Revision: Jan. 21, 2025, 3:34 p.m.
HB 676 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0559
02/05
HOUSE BILL 676
SPONSORS: Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 7; Rep. Doucette, Rock. 25; Rep. Ladd, Graf. 5; Rep. D. McGuire, Merr. 14; Rep. Noble, Hills. 2; Rep. Terry, Belk. 7; Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18
COMMITTEE: Education Policy and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill makes changes to the parent and education service provider advisory commission and establishes education freedom account impact and parent satisfaction surveys.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0559
02/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Parent and Education Service Provider Advisory Commission. Amend RSA 194-F:5, II to read as follows:
II. The commission shall consist of [7] 9 members who shall be parents of EFA students or education service providers and shall represent no fewer than 4 counties in the state. The members shall be appointed by the director of the scholarship organization and serve at the director's pleasure for one calendar year after which they may be reappointed. The director of the scholarship organization, or designee, shall serve as a non-voting chairperson of the commission. The commissioner of the department of education, or designee, shall serve as a non-voting member of the commission. Five members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
2 Parent and Education Service Provider Advisory Commission. RSA 194-F:5, III is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
III. The commission shall meet at least on a quarterly basis and more often as necessary. Additional meetings may be called on the vote of a majority of members or at the request of the director or commissioner or their designees. The commission shall meet, in person or virtually, to:
(a) To review appeals of education service provider denials pursuant to RSA 194-F:4, XI and to provide a recommendation to the scholarship organization as to whether an education service provider should be allowed to receive, or continue receiving, payments from EFAs.
(b) To review program application process, approval process for account expenses, and approval of service providers and make recommendations for legislative changes.
IV. The commission shall submit an annual report by November 1st beginning in 2026 to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chairpersons of the house and senate education committee, and the chairperson of the EFA Legislative Oversight Committee pursuant to RSA 194-F:12.
3 New Sections; Education Freedom Account Surveys. Amend RSA 194-F by inserting after section 12 the following new sections:
194-F:13 Education Freedom Account Impact Survey.
The education freedom account impact survey shall be a document developed by the department of education and given to the parents of students who have exited a public school under the provisions of this chapter. The survey shall solicit the reasons for seeking the education freedom account and any suggested improvements desired in the public school they are leaving.
194-F:14 Education Freedom Account Parent Satisfaction Survey.
I. The department shall provide aggregated results from a survey, designed by the department, and administered by the scholarship organization, which shall solicit information from at least 90 percent of the parents or legal guardians of participating students, broken down by the number of years in the program. In each case, the respondent shall be asked to gauge their level of agreement with the statement as follows: "strongly agree," "agree," "no change," "disagree," "strongly disagree." The following statements shall be included in the survey:
(a) I am satisfied with the education option(s) my child is utilizing as compared to the option(s) my child utilized prior to the availability of the education tax credit program.
(b) My child has seen a measurable improvement in academic achievement.
(c) My child would have been unable to attend the school of his or her choice without the education freedom account program.
II. The survey shall include the following question to the parent or legal guardian of a participating student who is attending a public or private school full time: "Excluding the education freedom account, how much did you pay out of pocket for your child to attend school this year?"
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 30 days after its passage.