New Hampshire Republican lawmakers will try again to enact several education bills in 2026 that were vetoed by the governor or rejected by federal courts. Other bills would revisit the state’s new school cell phone ban and require students take additional courses.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed a so-called “book ban” bill in June, but Republican lawmakers are back with a pared down version they hope she’ll support. The new version drops the list of materials that would be banned and retains only the requirement that schools tell parents how they can challenge information deemed harmful to children.
Its sponsor, Sen. Tim Lang of Sanbornton, said his bill would forbid only material that existing law deems harmful to children, such as anything sexually explicit.
“It’s not a ban bill at all,” Lang said. “It's just a procedural bill that establishes a procedure, again [that] when a parent makes a request to the school district that request has a definitive timeline on response.”
It’s unclear if that will be enough for Ayotte, who said she vetoed the prior version because parents can already limit what their child sees in school.
At least three other Republican-backed bills in 2026 are near repeats from prior years.
Lawmakers are trying for at least the third time to separate locker rooms and bathrooms in schools and prisons by biological sex instead of how a person identifies. Ayotte and former Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed prior versions. Ayotte called the version she vetoed “overly broad and impractical to enforce.”
Federal courts have temporarily blocked New Hampshire laws that restrict teaching on race and gender and prohibit diversity and equity initiatives in school. Despite the ongoing litigation, lawmakers have refiled similar bills.
One, named for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, would prohibit racial and LGBTQ discussions in schools and would allow lawsuits against school districts and employees who violate the law.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike Belcher, a Wakefield Republican, acknowledged in an email that the federal courts found a state law with similar legislation unconstitutional. He believes his bill is different enough to withstand a legal challenge.
"Of course, this doesn't mean yet another would-be king in robes won't attempt to void the legislation on behalf of Democrats," Belcher said. "But attempting to do so with this law would do far more to delegitimize the judiciary than this legislation."
Another bill would allow taxpayers to sue schools and other public entities for pursuing or failing to investigate contracts with diversity and equity measures. Courts have rejected similar efforts.
A group of House Democrats wants to expand exceptions to the state’s new school cell phone ban to allow students to use personal laptops and tablets under direct teacher supervision. The current law, which bans phones and personal electronic devices, exempts equipment needed for medical reasons or special education.
Two bills would require students to learn about safe and responsible firearm use, hunting, wildlife management. One would also require lessons on hunting and wildlife management.
Students would have to take a logic and critical thinking course under one bill and a fourth year and one additional math course to graduate high school. Currently students must take at least three math courses.