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HB 412 · 2025 · House · Election Law Committee

Cooperative school board election rules

AI-generated

relative to elections and appointments to fill vacancies of local cooperative school boards.

Requires cooperative school board representatives to be elected only by voters within their own district and requires appointees filling at-large vacancies to reside in the same municipality as the outgoing member.AI-generated

Status

Killed in the House — Inexpedient to Legislate · March 26, 2025
  1. ✓Introduced
  2. ✕House
  3. Senate
  4. Governor
  5. Law

Analysis

This bill requires cooperative school boards to elect representatives from pre-existing districts only from voters within the district. The bill also requires that appointments to fill vacancies for members of cooperative school boards with at large elections shall be domiciled in the same municipality as the outgoing member.

From the bill's official ANALYSIS section.

In the bill's words

Quoted verbatim from the bill as introduced. Passages chosen from the operative text.Computed by this site

“The cooperative school district shall be divided into single board member districts according to population with as nearly equal population in each district as possible; or III.”
RSA 195:19-a
“The cooperative school district shall be divided into multi-board member districts or a combination of single member or multi-member districts so that proportional representation will be most nearly achieved; or IV.”
RSA 195:19-a
“The members of the cooperative school board shall each be domiciled in and represent a pre-existing district with each pre-existing district having at least one such resident representative [but all members of the cooperative school board shall be elected at large] who shall be elected within their own district; or V.”
RSA 195:19-a
“Such other method of selection of cooperative school board members compatible with proportional representation, one-man one-vote principle as may be approved by the state board of education.”
RSA 195:19-a

Official record

Bill page — docket & status

gc.nh.gov · the authoritative source

Sponsors

Rep. Walter SpilsburyRPrimeVice Chair· Education Funding

Public testimony

16 signed in online · 2 wrote testimony

6% support88% oppose6% neutral

In their wordsVerbatim, exactly as submitted

“First part of bill is reasonable, however, the statement - "When a vacancy occurs in any cooperative school board seat that is elected at large, any successor appointed to fill the vacancy shall be domiciled in the same municipality as the outgoing member was at the time of their election."…”
— Leigh Hutchinson, Derryopposes
“I appreciate the opportunity to provide a balanced perspective on HB 412, which addresses the methods for electing and appointing members to local cooperative school boards. Strengths of the Bill One of the notable strengths of HB 412 is its flexibility.…”
— Blossom Dodge, Concordneutral

Verbatim excerpts of submitted testimony, quoted from the testimony tool.

Read the testimony · as of Aug 12, 2026

Votes

yeanay
Starting text: Bill as introduced
  • Mar 18, 2025HouseCommittee report· consent calendar: Inexpedient to Legislate18–0
    Overall
    100% yea
  • Mar 26, 2025HouseVoice voteInexpedient to Legislateadopted

Hearings and debates

  • Mar 4, 2025Public hearingHouse Election Law4:02:52–4:03:2028slocated in the stream transcript==RECESSED== Executive Session
  • Mar 18, 2025Public hearingHouse Election Law1:23:18–1:24:1759slocated in the stream transcriptCommittee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate; ==CONTINUED== Executive Session
  • Mar 26, 2025Floor debateHouse floorWatchnot located in the transcript — opens the full streamInexpedient to Legislate — adopted, voice vote

Timestamps locate where this bill is taken up in the chamber's YouTube stream.

Legislative history

  1. Jan 9, 2025HouseIntroduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Election Law HJ 3 P. 8
  2. Feb 25, 2025HousePublic Hearing: 02/25/2025 01:30 pm LOB 306-308
  3. Mar 4, 2025House==RECESSED== Executive Session: 03/04/2025 01:00 pm LOB 306-308
  4. Mar 18, 2025House==CONTINUED== Executive Session: 03/18/2025 10:00 am LOB 306-308
  5. Mar 18, 2025House: Inexpedient to Legislate 03/18/2025 (Vote 18-0; CC) HC 17 P. 13
  6. Mar 26, 2025HouseInexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/26/2025 HJ 10 P. 21

Coverage

No reporting linked yet.

Documents (PDF)

Bill text & amendments link direct to gc.nh.gov; committee reports stream from the state record.