As we enter March, things are heating up in the NH Legislature – both the good and the bad. Check out our weekly review of pending bill hearings and major developments from last week, and sign up using the form at the bottom if you’d like to start receiving these updates by email in the future!

Top Actions for This Week

RAD events:

  1. Monday – Join our weekly Legislative Overview on Zoom (5-6pm)
  2. Wednesday – Join our weekly Phonebank for Justice (5-7pm) to move others to take action on critical issues and legislation

Quick Actions:

  1. Have you ever been on Medicaid?  Take our survey “Understanding Barriers to Medicaid Access”
  2. Climate Justice – Tell Biden to make the THRIVE Agenda part of his climate plan! 
  3. Housing Justice – Tell Sununu: Use Federal Funds to Address Our Housing Crisis!
  4. Racial Justice– We are still urging our legislators to sign on to the No Racist Granite State pledge. Please reach out to your reps and demand they sign. 

Bills We Are Watching this Week

Monday, March 1st

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, 1:30pm, HB 511-FN, “defelonizing” possession (SUPPORT). The hearing on this high-priority bill, which would pave the way for more access to recovery in New Hampshire, is happening today and we are hoping for a positive outcome. We will have updates next week!

Tuesday, March 2nd

There are two important bills – one bad and one good – in Executive Session this Tuesday. During Executive Session, you cannot testify, but you can take action by directly contacting the committees that are reviewing these bills.

House Judiciary Committee: 

  • 9am, HB 227 – EXECUTIVE SESSION ON PENDING LEGISLATION (OPPOSE). This bill would harm tenants by enabling no cause evictions in New Hampshire. Email the House Judiciary Committee here. Letter from the Manchester Housing Alliance explaining our opposition here.

Senate Finance Committee

  • RAD Priority Bill: 2pm, SB 73 – EXECUTIVE SESSION ON PENDING LEGISLATION (SUPPORT). This green housing retrofits bill would move us closer to both green housing and housing justice goals. Please direct an email to all committee members at:  HouseFinanceCommittee@leg.state.nh.us. Talking points are available here. Join the webinar here or dial in at 1 -301-715-8592.

*See other important bill hearings coming up this week HERE

Tips for Taking Action

Tips for testifying – Make sure to register your position and sign up to testify by 8am on the morning that a bill will be heard; otherwise you may be denied the opportunity to testify. (They start taking sign-ins a week in advance.)

Senate – Testimony/Signing in:

House – Testimony/Signing in:

**To call and email your legislators directly, find contact information for your Representatives here and for your Senator here. (Don’t know your district? Use this helpful map.)

Recap from Last Week

  •  Two bad anti-abortion bills passed during an in-person House session, after the House speaker ordered the doors locked to stop Democrats from leaving to prevent a quorum. Read more here.  The bills, HB625 and HB233, will now go to the Senate.
  • HB 544, a bill to punish state agencies and entities that receive state funding for speaking about racism, has not yet received a recommendation. You can contact committee members and tell them to issue an “ITL” (Inexpedient to Legislate – in other words, kill this bill). Find a list of committee members here.
  • HB 68, which would have punished parents for supporting their Trans children, received an ITL – this is a win!
  • HB 586, an affordable housing bill, was tabled.