As lawmakers get ready to return to Concord, leaders of both political parties and Gov. Kelly Ayotte all say they are hoping for progress on two issues — housing and childcare — that have made New Hampshire a hard place for families to afford.
"I think there is a lot more work to be done with respect to housing, and I also believe the same could be said with respect to childcare,” Ayotte told reporters last month.
While Ayotte has shared little about specific policies she plans to pursue on these issues, new bills and requests filed by lawmakers suggest next year in Concord will be busy on these and other fonts. The perennial issues of taxes and education will be front and center, as well as some new ones, such as the role of local governments, powers and reinstating the death penalty.
Here’s a preview of some of what lawmakers will consider in the upcoming legislative session:
Taxes
The debate over taxes in Concord has long hewed to a persistent dynamic: Republicans contend that cutting business taxes creates a strong economy, while Democrats warn that any lost state business tax revenue means higher local property taxes.
Expect to hear those familiar arguments when the House considers a GOP plan to cut the state business enterprise tax rate from 0.55% to 0.5%, starting in 2028. Republicans in Concord have cut business tax rates five times in the last decade. Last year's budget featured numerous fee hikes instead of a business tax rate cut, but GOP lawmakers say they are ready to get back at it.
“We’ve seen great success in spurring economic activity when we’ve lowered taxes on employers and we are going to continue to do so,” said House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney.
A separate GOP bill aims to boost allowable deductions against the state’s business profits tax.
Education
The fight over the state’s voucher-like school choice program remains at center stage this year, with more than a dozen bills aimed at Education Freedom Accounts.
Democrats have filed several bills to tighten oversight of the program. One would require the contract choosing a vendor to be put out to bid every three years. Another proposal would require all Education Freedom Accounts to be directly administered by the Department of Education, rather than through the nonprofit Children’s Scholarship Fund. A third proposal would empower towns to vote on barring residents from participating in the program.
Republicans, on the other hand, want to see expansion of the program. One GOP proposal aims to permit for-profit companies to administer Education Freedom Accounts, and another would remove the cap on how many students can enroll in the program each year.
But Education Freedom Accounts won’t be the only policy debate that touches on school choice. Lawmakers will also consider GOP bills that would relax home-school requirements, and study the implications of converting all public schools into charter schools.
Under the home-school bill, students engaged in “home-education programs” would no longer be required to submit annual evaluations of academic progress, or take state and national assessments or achievement tests.
State funding for adequate education will also be revisited. Democrats in the State Senate are proposing a bill to increase aid to public schools. Under their plan, the state would send districts $7,300 per pupil, a roughly $5,000 increase. While the proposal would meet spending recommendations from the state Supreme Court in a ruling over ConVal School District’s education funding earlier this year. It is expected to be a political non-starter in Concord, due to GOP opposition.
“The first premise is to say we are going to honor our commitments,” said Sen Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins-Kwoka.
Local Government
The relationship between state and local governments will be hotly debated this session.
Citing rising local school costs, Republicans are proposing a range of bills aimed at municipal practices. One measure would require cities and towns to include pie charts and QR codes on local tax bills to show taxpayers how money is being spent.
Another proposal would make cities and towns document their compliance with local budget and tax caps with the state Department of Revenue Administration.
A third bill would allow the creation of “fiscal accountability committees” for towns and schools, called “FACTS”. Such committees would be empowered to recommend bottom line changes to town and school budgets during annual town and school budget meetings.
Death Penalty
New Hampshire hasn’t held an execution since 1939. Lawmakers abolished the state death penalty in 2019. This year, multiple bills have been filed by Republican lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty. Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who personally prosecuted Michael Addison, the state’s lone inmate on death row, wants to sign one. .
“I would like to see the death penalty restored,” Ayotte told reporters this fall.
While Ayotte hasn’t yet endorsed any specific proposal, she could have a few to consider. One GOP bill would restore the last law on the books prior to its repeal, which allowed the death penalty for the killing of a police officer or judge, during cases of murder for hire, or murder committed during a rape or some drug offenses.
Lawmakers will also consider separate Republican bills that would impose the death penalty for felony-level sex offenses against minors and children.
Find information about all upcoming legislation at the General Court of New Hampshire website.
