The New Hampshire Legislature is currently considering what has been dubbed “the most expansive voucher program in the country” — and we need you to urge lawmakers to oppose this dangerous proposal.
If passed, HB 20 would entitle parents who pull their children out of the public school system to have the state pay into an educational savings account an amount equal to 95 percent of the statewide average basic support per pupil, plus “differential aid” that the student may qualify for. Legislators estimate that at least 85 percent of these funds would be used to fund private religious education.
Voucher schemes like the one under consideration in New Hampshire will financially devastate public schools and would force New Hampshire taxpayers to fund private religious education. Further, the program would have virtually no accountability — a problem that has plagued voucher schemes around the country.
Read FFRF’s “The Case Against Vouchers.”
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has a hearing scheduled on this bill on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 1:15 p.m. Eastern. Please take action and urge N.H. legislators to oppose HB 20.
WAYS TO TAKE ACTION:
- Send an email to the entire committee at [email protected] and urge them to vote no on this bill. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below.
- Attend the online hearing and register in opposition to this bill. Again, feel free to use or adapt the talking points FFRF has provided.
- Write an op-ed in your local New Hampshire newspaper opposing this voucher scheme in order to further impact public opinion.
TALKING POINTS:
As a New Hampshire voter, it is critical to me that you oppose HB 20, the voucher scheme proposal currently under consideration.
If passed, this bill would decimate our public schools, including in already underfunded rural districts. Further, this program, like other voucher schemes across the country, lacks oversight and accountability that invariably leads to widespread fraud and mismanagement. New Hampshire taxpayers will cut the checks, yet they will have virtually no mechanism overseeing how that money is used. Where public money goes, public accountability must follow.
Please vote no on HB 20 and recommit to supporting all our students by funding secular public education.
