[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6664770,"mediaKeyId","2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b","parentId",2371473,"title","Senate Education Committee splits on bill requiring written parental consent for some school medical services to be billed to Medicaid","audioSeconds",1424,"startMs",158000,"endMs",1582000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b&start=158&end=1582","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b/thumbnail_158000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6664770/New-Hampshire/Senate-Education-Committee-splits-on-bill-requiring-written-parental-consent-for-some-school-medical-services-to-be-billed-to-Medicaid","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664770-fe8a2d8caf68014b53556e8a2592a01d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775009607&Signature=PHBYAZb2rAAC7ywBu2bhooIikDLAY1WQm0y687J2hvfgyEk65s2woX-gxX4ixYnjwyubaLfVQVrhkB5ouUsY8P~TGP4k1kH6bB3uzb0fdF5q-~9Aj6PtJB~YmY1OtYwfULmukByDnQw~oU4RUTUvcPYbfCwo-bnlyGLdIpI~IWgduAvaXudu88ucl-O9quqyywakrw4JLDfuNMFSEa8s7LGQdk8vq5RkyRyouP23jfAoyDnLz7vUsMYC5JG9dyuRaA50kT6YC~xm~CUAbh4aghugWKUwr3Zse~lrk-ernTFQbxMBlgy99yMT9N0WyBexkAnqbaO8-15gZJriNaORfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-02-18T18:53:11.683Z","article","The Senate Education Committee debated a bill that would require explicit written parental consent before a child may receive certain new medical or dental services in school that would be billed to Medicaid.

Committee chair Ward opened consideration of \"34\" and members spent more than an hour discussing whether written consent would be required only for billing or would effectively bar in‑the‑moment changes to services under students' individualized education programs (IEPs) and 504 plans.

Supporters of the requirement said written consent protects parental rights and clarifies billing procedures. Senator Sullivan said, \"I don't see anything wrong with getting parental consent,\" and argued schools should make more effort to obtain signatures.

Opponents warned the change could create a two-tiered system for students with Medicaid. One committee member said, \"This will immediately create a 2 tiered system of support where Medicaid enrolled children's parents will have to reach a higher threshold to access the services that they are entitled to.\" That speaker emphasized that the bill, as drafted, could be a higher standard than federal requirements and risk litigation if Medicaid‑enrolled children are treated differently than privately insured children.

Other senators raised operational questions: whether the requirement applies only to IEP‑related services or to all medical and dental services delivered in schools; whether districts would be required to absorb the cost if consent to bill is not obtained; and whether the measure would impose an unfair administrative burden on districts already struggling to contact some families.

No additional language was adopted on the floor. The committee recorded an initial motion to recommend \"Inexpedient to Legislate\" (ITL) that did not carry by a 2‑3 tally. A subsequent motion for \"Ought to Pass\" carried by a 3‑2 tally, as recorded in the transcript: \"All those in favor of ought to pass. Aye. Aye. So that's 3.\" The transcript does not identify all individual vote authors for those tally lines.

What this means going forward: the committee action favors sending the bill to the full Senate with an \"Ought to Pass\" recommendation. The transcript shows members asking for additional stakeholder work and clarifications before further action; one member said she would be willing to withdraw a motion to allow a re‑refer so stakeholders could refine the approach. The bill also generated repeated requests that staff and authors clarify whether the requirement is limited to IEP billing consent or applies more broadly to all school‑provided medical and dental treatment.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in committee):
- Motion: Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL). Tally recorded in transcript: 2 yes, 3 no (motion failed) — mover/second not specified in transcript.
- Motion: Ought to Pass (OTP). Tally recorded in transcript: 3 yes, 2 no (motion carried) — mover/second not specified in transcript.

Speakers quoted in committee transcript include Chair Ward; Senator Sullivan; and several senators who expressed concern that the bill could impose greater limits on Medicaid families than federal rules require. Witnesses and local officials (including a Manchester School Board member and representatives of community mental health centers) were cited repeatedly in the discussion as describing difficulties in obtaining billing consent in some communities.

The transcript shows committee members asking to consult with stakeholders (school nurses, special education coordinators, community behavioral health providers, and the Department of Education) to determine whether the policy should be reworked or re‑referred for study before the Senate takes final action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Education (02/18/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Education Committee debated a bill that would require explicit written parental consent before certain school medical or dental services can be billed to Medicaid, with members split over whether the measure protects parental rights or creates a burdensome two‑tier system for Medicaid‑enrolled students.","taxTitle","Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29500,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664757,"Committee hears brief testimony on bill to require owner's project manager before applying for school building aid",265,5788000,6053000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b&start=5788&end=6053","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b/thumbnail_5788000.jpg","/articles/6664757/New-Hampshire/Committee-hears-brief-testimony-on-bill-to-require-owners-project-manager-before-applying-for-school-building-aid","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664757-501e4109235c4113800e996496d56b26/orig.mp4?Expires=1775009607&Signature=Y65OtdV5lYaUpOhqteOA-K7N0uttywTF1nCJ~QkfmVXNgdDO6uSJ3yjm8rIWNHNX~a0vu-Gnu~zqTRKusjEfzTz~qVeI-WoRlUK0FOn0JEIsSU-ek0qqb6FFd7wIWYKvhliA8ClwpNRbc6Hz1nvS~ac78TYlY3XKIRf2Mr~0-TmBaLdJ94ckfZlK3NCFpzCrndDp4lamgDlRIZLhWikqgBM~rpSFSSNz23wkPJeDKxCK6izoL~ebIFUXBCniz0XFAtTV93IsBG3AV3q5J1CorMYPSwjd42JeRcriNKAL1DiBCEYym~TjiVRSv3SnL5Cy019s8a6obNxTMxTNGEpGvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 209 would require that a school district retain its owner's project manager (the district's project manager for construction projects) before applying for state building aid. Sponsor Senator Daryl Abbas said the requirement is a housekeeping measure intended to improve project budgeting and oversight by having the project's manager involved from the application stage.

Sponsor testimony explained that retaining an owner's project manager early helped one district complete a middle‑school renovation substantially under the warrant amount and better control contingencies. Senator Abbas said the bill was filed on behalf of a constituent who could not attend the hearing.

The committee received a written letter from the bill's proponent and heard no extended oral testimony or opposition. Senator Abbas offered the letter for the record and the chair closed the hearing; no committee vote was taken during the session recorded in the transcript.

The transcript records a short sponsor statement and references to the owner's project manager term used in New Hampshire statute; committee members asked clarifying questions about terminology (\"owner's project manager\" versus project manager retained by a school) and the sponsor said the bill used the terminology consistent with the RSA.","Senate Bill 209 would require school districts to retain an owner's project manager before applying for state building aid. Sponsor says the change encourages better budgeting and oversight; testimony was limited and the committee closed the hearing.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664761,"Granite State Literacy Act advances to hearing: sponsors seek model curation policy to protect school librarians and intellectual freedom",1247,3832000,5079000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b&start=3832&end=5079","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b/thumbnail_3832000.jpg","/articles/6664761/New-Hampshire/Granite-State-Literacy-Act-advances-to-hearing-sponsors-seek-model-curation-policy-to-protect-school-librarians-and-intellectual-freedom","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664761-673f92b8fb137791e649c25ce6d54562/orig.mp4?Expires=1775009607&Signature=mJz8uOJ-ClipJzWhADtdt9RM55Tq2X6sHnJx1KQMsSb42BvFo~8VgsxVumBYBcs~keV4-ReOwbRQRtz-4Kx9qIKdtwgMt0TU69-yj153aPL9ldzaLyeF1yRBDYhPQjVyBRN6t78-d-UYOkWy2k~dE5NGhgxdlYNgyrZJCID3uNhLD~DY1~8e6mcsfqPwndtQOGUQ5XGRAGfWY59eAq35LGvs1vFbnGXIJYXM0rt0tSlc9B2iVdMueMFxDfEPg6VTGhKPbNWNudwU4P3pLfc~xq6oZ6O6vJ12ZJpp587z2SCrfkbJXWuiKX73yOawwBkRmD41mdTZknDPnpsLmLhjLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 208, dubbed the \"Granite State Literacy Act\" by its prime sponsor, would require public school libraries to adopt written curation policies and direct the Department of Education to develop a model policy in consultation with library professionals. The bill also includes protections for librarians and a process for handling challenges to library materials.

Senator Deborah Altschuler, the bill sponsor, told the Senate Education Committee the bill is \"a balanced approach to protecting both intellectual freedom and appropriate content curation while providing clear procedures and protections for school library staff.\" She emphasized that the measure is intended to recognize professional training for librarians and to reduce frivolous or viewpoint‑driven challenges.

Witnesses who testified in favor said the bill would protect librarians and students' access to diverse viewpoints. Jacqueline Benson of Authors Against Book Bans said national data show a sharp rise in challenges and removals, and said the measure would \"provide reasonable guidelines for school librarians to adopt policies that protect their collections from these viewpoint motivated book bans.\" Deborah Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers‑New Hampshire, said the bill balances students' First Amendment rights and parents' interests while providing a predictable review process and avoiding litigation.

Other witnesses opposed or raised concerns. Parental‑rights advocate Emery Banfield opposed the bill, arguing it does not go far enough to shield children from sexually explicit content and urged clearer mechanisms to identify and limit pornographic or obscene materials in school libraries. The ACLU's legal director, Gilles Bissonnette, told the panel that while accountability for government decisions is appropriate, the bill's standards (\"harmful to minors,\" \"age‑inappropriate,\" \"offensive\") were vague and could invite viewpoint‑based removals unless the language were tightened to align with constitutional standards.

Committee members asked whether the Department of Education had a model policy in place (the sponsor said it did not) and how the department would resource the task; the sponsor said the fiscal note showed no incremental cost and that development could be done with existing staff and consultation with professional organizations.

The hearing included multiple stakeholders: library and teacher organizations in favor; parental‑rights advocates urging stronger limits on sexually explicit material; and civil liberties counsel cautioning that the bill's language could be used to censor viewpoint‑based material if not clarified. Senator Altschuler asked the committee to consider bifurcating the bill to remove the public‑library trustee portion if the committee preferred to focus on public school libraries.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. The committee closed public testimony and paused for further consideration; the sponsor said she would work with colleagues and stakeholders on clarifying language and possibly narrowing the bill.","Senate bill 208 would require public school libraries to adopt curation policies, direct the Department of Education to develop a model policy in consultation with library professionals, and offer procedural protections for librarians facing challenges. The committee heard testimony for and against during a public hearing.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664765,"Senate panel approves study committee to consider countywide school districts, adds stakeholders to review",2749,1601000,4350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b&start=1601&end=4350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2371473-5bd438f44fb6280d46cffc7a9fd8eb3b/thumbnail_1601000.jpg","/articles/6664765/New-Hampshire/Senate-panel-approves-study-committee-to-consider-countywide-school-districts-adds-stakeholders-to-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664765-5ef2a0054b8957b4c6bad0100fd0d6aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1775009607&Signature=Li~7aYBkMkK3jwO7HCNfSMOtSMP~kp85ygu87DgR~wx-oY5ACljIHFs9xgYGp3jKyjHEwByjUyMlUbt5NzEJ0b1p-LECDhvlgR3jb0wDmDwBFCIifMd4EILLaxdQ-iyrQxgDot9II9xn82G9hH95115oQSuItXa7wOnOEq3GTDN-OPx0XnlwyfbnWfICnF48rZUmBCb0Z2opbsVpqmUhishmdUkD8crE1qhIUXNG8zgkokNvIPHrKTE8~18Aba1IfhS6S5-kdivu9e-jszi5AVhwHtwfP6BL-DN32Ej77X40JacMZtvlAlSoysdofO0~healdv95I9GL2KJrQT-oTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance a study that would analyze reducing the number of school administrative units (SAUs) in New Hampshire and explore the feasibility of countywide school districts.

Senator Murphy initially proposed a study of alternative district configurations that could permit the state's two largest districts, Manchester and Nashua, to remain separate while reducing SAUs elsewhere. Senator Alschuler offered an amendment to add specific stakeholder consultation to the study. Members agreed to a committee amendment that requires the study committee to especially consider potential savings from economies of scale and the impact on county taxes and to \"may consult\" with county commissioners, the New Hampshire Municipal Association, and the New Hampshire School Boards Association.

Senator Alschuler told the committee the change was intended to ensure the study reaches out to county officials and school administrators who had not been part of earlier briefings: \"Those voices are vital to having this discussion in a...way that is real.\" Opponents of a mandatory list of consultees cautioned that making consultation mandatory could remove the study chair's discretion in deciding whom to contact; the committee ultimately adopted the compromise language changing \"shall\" to \"may\" in the added sentence.

The committee voted \"Ought to Pass as Amended\" and recorded the tally as 5‑0. The chair moved the measure to the consent calendar.

What the committee approved: a study commission to analyze whether consolidating SAUs could create administrative and financial savings, what the effect on county taxes would be, and possible transition logistics. The approved committee amendment instructs the study panel to consider economies of scale, the impact on county taxes and to consult with county commissioners, the municipal association and the school boards association as needed.

Committee action was procedural and unanimous; no immediate statutory changes were adopted. The committee recorded the committee amendment as approved, then passed the bill \"as amended\" 5‑0 and moved it to consent.

Transcript excerpts show back‑and‑forth about whether the chair and study committee should have discretion over outreach versus a prescriptive list of groups the study \"shall\" consult. The adopted language favors a middle path: the study shall consider specified topics and may consult named stakeholder organizations.

Action recorded in transcript:
- Committee amendment to add consultation language (changed \"shall\" to \"may\") — adopted by voice vote.
- Underlying motion: Ought to Pass as Amended — recorded as 5‑0.","The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance a study of consolidating school administrative units (SAUs) into fewer, possibly countywide, districts and added language directing the study committee to consult municipal, county and school board associations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate Education Committee splits on bill requiring written parental consent for some school medical services to be billed to Medicaid

Committee hears brief testimony on bill to require owner's project manager before applying for school building aid

Granite State Literacy Act advances to hearing: sponsors seek model curation policy to protect school librarians and intellectual freedom

Senate panel approves study committee to consider countywide school districts, adds stakeholders to review