HB 1716-FN
relative to the academic accountability of education freedom accounts.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | HOUSE |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/12/2026 |
| LSR number | 3028 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H62 |
Where it stands
Pending action in the other chamber
Sponsors
Bricchi, Tracy(D) Merr 15, Fellows, Sallie(D) Graf 8, Hall, Muriel(D) Merr 9, Kluger, Lee Ann(D) Hills 6, O'Rorke, Terri(D) Ches 7, Weinstein, Toni(D) Rock 10
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.
What happened
Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Education Policy and Administration
- January 21, 2026Public Hearing: 01/21/2026 02:30 pm GP 232
- January 22, 2026Executive Session: 01/22/2026 10:00 am GP 232
- February 4, 2026Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 01/29/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC)
- February 4, 2026Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
- February 12, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA RC 194-166 02/12/2026
Votes
Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.
Inexpedient to Legislate
| Party | Yes | No | Presiding | Excused | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 194 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| Democrat | 0 | 160 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 194 | 166 | 1 | 19 | 14 |
Yes — 194
- Aldrich, Glen(R) Belk 6
- Alexander, Joe(R) Hills 29
- Ammon, Keith(R) Hills 42
- Andrus, Louise(R) Merr 5
- Aron, Judy(R) Sull 4
- Aron, Michael(R) Sull 8
- Aures, Cyril(R) Merr 13
- Avellani, Lino(R) Carr 4
- Aylward, Deborah(R) Merr 5
- Bailey, Glenn(R) Straf 2
- Ball, Lorie(R) Rock 25
- Barbour, Liz(R) Hills 35
- Barton, Joseph(R) Graf 1
- Beaulier, Calvin(R) Graf 1
- Belcher, Mike(R) Carr 4
- Bennett, Cindy(R) Rock 4
- Berezhny, Lex(R) Graf 11
- Bernardy, JD(R) Rock 36
- Berry, Ross(R) Hills 44
- Bjelobrk, Marie Louise(R) Graf 5
- Boehm, Ralph(R) Hills 38
- Bogert, Steven(R) Belk 5
- Boyd, Bill(R) Hills 12
- Boyd, Stephen(R) Merr 10
- Brown, Pam(R) Rock 14
- Bryer, Scott(R) Rock 1
- Burnham, Claudine(R) Straf 2
- Cambrils, Jose(R) Merr 4
- Colcombe, Riché(R) Hills 30
- Cole, Brian(R) Hills 26
- Comtois, Barbara(R) Belk 7
- Corcoran, Travis(R) Hills 28
- Crawford, Karel(R) Carr 3
- Creighton, James(R) Hills 30
- Daniels, Gary(R) Hills 43
- Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2
- DeDe-Poulin, Denise(R) Straf 6
- DeLemus, Susan(R) Straf 1
- DeRoy, Susan(R) Straf 3
- DeSimone, Debra(R) Rock 18
- DeVito, Sayra(R) Rock 8
- Devoid, Ricky(R) Merr 1
- Dolan, Tom(R) Rock 16
- Donnelly, Tanya(R) Rock 25
- Drago, Mike(R) Rock 4
- Drew, Matt(R) Hills 19
- Drye, Margaret(R) Sull 7
- Dumont, Dillon(R) Hills 13
- Dunn, Ron(R) Rock 16
- Dupont, Pierre(R) Hills 20
- Edwards, Jess(R) Rock 31
- Erf, Keith(R) Hills 28
- Farrington, Samuel(R) Straf 8
- Fedolfi, Jim(R) Hills 30
- Flanagan, Jack(R) Hills 45
- Franz, Linda(R) Graf 6
- Freeman, Lisa(R) Belk 8
- Gagne, Larry(R) Hills 16
- Giasson, Henry(R) Hills 29
- Gonzalez, Ernesto(R) Merr 3
- Gorski, Ted(R) Hills 2
- Gould, Linda(R) Hills 2
- Granger, Michael(R) Straf 2
- Grant, George(R) Sull 5
- Griffin, Gerald(R) Hills 42
- Guzofski, James(R) Rock 1
- Hall, Robley(R) Straf 1
- Hamblen, Joseph(R) Carr 3
- Harb, Robert(R) Rock 20
- Harrington, Michael(R) Straf 18
- Harvey-Bolia, Juliet(R) Belk 3
- Hemingway, Wayne(R) Sull 6
- Hill, Gregory(R) Merr 2
- Hunt, John(R) Ches 14
- Janigian, John(R) Rock 25
- Kaczynski, Thomas(R) Straf 5
- Karasinski, Sly(R) Ches 10
- Katsakiores, Phyllis(R) Rock 13
- Kelley, Diane(R) Hills 32
- Kenny, Catherine(R) Hills 13
- Kesselring, Steven(R) Hills 18
- Khan, Aboul(R) Rock 30
- King, Seth(R) Coos 4
- Kofalt, Jim(R) Hills 32
- Korzen, Lori(R) Coos 7
- Kuttab, Katelyn(R) Rock 17
- Labrie, Brian(R) Hills 2
- Ladd, Rick(R) Graf 5
- Lascelles, Richard(R) Hills 14
- Layon, Erica(R) Rock 13
- Leavitt, John(R) Merr 10
- Litchfield, Melissa(R) Rock 32
- Louis, Darrell(R) Graf 1
- Love, David(R) Rock 13
- Lundgren, David(R) Rock 16
- Lynn, Bob(R) Rock 17
- MacDonald, Wayne(R) Rock 16
- Mannion, Dennis(R) Rock 25
- Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1
- Markell, Jay(R) Rock 18
- Mattson, Rita(R) Ches 18
- Mazur, Lisa(R) Hills 44
- McDonnell, Valerie(R) Rock 25
- McFarlane, Donald(R) Graf 18
- McGrath, Linda(R) Rock 40
- McGuire, Carol(R) Merr 27
- McGuire, Dan(R) Merr 14
- McLean, Mark(R) Hills 15
- McMahon, Charles(R) Rock 17
- Mehegan, Peter(R) Merr 12
- Melvin, Charles(R) Rock 20
- Miles, Julie(R) Hills 12
- Milz, David(R) Rock 13
- Miner, Laurence(R) Rock 7
- Minor, Sheri(R) Belk 5
- Moffett, Michael(R) Merr 4
- Mooney, Maureen(R) Hills 12
- Morency, Pete(R) Coos 5
- Morton, Jonathan(R) Hillsborough 39
- Murphy, Denis(R) Ches 11
- Nadeau, Brian(R) Rock 4
- Nalevanko, Rich(R) Ches 9
- Nelson, Jodi(R) Rock 13
- Noble, Kristin(R) Hills 2
- Notter, Jeanine(R) Hills 12
- Ohm, Bill(R) Hills 10
- Osborne, Jason(R) Rock 2
- Ouellet, Mike(R) Coos 3
- Panek, Sandra(R) Hillsborough 1
- Paquette, Kathleen(R) Hills 25
- Pauer, Diane(R) Hills 36
- Pearson, Mark(R) Rock 34
- Pearson, Stephen(R) Rock 13
- Peeples, Raymond(R) Hills 14
- Perez, Kristine(R) Rock 16
- Peternel, Katy(R) Carr 6
- Pitaro, Matthew(R) Merr 11
- Plante, Raymond(R) Merr 27
- Ploszaj, Tom(R) Belk 1
- Polozov, Yury(R) Merr 10
- Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R) Rock 17
- Porcelli, Susan(R) Rock 19
- Post, Lisa(R) Hills 42
- Potenza, Kelley(R) Straf 19
- Potucek, John(R) Rock 13
- Presa, Adam(R) Hills 12
- Proulx, Mark(R) Hills 15
- Prout, Andrew(R) Hills 13
- Prudhomme-O'Brien, Katherine(R) Rock 13
- Qualey, James(R) Ches 18
- Reinfurt, Sherri(R) Hills 29
- Rhodes, Jennifer(R) Ches 17
- Rice, Kimberly(R) Hills 38
- Rollins, Skip(R) Sull 3
- Roy, Terry(R) Rock 31
- Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30
- Schneller, John(R) Hills 2
- Scully, Kevin(R) Hills 8
- Seaworth, Brian(R) Merr 12
- See, Alvin(R) Merr 26
- Selby, Donald(R) Rock 9
- Sellers, John(R) Graf 10
- Sheehan, Vanessa(R) Hills 43
- Sirois, Shane(R) Hills 32
- Slottje, Jeremy(R) Hills 13
- Smith, Jonathan(R) Carr 5
- Smith, Steven(R) Sull 3
- Soti, Julius(R) Rock 35
- Spillane, James(R) Rock 2
- Spilsbury, Walter(R) Sull 3
- Suiter, John(R) Hills 36
- Summers, James(R) Rock 20
- Sweeney, Joe(R) Rock 25
- Sytek, John(R) Rock 25
- Terry, Paul(R) Belk 7
- Thackston, Dick(R) Ches 12
- Thibault, James(R) Merr 25
- Thomas, Douglas(R) Rock 16
- Tierney, James(R) Coos 1
- Tremblay, Marc(R) Coos 5
- Tripp, Richard(R) Rock 13
- Tudor, Paul(R) Rock 1
- Turcotte, Len(R) Straf 4
- Ulery, Jordan(R) Hills 13
- Vandecasteele, Susan(R) Rock 25
- Verville, Kevin(R) Rock 2
- Vose, Michael(R) Rockingham 5
- Walker, David(R) Straf 19
- Walsh, Lilli(R) Rock 15
- Warden, Mark(R) Hills 39
- Weyler, Kenneth(R) Rock 14
- Wherry, Robert(R) Hills 13
- Wilson, Vicki(R) Rock 9
- Wood, Clayton(R) Merr 13
No — 166
- Almy, Susan(D) Graf 17
- Ames, Dick(D) Ches 13
- Balboni, Peggy(D) Rock 38
- Baldwin, Heather(D) Graf 4
- Bay, Luz(D) Straf 21
- Beauchemin, Paige(D) Hills 3
- Berch, Paul(D) Ches 6
- Bergeron, Dan(D) Hills 16
- Bixby, Peter(D) Straf 13
- Bolton, Bill(D) Graf 8
- Booras, Efstathia(D) Hills 8
- Bordes, Mike(R) Belk 5
- Bricchi, Tracy(D) Merr 15
- Bridle, Nicholas(R) Rock 29
- Budathoki, Suraj(D) Hillsborough 40
- Burroughs, Anita(D) Carr 2
- Burton, Wayne(D) Straf 10
- Butler, Billie(D) Straf 12
- Cahill, Michael(D) Rock 10
- Caplan, Tony(D) Merr 8
- Chourasia, Manoj(D) Hills 11
- Chretien, Suzanne(D) Hills 19
- Cloutier, John(D) Sull 6
- Coker, Matthew(R) Belk 2
- Colby, Eleana(D) Merr 9
- Cormen, Thomas(D) Graf 15
- Cornell, Patricia(D) Hills 22
- Damon, Hope(D) Sull 8
- Darby, Will(D) Hills 11
- Dargie, Paul(D) Hills 43
- Davis, Fred(D) Hills 3
- Ebel, Karen(D) Merr 7
- Edgar, Michael(D) Rock 29
- Elberger, Susan(D) Hills 5
- Faulkner, Barry(D) Ches 10
- Fellows, Sallie(D) Graf 8
- Foss, Lily(D) Hills 41
- Fox, Dru(D) Ches 2
- Foxx, Loren(D) Hills 2
- Fracht, David(D) Graf 16
- Gallager, Eric(D) Merr 20
- Georges, Mary(D) Hills 23
- Germana, Nicholas(D) Ches 15
- Gilmore, Gary(D) Straf 16
- Girard, Dale(R) Sull 6
- Gregg, Alicia(D) Hills 7
- Grill, Jessica(D) Hills 18
- Grote, Jaci(D) Rockingham 24
- Gruber, James(D) Ches 16
- Grund, Stephanie(D) Hills 34
- Guthrie, Joseph(R) Rock 15
- Hakken-Phillips, Mary(D) Graf 12
- Hall, Muriel(D) Merr 9
- Harriott-Gathright, Linda(D) Hills 10
- Hartnett, Tim(D) Hillsborough 41
- Harvey, Cathryn(D) Ches 6
- Haskins, Linda(D) Rockingham 11
- Hegner, Karen(D) Hills 41
- Herbert, Christopher(D) Hills 24
- Hicks, Matthew(D) Merr 24
- Horrigan, Timothy(D) Straf 10
- Howard, Heath(D) Straf 4
- Howland, Allan(D) Straf 20
- Jack, Martin(D) Hills 10
- Jeudy, Jean(D) Hills 23
- Johnson, Erik(D) Straf 11
- Jones, Philip(D) Ches 3
- Juris, Louis(D) Hills 7
- Kelly, Eileen(D) Merr 8
- Kerwin, Erin(D) Hills 40
- Kluger, Lee Ann(D) Hills 6
- Knab, Allison(D) Rock 12
- LaMontagne, Jessica(D) Straf 17
- Lane, Connie(D) Merr 16
- Larochelle, John(D) Straf 19
- LeClerc, Daniel(D) Hills 34
- Leapley, Nicole(D) Hills 22
- Leishman, Peter(D) Hills 33
- Levesque, Cassandra(D) Straf 4
- Lloyd, Christal(D) Hills 8
- Long, Patrick(D) Hills 26
- Lovett, Peter(D) Graf 8
- Lucas, Janet(D) Graf 7
- Luneau, David(D) Merr 9
- Maggiore, Jim(D) Rock 23
- Malloy, Dennis(D) Rock 24
- Mandelbaum, Jennifer(D) Rock 21
- Manohar, Sanjeev(D) Hills 9
- Manos, Zoe(D) Rock 12
- McAleer, Chris(D) Carr 2
- McGhee, Kat(D) Hills 35
- Miller, Seth(D) Straf 21
- Muirhead, Russell(D) Graf 12
- Muns, Chris(D) Rock 29
- Murphy, Nancy(D) Hills 12
- Murray, Alissandra(D) Hills 20
- Murray, Kate(D) Rockingham 22
- Murray, Megan(D) Hills 37
- Nagel, David(D) Belk 6
- Newell, Jodi(D) Ches 4
- Newman, Ray(D) Hills 4
- Newman, Sue(D) Hills 4
- Newsom, James(D) Merr 9
- O'Rorke, Terri(D) Ches 7
- Oppel, Thomas(D) Grafton 9
- Paige, David(D) Carr 1
- Paige, Mark(D) Rock 11
- Palmer, William(D) Sull 2
- Parshall, Lucius(D) Ches 8
- Payeur, Stephanie(D) Merr 8
- Pearson, Wayne(D) Straf 12
- Petrigno, Peter(D) Hills 43
- Plamondon, Marc(D) Hills 3
- Preece, David(D) Hills 17
- Raymond, Heather(D) Hills 5
- Raynolds, Ned(D) Rock 39
- Read, Ellen(D) Rock 10
- Rockmore, Ellen(D) Graf 12
- Rombeau, Catherine(D) Hills 2
- Rung, Rosemarie(D) Hills 12
- Ryan, Linda(D) Hills 4
- Salvi, Santosh(D) Hills 9
- Sargent, Gregory(D) Merr 7
- Schamberg, Thomas(D) Merr 6
- Scherr, Buzz(D) Rock 26
- Schmidt, Peter(D) Straf 14
- Schultz, Kris(D) Merr 29
- Seibert, Christine(D) Hills 21
- Selig, Loren(D) Straf 10
- Simpson, Alexis(D) Rock 33
- Smith, Geoffrey(D) Straf 21
- Smith, Marjorie(D) Straf 10
- Snodgrass, Jim(D) Merr 28
- Sorensen, Carrie(D) Rock 28
- Soucy, Timothy(D) Merr 21
- Southworth, Thomas(D) Straf 11
- Spahr, Terry(D) Graf 12
- Spier, Carry(D) Hills 6
- St. Clair, Charlie(D) Belknap 5
- Staub, Kathy(D) Hills 25
- Stavis, Laurel(D) Graf 13
- Stone, John(D) Straf 12
- Stringham, Jerry(D) Graf 3
- Sullivan, Brian(D) Sull 1
- Sullivan, Jared(D) Graf 2
- Swanson, Dale(D) Hills 5
- Sykes, George(D) Graf 14
- Taylor, Brian(R) Carr 8
- Telerski, Laura(D) Hills 11
- Tellez, Trinidad(D) Hills 40
- Thomas, Wendy(D) Hills 12
- Turer, Eric(D) Rock 6
- Vail, Suzanne(D) Hillsborough 6
- Vallone, Mark(D) Rock 5
- Veilleux, Daniel(D) Hills 34
- Wade, Alice(D) Straf 15
- Wall, Janet(D) Straf 11
- Wallner, Mary Jane(D) Merr 19
- Ward, Gerald(D) Rock 27
- Weber, Lucy(D) Ches 5
- Weinstein, Toni(D) Rock 10
- Wheeler, Jonah(D) Hills 33
- Wilhelm, Matthew(D) Hills 21
- Woodcock, Stephen(D) Carr 1
- Woods, Gary(D) Merr 30
- de Vries, Erica(D) Rock 29
Presiding — 1
- Packard, Sherman(R) Rock 16
Excused — 19
- Bean, Harry(R) Belknap 6
- Brown, Richard(R) Carr 8
- Buco, Thomas(D) Carr 1
- Dolan, William(D) Hills 9
- Durkin, Sean(R) Coos 1
- England, Myles(D) Straf 12
- Foote, Charles(R) Rock 13
- Gilman, Julie(D) Rock 11
- Grossman, Gaby(D) Rock 11
- MacDonald, John(R) Carr 6
- MacKenzie, Mark(D) Hills 40
- Mannion, Tim(R) Hills 1
- Meuse, David(D) Rock 37
- Murphy, Mary(R) Hills 27
- Murphy, Michael(R) Coos 6
- Richards, Beth(D) Merr 17
- Sofikitis, Catherine(D) Hills 7
- Tenczar, Jeffrey(R) Hills 1
- Varney, Peter(R) Belk 7
Absent — 14
- Ankarberg, Aidan(I) Straf 7
- DiSilvestro, Linda(D) Hills 17
- Dumais, Russell(R) Belk 6
- Ford, Mary(R) Rock 3
- Gibbs, Merryl(D) Merr 23
- Howard, Molly(D) Hills 31
- Jacobs, Samantha(D) Ches 15
- MacKay, James(D) Merr 18
- Malone, Amy(D) Straf 9
- Morse, Bryan(R) Merr 3
- Roesener, James(D) Merr 22
- Toner, Travis(R) Belk 4
- Trottier, Douglas(R) Belk 8
- Walsh, Thomas(R) Merr 10
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Majority — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
Currently, Education Freedom Account (EFA) students have to show academic progress at the end of the academic year by choosing from these options: take a national achievement test, take a statewide student assessment test, or maintain a portfolio that is evaluated by a certified teacher or a teacher currently teaching in a non-public school. This bill requires the Department of Education to develop a rubric for evaluating portfolios including sources 13 6 FEBRUARY 2026 HOUSE RECORD of learning, evidence of subject competency, mastery of knowledge and skills, and evidence of reflection of learning outcomes. Outcomes of all three types of evaluation would be reported to the department, where the Division of Learner Support will analyze the results to determine the academic proficiency rates among pupils participating in the EFA program. The bill removes the option of having a teacher in a non-public school evaluate a portfolio, in spite of a record of almost 40 years of successful evaluations by such teachers for portfolios of home educated students. It also requires annual reporting of these scores and evaluation data for EFA students, while public school students are only assessed in 3rd to 8th grade and 11th grade, from which the parents have the option to opt-out. Vote 10-8.
Minority — OUGHT TO PASS
This bill would add student academic accountability to the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program. Annual student assessment is a requirement of all NH public school students, and test scores are often used as a measure of a school’s success. The EFA program is funded with taxpayer dollars and is one of four education pathways for NH students. Currently, there is no comparable academic accountability required for students in the EFA Program. Per state law, students in the EFA program must provide an annual record of educational attainment by taking either a nationally standardized test or the NH statewide assessment; or submitting a statement of teacher evaluation of a student portfolio. This bill does not propose any new methods of evaluation, it merely clarifies the portfolio option and adds a reporting requirement to an already existing statute. The minority feels that all students in taxpayer-funded educational programs, including public schools, charter schools, and the EFA program, should be held to the same academic reporting standards to evaluate student growth and the success of the program.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 21, 2026 at 14:30Education Policy and Administration public hearing recording 5:27:07–5:33:39, about 7 min (estimated)
- January 22, 2026 at 10:00Education Policy and Administration executive session recording 1:58:30–1:59:00, about 0 min (estimated)
- February 12, 2026House floor debate floor recording
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