142:1 State Veterans' Advisory Committee. Amend RSA 115-A:8 to read as follows:

115-A:8 State Veterans' Advisory Committee.

I. Each non-legislative member of the state veterans' advisory committee shall serve a 2-year term of office from the date of the member's appointment, and may be reappointed. Legislative members of the committee shall serve a term coterminous with their term in office. The committee members shall choose a chairman, vice-chairman, and a secretary from their committee membership.

II. The committee may, by a majority vote of the committee members, adopt bylaws governing the management and operation of the committee.

III. The committee shall issue biannual reports of its actions, findings, and recommendations on May 1 and November 1 of each year to the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, the governor and council, and all veterans' organizations in the state.

IV. The committee shall have the authority to accept and expend funds from any public or private source, including private gifts, grants, and donations. The funds shall be used exclusively to pay the costs of the committee in performing its duties. Any funds accepted or expended shall be included in the biannual reports under paragraph III.

142:2 Statewide Education Improvement and Assessment Program; Assessment Required. RSA 193-C:6 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

193-C:6 Assessment Required. A statewide assessment shall be administered in all school districts in the state once in an elementary school grade, once in a middle school grade, and one grade in high school. For those years in grades 3 through 8 in which the school district does not administer the statewide assessment, the school district, in consultation with the department and as part of the statewide education improvement and assessment program, shall develop and administer its own assessment or shall administer a standardized assessment that identifies a pupil's range of learning and yields objective data to use in improving instruction and learning. All public school students in the designated grades shall participate in the assessment, unless such student is exempted, or provided that the commissioner of the department of education may, through an agreement with another state when such state and New Hampshire are parties to an interstate agreement, allow pupils to participate in that state's assessment program as an alternative to the assessment required under this chapter. Home educated students may contact their local school districts if they wish to participate in the statewide assessment. Private schools may contact the department of education to participate in the statewide assessment. The department may use the College Board SAT or ACT college readiness assessment to satisfy the high school assessment requirements of this chapter. The statewide assessment results of a student or the student's school district shall not be included as part of the student's transcript unless the student, if 18 years of age or older, or the student's parent or legal guardian if the student is under 18 years of age, consents.

142:3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: June 16, 2017

Effective Date: August 15, 2017

142:1 State Veterans' Advisory Committee. Amend RSA 115-A:8 to read as follows:

115-A:8 State Veterans' Advisory Committee.

I. Each non-legislative member of the state veterans' advisory committee shall serve a 2-year term of office from the date of the member's appointment, and may be reappointed. Legislative members of the committee shall serve a term coterminous with their term in office. The committee members shall choose a chairman, vice-chairman, and a secretary from their committee membership.

II. The committee may, by a majority vote of the committee members, adopt bylaws governing the management and operation of the committee.

III. The committee shall issue biannual reports of its actions, findings, and recommendations on May 1 and November 1 of each year to the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, the governor and council, and all veterans' organizations in the state.

IV. The committee shall have the authority to accept and expend funds from any public or private source, including private gifts, grants, and donations. The funds shall be used exclusively to pay the costs of the committee in performing its duties. Any funds accepted or expended shall be included in the biannual reports under paragraph III.

142:2 Statewide Education Improvement and Assessment Program; Assessment Required. RSA 193-C:6 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

193-C:6 Assessment Required. A statewide assessment shall be administered in all school districts in the state once in an elementary school grade, once in a middle school grade, and one grade in high school. For those years in grades 3 through 8 in which the school district does not administer the statewide assessment, the school district, in consultation with the department and as part of the statewide education improvement and assessment program, shall develop and administer its own assessment or shall administer a standardized assessment that identifies a pupil's range of learning and yields objective data to use in improving instruction and learning. All public school students in the designated grades shall participate in the assessment, unless such student is exempted, or provided that the commissioner of the department of education may, through an agreement with another state when such state and New Hampshire are parties to an interstate agreement, allow pupils to participate in that state's assessment program as an alternative to the assessment required under this chapter. Home educated students may contact their local school districts if they wish to participate in the statewide assessment. Private schools may contact the department of education to participate in the statewide assessment. The department may use the College Board SAT or ACT college readiness assessment to satisfy the high school assessment requirements of this chapter. The statewide assessment results of a student or the student's school district shall not be included as part of the student's transcript unless the student, if 18 years of age or older, or the student's parent or legal guardian if the student is under 18 years of age, consents.

142:3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: June 16, 2017

Effective Date: August 15, 2017