By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Education bills were advanced in the Senate session Thursday including one to help alleviate the school bus driver shortage.
It also voted down a measure to allow dead bodies to naturally decompose and rejected raising boat registration fees to help pay for dam repairs.
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT
Passed was HB 1758 which authorizes the Division of Motor Vehicles to certify school bus drivers with a valid credential in states with similar safety and training requirements.
The bill as introduced would have only applied to Vermont, but the Senate amendment would allow bus drivers from any state to work in New Hampshire if they meet the Granite State’s standards.
State Senators Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, and Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, released a joint statement after the passage of the bill is part of the School Bus Safety Act:
“New Hampshire is taking decisive action to protect its most precious responsibility: its children. I want to thank our House colleagues for bringing these ideas forward as we work to make the trip to school safer,” Ricciardi said.
Gannon added, “Together, this package strengthens school bus safety and upholds high standards for those transporting students. It also tackles the urgent driver shortage and removes barriers by recognizing out-of-state credentials, helping qualified drivers get on the road faster without compromising safety.”
The act also includes a bill prohibiting passing a stopped school bus. HB 1308-FN makes it a misdemeanor to pass a stopped school bus with an initial fine of $300 and a 7-day license suspension. HB 1537-L authorizes the use of high-resolution cameras to identify drivers who pass a stopped school bus. HB 1051 strengthens criminal background check requirements for school bus drivers, streamlining the fingerprinting procedure to reduce errors and time needed to certify qualified school bus drivers.
Ricciardi concluded: “We are here to help Granite State families. Passing a stopped school bus puts children in danger, and we need all New Hampshire drivers to respect the law on the morning and afternoon drive.”
The Senate unanimously approved all four bills in the School Bus Safety Act.
SAU BUDGETS
Also passed was HB 564 which requires school administrative units to separate out budgetary needs and costs and put them in a separate warrant article, said Senator Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard.
The bill, she said, increases transparency in the budget process and allows any unexpended funds to be returned.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said it may look straightforward but may be more troubling.
There have been concerns about “administrative bloat” which she would suggest is coming from added state requirements to schools. She said she worried that the bill if passed would lead to more default budgets and that, she said, is a cut.
Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, said 75 percent of property taxes are from school spending.
LIVESTOCK CRUELTY
Despite efforts by Democrats to table the bill, an amended livestock cruelty bill passed the Senate on a voice vote Thursday.
Some said the bill was improved from its original form in which it was criticized by animal rights groups as taking them out of the process and was seen by some as a compromise.
Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, said House Bill 1766 https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=2048&inflect=2 establishes a pathway to handle cruelty of livestock.
Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, said the bill still has some problems with it.
He noted the commission on animals, on which he serves, voted unanimously to oppose the original version of the bill.
Watters said communities rely on animal welfare organizations to help law enforcement understand if an animal is starving or needs attention and while a revision allows for the animal to be adopted there are still concerns going forward.
Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua, thanked Watters for his leadership role on the bill and making improvements.
He called the bill a “Bradley Special” which refers to the retired Senate President who would work on compromises that no one entirely hated or liked. Pearl said the bill only deals with livestock and attempts to establish roles in the process of cruelty cases.
Animal welfare agencies do great work he said, but we can ‘t give governmental power to a private entity.
PARENTAL ALIENATION BILL PASSES
The Republican backed parental alienation bill, HB 1323, passed on a voice vote along partisan lines.
State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, said the bill is solely to make sure children have civility in their lives and that one parent is not pitted against the other to damage the child.
Sen. Pat Long, D-Manchester, opposed the bill and said it is not necessary.
He said he worried that the bill, if made law, could find a child in custody of an abuser and that the measure would just add to litigation.
Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, disagreed and said this will allow a hearing in 60 days reducing the harm of alienation. The bill passed the House on a roll call vote of 197-157.
It amends the law to include a new definition that “parental alienation” means a pattern of behavior, conduct, or speech that would damage the relationship of the child and a parent, “resulting in the child’s fear, negative perception, rejection, or hostility toward their other parent. This includes, but is not limited to, communicating disparaging remarks to a child about their other parent, manipulating or coercing a child, and unjustified interference with parenting time.”
“If the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that parental alienation has occurred or repeated, intentional, and unwarranted interference by a parent with the residential responsibilities of the other parent, the court may order a change in the parental rights and responsibilities [without the necessity of] upon a showing of harm to the child, if the court determines that such change would be in accordance with the best interests of the child.”
If signed into law the act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
EDCATION REVIEW PASSED
HB 1571-FN-A which would require 10-year review cycles for education standards passed despite Democrats saying it does not strengthen education but duplicates and adds redundant work.
“We don’t need this bill. It already exists,” said Sen. Altschiller. She said the bill is about
taking away local control. And she asked what does it mean when you say “high quality,” asking for a measurable standard.
“This is how local control dies…in increments,” she said.
According to the amended version, this bill, effective July 1, 2027, requires the Department of Education to review statewide academic standards for possible revision every 10 years, including revising current science standards to ensure greater rigor, clarity, relevance, and progression of knowledge across grade levels. The bill also requires the Department to make available a list of high-quality curriculum and instructional materials aligned with the revised standards (from which districts may choose) and to update the statewide education improvement and assessment program to align with the revised standards.
HB 1828 – STRENGTHENING LITERACY
A bill requiring the Department of Education to establish an auditing process relative to teacher preparation programs at the post-secondary educational level passed on a voice vote and is headed to the desk of Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
This bill “requires the Department of Education to review professional educator preparation programs to ensure effective literacy instruction is provided in institutions of higher education. The bill also authorizes the department to make rules relative to the auditing process of preparation programs.”
TABLED MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATON ACCESS
With a similar bill tabled in the House, the Senate tabled HB 1600 relative to town clerks having access to motor vehicle registration information at the polls during an election.
INSECTICIDE BILL KILLED
Killed, despite efforts by Sen. Watters to support it was House Bill 1766-FN to create a study committee to look at impacts of neonicotinoids which are insecticides placed in seeds. He said there are concerns that they may impact pollinators that are in decline and could also impact birds who eat insects.
“There are a lot of unknowns here,” he said. Some states surrounding the state are looking to ban this product in the future and “the least we can do is talk about it.”
But Sen. Pearl, a farmer, said he appreciated that concern but there is a lot of information currently available.
“This would not be a good use of resources for the general court,” he said. “There will be more bills coming forward.”
The insecticides are “a much needed tool we need to use on a daily basis.”
HUMAN REMAINS BILL KILLED
HB 1457 which would legalize the natural organic reduction of human remains was killed with Sen. Gannon, saying that to do so would promote human dignity.
Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, opposed the motion invoking the song by Kansas “Dust in the Wind,” and said the bill allows the natural process to become soil and would respect last wishes and give the public a choice. He said 14 states including Maine and Vermont allow for such burial rather than embalming and cremation.
There is a lower carbon footprint, he said.
Sen. Murphy, agreed with Innis and said “who owns your body? I think I own my body. I would never want this for myself but far be it for me to decide.”
Sen. Abbas said he thinks this is an issue that needs more time to be studied.
HUMAN REMAINS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
HB 1348 which would allow for those who wish to donate their bodies for law enforcement purposes passed.
Sen. Gannon offered an amendment to assure that the remains are treated with dignity.
BILL TO HELP ALEVIATE SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS SHORTAGE PASSES
Out-of-state bus drivers could have their credentials honored in New Hampshire under a bill that passed the Senate Thursday.
Sen. Ricciardi HB 1758 addresses the state’s bus driver shortage. It allows the state DMV to evaluate out of state certification.
“This is a practical step,” she said to better support students and families who rely on safe and timely transportation.
Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, also rose to support the bill. He has a primary age child who uses the bus.
“School bus safety is paramount,” he said. “I am so happy we can tackle this.”
It passed on a voice vote unanimously.
BILL TO RAISE BOAT REGISTRATION FEE INCREASE KILLED
A bill that would have allowed for a $5 increase in boat registration fees to support dam infrastructure was killed in the Senate.
Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said the state has a long and convoluted history of ownership of 276 dams some of which are over 100 years old and need maintenance.
A proposal under HB 629 would have raised revenue for dam repair and maintenance, estimated at $420 million, but it was not supported by the Republican majority.
This would be a $5 increase, she said, which would be paid for by those with the most vested interest in maintaining the dams. But others said the timing was bad and it was killed on a voice vote.
ANCHORAGE FEE FOR SWIM FLOATS KILLED
A bill that would have charged $50 annually for each swim float to help pay for cyanobacteria control was killed.
GUARDIAN AD LITEM HB 1643 PASSES
A bill https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=2201&inflect=2 which would limit what guardian ad litems can tell a judge passed.