products. This bill unanimously passed the Senate in March.

2:30 PM - SB 499: Ending Hunger for Older Adults (Legislative Office Building, Room 210, House Finance)

SB 499, the Hunger Free NH Act, aims to reduce hunger for NH children, older adults, and people with disabilities. The bill includes the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP), which makes it easier for older adults to enroll and stay enrolled in SNAP, helping them get the food and nutrition they need.

TAKE ACTION using NH Hunger Solutions’ easy action form to urge state Representatives to support the amended Hunger Free NH Act: key issues and legislation regarding hunger in New Hampshire (nhhungersolutions.org)

Friday, April 19

11:00 am - SB 508: Treatment Services in NH’s Criminal Justice System (Legislative Office Building, Room 202, House Criminal Justice and Public Safety)

SB 508 would increase access to substance use and mental health screening and treatment for individuals in New Hampshire's criminal justice system. This would help them receive the treatment services they need, reduce criminal recidivism, and help New Hampshire overcome the ongoing addiction and mental health crises.

Upcoming Executive Sessions

Last week, the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee held a public hearing on SB 403, a bill that aims to increase access to care by growing the state’s health care workforce. The amended bill proposes to create a voluntary certification for Community Health Workers, which would provide a clear career path and greater financial stability for these frontline health workers. On April 17, the committee will hold an executive session to vote on a recommendation for the bill. Email members of the committee to urge them to vote in support of the bill!

Recapping Last Week

House Votes

Cannabis Commercialization: The House of Representatives voted 239-136 to pass HB 1633 with two amendments. Currently, the amended bill does not direct any funding to substance use and mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery. Next, HB 1633 will be assigned to a Senate Committee, and a public hearing will be scheduled.

Senate Votes

The Senate voted on the following bills during their session on Thursday, April 11:

Supports for Child Care Centers: The Senate voted to pass SB 596 with an amendment on Thursday, April 11. This bill will provide resources to child care centers caring for children with additional developmental and behavioral needs. SB 596 will now cross over to the House of Representatives, and a public hearing will be scheduled soon.

Oversight of Substance Use Treatment System: The Senate voted to pass SB 495, which would improve New Hampshire’s substance use treatment system by strengthening patient protections and ensuring high-quality services. Next, SB 495 will be assigned to a House Committee, and a public hearing will be scheduled.

Preventing Childhood Lead Exposure: The Senate voted to table SB 392, meaning the bill will likely not advance this session. The purpose of SB 392 was to increase efforts to make New Hampshire homes and communities lead-safe by allocating additional resources to a fund that helps remove lead hazards from residential buildings. This would help prevent lead exposure in NH children, who are at the highest risk for lead poisoning. While SB 392 will not advance this session, New Futures and our partners will continue to pursue funding for this critical program through other sources - stay tuned for more information.

Discrimination in Public Spaces: The Senate voted to table SB 562, which would have allowed for discrimination against transgender people by banning them from using restrooms or locker rooms and participating in sports that align with their preferred gender identity. While SB 562 will likely not advance this session, there is concern that the Senate tabled SB 562 in order to pass the House’s version of the bill, HB 396, which will soon have a public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

To check in on the status of all our priority bills, visit our Current Legislation page and select an issue you care about!