Upcoming Hearings and Votes (Week of 4/22/24)

We’re sending out the Upcoming Hearings and Votes emails for the week of April 22nd a little early because it is shaping up to be our busiest week of the session yet. There are 10 public hearings and three executive sessions on New Futures’ priority bills between Monday, April 22 and Thursday, April 25.

Below, you’ll find sign-in information and other ways to take action on bills about child care, lead exposure, cannabis commercialization, RSV immunizations, and more. There are also four public hearings on bills attempting to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ young people.

Learn more and take action below:

Upcoming Public Hearings

Monday, April 22

9:00 AM - SB 596: Supports for Child Care Centers (Legislative Office Building Room 205, House Education)

SB 596 would provide resources to child care centers caring for children with additional developmental and behavioral needs. This would help child care centers better support high-need children and further address the state's child care availability crisis.

10:00 AM - SB 341: Mandatory Outing in Schools (Legislative Office Building Room 205, House Education)

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.

10:45 AM - SB 375: Sports Ban for Transgender Girls (Legislative Office Building Room 205, House Education)

SB 375 would ban transgender girls from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity at both the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels. Sports and athletics offer opportunities for all students to build a sense of belonging and learn important life skills like teamwork, leadership, confidence, and self-discipline.

Tuesday, April 23

1:45 PM - SB 399: Preventing Childhood Lead Exposure (Legislative Office Building Room 302, House Commerce and Consumer Affairs)

SB 399 would help families access lead testing by removing financial barriers. This would help protect Granite State children, who are at the highest risk for lead poisoning, from the harmful impacts of lead exposure.

Wednesday, April 24

10:00 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.

1:30 PM - SB 411: Insurance Coverage Mandate for Youth Mental Health Services (Legislative Office Building, Room 203, House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs)

SB 411, as amended, creates a committee to study emergency mental health services for youth in New Hampshire, such as wraparound services, behavioral or mental health crisis assessments, crisis intervention services, crisis stabilization services, intensive in-home services, residential treatment services, intensive structured outpatient programs, parent and youth peer support services, and partial hospitalization programs. These services are critical to ensuring that the needs of New Hampshire's most vulnerable children are met.

Thursday, April 25

9:00 AM - HB 396: Discrimination in Public Spaces (State House Room 100, Senate Judiciary Committee)

HB 396 would allow 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. Bans such as these prohibit transgender youth from participating in typical daily activities and make them feel unwelcome in their communities, which leads to poorer mental health outcomes.

9:15 AM - HB 619: Ban on Medical Care for Transgender Youth (State House Room 100, Senate Judiciary Committee)

HB 619, as amended, would ban gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth and prohibit doctors from referring care for transgender youth to out-of-state doctors. 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.

1:45 PM - HB 1633: Cannabis Commercialization (State House Room 100, Senate Judiciary Committee)

HB 1633 is the only bill in the legislature this year attempting to legalize cannabis for adult use. The bill was amended a few times in the House and currently falls short of meeting the Principles for Responsible Cannabis Commercialization. In its current form, the bill does not provide any funding to reduce the harms of legalizing another addictive product. More money needs to be dedicated to mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. Sign in to oppose the bill in its current form, and send an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee asking them to amend the bill to include funding for prevention, treatment, and recovery programming.

2:00 PM - SB 559: RSV Immunization (Legislative Office Building, Room 203, House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs)

SB 559 would ensure access to the RSV immunization for New Hampshire children. RSV immunization is a preventive option to protect babies from severe RSV, a common respiratory virus. This bill doesn’t make the immunization mandatory; it simply removes financial barriers for families who choose to get it.

Upcoming Executive Sessions

Child Care for Child Care Workers: 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.

Last week, the Special Committee on Childcare held a public hearing on SB 404, and is scheduled to hold an executive session to vote on a recommendation for the bill on Wednesday, April 24. Now is the time to email the committee to encourage them to get the bill back to its original intent to better support the child care system.

Oversight of Substance Use Treatment System: SB 495 would improve New Hampshire’s substance use treatment system by strengthening patient protections and ensuring high-quality services. The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee is expected to hold an executive session on Wednesday, April 24 to vote on a recommendation for the bill. Email the Committee to urge them to support improving NH’s substance use treatment system.

Recapping Last Week

Public Hearings

Last week, the New Hampshire Legislature hit the ground running after crossover, holding public hearings on seven of New Futures’ priority bills! Individuals, community leaders, and business representatives turned out to make their voices heard, signing in on public hearings, submitting testimony to the committees, and spreading the word on social media. Following the public hearings, each committee will schedule an executive session to vote on a recommendation for the bill. Several executive sessions have already been scheduled.

Immunization Requirements for Child Care Centers: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing on HB 1213, which, as amended, would have impacted child care reporting and exempted child care centers from any and all immunization enrollment requirements. Following the hearing, the Committee voted on a recommendation to send the bill to interim study. HB 1213 will go to the Senate floor for a vote, but the bill is not expected to advance this session.

Banning Medicaid from Covering Gender-Affirming Care: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing on HB 1660, which would ban Medicaid insurance plans from covering some types of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Email the Committee: Bans on Medically Necessary Care for Transgender Youth (new-futures.org)

Banning Hemp-Derived THC Products: 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.

Email the Committee: Banning Hemp-Derived THC Products (new-futures.org)

Ending Hunger for Older Adults: 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. Next, this bill will go to a Division III work session for further review.

Learn more: End Hunger for Older Adults (new-futures.org)

Growing the Health Care Workforce: The Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee held a public hearing on SB 403, which 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. Email the committee to urge them to vote in support of the bill!

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