By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – The state Senate passed a bill that would eliminate income thresholds to access the state’s Education Freedom Accounts Thursday on a partisan vote of 16-8.
Expanding the Education Freedom Accounts program to every child in the state regardless of parental income was also given initial approval Thursday by the House.
When the program began it was focused on helping low-income families with financial help to allow them to place their students in schools other than their public schools.
Over time the income threshold has risen allowing for more families to access the EFA program and currently, families who make 350 percent of the federal poverty guidelines can receive the $5,000 a year per child award to help pay for education needs outside the public schools.
Senate Bill 295-FN https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=965&inflect=2 would eliminate financial considerations.
It will now go to Senate Finance along with a number of other bills.
Democrats said it could cost the state taxpayers millions more and would be “welfare to the wealthy.”
The Senate also killed a minimum wage increase and a bill that would report mental health information for gun checks Thursday.
EXPANDING EFAs
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said this will cost $83 million alone to cover students already enrolled in private schools.
“We could be spending this money on housing,” and other initiatives which voters have said they see as an urgent need, she said.
Altschiller said the bill reveals the Senate is making poor choices of “welfare to the wealthy.”
Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, said Altschiller’s estimate is wrong and it would be closer to $20 million over several years, according to numbers from the Josiah Bartlett Center.
She said there is an ongoing need.
The governor has encouraged more access to EFA’s but has suggested that they be extended only to those who are moving their children out of public schools.
ANNUAL EFA FINANCIAL VERIFICATION SCUTTLED
An effort to require income verification to maintain eligibility for the state’s Education Freedom Accounts was killed by the Senate.
Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, recommended that SB 203 be scuttled.
He said it would require annual income verification rather than the current situation which is to verify income in the original year only.
About $5,000 is offered by the state per student for those who want to send their children to another, non-public education choice based on income guidelines.
Abbas said the bill would place an unnecessary burden on DOE and families accessing the program.
Altschiller said the state should not be allowing wealthy families to access this program.
“We should be handling taxpayer money with the utmost care,” she said.
The vote to kill the bill was 16-8.
ADMINISTRATION OF EFAs
Another bill related to EFAs which would transfer administration of the program from private organizations to the Department of Education was also killed on a roll call vote with the Republicans winning.
It would increase bureaucracy, said Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard.
Sen. Altschiller asked if it is the state’s Constitutional duty to provide an adequate education shouldn’t it also be required to administer it. The scholarship fund can receive up to 10 percent for administrative costs (now down to 8 percent) and bringing it in-house would reduce costs, she said.
Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, released the following statement on SB 203-FN and SB 207-FN after the vote:
“All Granite State children deserve the best possible education. Four years ago, this Legislature passed the Education Freedom Accounts program to help do just that. EFAs created an innovative school choice program that created opportunities for low-income working families across New Hampshire that needed alternatives for their children. This program was wildly successful with over 4,200 children participating, 44 percent of participating students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, delivering the education that parents wanted at one-quarter the cost to taxpayers, and keeping average costs per student under $5,000.
“However, for the past four years, we have fought efforts to repeal and restrict one of New Hampshire’s most successful programs. These bills threaten to cripple the EFA program with unnecessary bureaucracy and overregulation. Demanding annual income verification for participating families, limiting funds from rolling over from one year to the next, and implementing a wave of audits on 1,400 New Hampshire families yearly would burden our residents. We do not want to create a miniature IRS within the Legislative Budget Assistant’s Office. The fact is that these bills would make it harder for Granite State families to look for the best education for their children.”
Senators Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, and Altschiller issued the following statements:
“Since Republicans have been in power, they have raised your property taxes to give tax cuts to the wealthy. Expanding the EFA program to universal status is yet another example.”
“The universal voucher proposal allows, supports, and even encourages wealthy families to take taxpayer money and fund the private school tuition that they were already affording. The cost in the first year alone could be over $52 million. We could be spending this money on housing, child care, and lowering health care costs. Instead, Republicans voted against restricting this program to students currently enrolled in public school, taking your hard-earned money and sending it straight to the wealthiest among us. As Republicans siphon more money from our neighborhood schools, it will only be to the detriment of our students.”
NO GUARANTEED BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT SCHOOLS
A bill that would require schools to offer free or reduced breakfast and lunch to children who meet federal income eligibility was killed. Senate Bill 205 failed on a voice vote.
NH SERVICE DOG WEEK
The Senate voted that the third week of September should be known as Service Dog Week.
Brendan Madden of Dover, founder of Service Dogs of NH, attended the vote as did his father, David Madden and both applauded the unanimous vote on SB 198.
There are 61 million adults living with a disability, roughly 26 percent of the nation’s population, said state Sen. David Watters, D-Dover. He said the nation is home to 500,000 service dogs “who want to be appreciated” for their work.
FOREIGN OWNED PROPERTY OWNERSHIP NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
To deal with the potential for spying by adversaries on the nation’s military, the Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 162-FN. This is another attempt this year by Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, to restrict ownership by certain foreign principals on or around certain military installations and criminal penalties for illegal acquisition passed. Last year, it failed to pass the House.
This would be a 10-mile limit and would limit foreign residents from China, Russia, North Korea, Syria and Iran.
It would be a class B felony to acquire property for those foreign nationals within those zones.
MINIMUM WAGE
Again, a bill that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 from September through June, 2026 and $15 thereafter failed.
On a recommendation of inexpedient to legislate, the Senate voted on partisan lines to kill the bill 16-8.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Altschiller, said growing economic challenges including food and childcare require higher wages. She said it is particularly a challenge near the state border where workers can get a much higher rate of pay out-of-state.
“How is it that small businesses across the border are thriving?” she said.
Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, said while other states surrounding us have higher minimum wages they also have more taxes.
Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, said raising the minimum wage is a measure to protect labor and help with recruitment and retention.
Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, said the free market is working.
We do not need to have a state minimum wage, he said.
INTRA SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSFERS
Sen. Sullivan, R-Manchester, spoke in support of SB 97-FN relative to allowing for intra-district transfers of students.
Sullivan, who sponsored the bill, said such transfers should be allowed provided there is capacity in the school to accept the transfer.
A floor amendment was offered by Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon, to make this an opt-in policy for local school boards, but it failed on a voice vote.
NO SHERIFFS AFTER AGE 75
CACR-8, which would provide that no person shall hold the office of county sheriff after he or she has reached age 75 passed on a vote of 21-3 which meets the three-fifths majority requirement.
ABSENTEE VOTING/NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING
Two bills on voting got different outcomes in the Senate Thursday.
Senate Bill 213-FN passed which changes the standard for absentee voting to “It is more likely than not” that a voter will be absent and requires proof of identity, citizenship, age and domicile when applying for an absentee ballot.
But it voted against SB 214-FN which would have allowed for no-excuse absentee registration and voting in New Hampshire.
Sen. Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, said there were no problems during COVID-19 when people had the right to vote that way and did so in large numbers.
Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, issued a statement following the passage of SB 213-FN and the rejection of SB 214-FN:
“People often ask, ‘what if I am not sure if I will be required to work overtime on election day? Do I qualify to request an absentee ballot?’ The simple answer is YES. SB 213 clarifies existing law so that voters can acquire an absentee ballot by answering the question ‘is it more likely than not’ that they qualify for one of the conditions to vote by absentee ballot. Voters should also know that if their plans change and they can be at the polling location before the processing of the absentee ballots, they should attempt to do so.
“On the other hand, SB 214 would open the flood gates to obtain an absentee ballot without giving any reason why. The New Hampshire constitution, Part 1, article 11, provides guidelines for voting by absentee ballot. I believe that this bill goes too far and would violate the State Constitution. This bill is unnecessary, and the state of New Hampshire already allows voters to request an absentee ballot if the voter will be absent on Election Day or due to a medical excuse. They simply need to go to their clerk’s office ahead of Election Day and they will be able to vote. Our elections work and we do not need any absentee ballot expansions that would threaten to disrupt our current system.”
A “FOOTHOLD” TO ALLOW FOR FUTURE UNCOMPENSATED HEALTH CARE NEGOTIATIONS WITH HOSPITALS
The Senate agreed to keep the issue of uncompensated medical care for hospitals alive with passage of SB 249-FN.
The bill will be going to the Finance Committee while the issues remain related to the percentage of Medicaid money returned to hospitals.
Gray said one person should be negotiating for the state and there should not be an expectation for hospitals to search for another individual or group to come up with a solution.
“All that does is negotiate against ourselves,” he said.
Hopefully, Gray said, the governor will continue her negotiations with the hospitals.
NO BACKGROUND CHECK FOR GUNS FOR INVOLUNTARILY COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS
On a partisan vote of 16-8, the Senate killed a bill that would authorize the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and provide for the process of confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings.
Abbas said the bill is the same as last year and the concern he had is that it would address firearms that are owned or the person has access to.
“You are forcing self-incrimination,” said Abbas. “That is unconstitutional.”
Senate Bill 144-FN was recommended as inexpedient to legislate on a 3-1 vote out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Altschiller agreed “it’s deja vu all over again” but she noted last summer the Attorney General’s office’s 44-page report about the shooting death of an unarmed security guard at NH Hospital by a former patient, yet the state had nothing but his lie to a Barrington gun dealer and was found incompetent to stand trial on felony charges.
“Senate Bill 144 has one intention and is narrowly tailored to close this one gap,” which Altschiller said 47 other states have in place, for the state to report such mental health information to the national database.
This bill has a process to restore firearms rights, Altschiller said.
Sen. Gannon said getting firearms back would be much harder if this bill passed.