HB 1799 · 2026 · House · Education Funding Committee

Boosting state funding for education

relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.

Establishes new state standards defining a constitutionally adequate education, increases funding costs for staffing and programs, requires districts to address outcome disparities, and creates a commission to study alternatives to property-tax school funding.AI-generated

Status

Killed in the House — Inexpedient to Legislate · February 19, 2026

✓Introduced
✕House
Senate
Governor
Law

Analysis

This bill: I. Creates a new set of standards for what the legislature determines as the meaning of a constitutionally adequate education. II. Includes a variety of staffing and personnel roles as pieces of an adequate education that should be funded appropriately. III. Increases the costs associated with funding an adequate education. IV. Requires the state and school districts to establish means and goals of addressing educational outcome disparities. V. Creates a commission to study alternative methods of funding public schools besides property taxes.

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

“It is the duty and policy of the state of New Hampshire that public elementary and secondary education shall provide all students with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare them for successful participation in the social, economic, scientific, technological, and political systems of a free government, now and in the years to come, regardless of where the students live.”

RSA 193-E:1

“The commissioner shall establish statewide public school targets for identifying and addressing persistent disparities in achievement among student subgroups in the aggregate and within subcategories, including subject matter and relevant grade levels.”

RSA 193-H:6

“There is established a commission to study and identify, consistent with RSA 193-E:1, transition and revenue options other than local property taxes for the full funding of state grants to public schools for consideration and action by state officials involved in the development of the state budget for fiscal years 2028-2029.”

RSA 198:39-a

“The targets shall include annual benchmarks on the progress expected to be achieved in the aggregate and by subcategory.”

RSA 193-H:6

Official record

Bill page — docket & status

gc.nh.gov · the authoritative source

Public testimony

380 signed in online · 140 wrote testimony

97% support3% oppose0% neutral

ForProperty taxes are an unsustainable, unfair burden

AgainstBill doesn't create a sustainable new revenue source

AI-generatedLeading arguments, summarized by the testimony tool.

Read the arguments

In their wordsVerbatim, exactly as submitted

“I write in support of HB 1799. A fact of property tag-paying life in New Hampshire is that we have a regressive, unfair, and increasingly burdensome mechanism for funding public education. It is unsustainable and detrimental to the well-being of our state.…”

— Janet Lucas, Camptonsupports

“The NH Supreme Court has ruled twice that it is the NH state constitutional duty to adequately fund NH children's education.…”

— Barbara Danser, Jaffreysupports

“I urge your complete support of this bill for adequate funding for students in New Hampshire public schools.…”

— Sharon Tieger, Jaffreysupports

“Testimony in Opposition to HB 1799 I am writing in opposition to HB 1799 because, despite its stated intentions, this bill does not address the core problem at the heart of New Hampshire’s school funding crisis: the state’s continued over-reliance on local property taxes.…”

— Meagan Burger, Rindgeopposes

“Again, who defines an "adequate education"? This is again enforcing a mandated tax that is not in the NH Constitution”

— Megan Schmitt, CONCORDopposes

“Enough with the "more, more, more" money attitude for schools. You don't reduce tax burdens by increasing taxes. Controlling spending is the only way to reduce taxes, which are already crushing New Hampshire citizens.”

— Michael Richeson, Atkinsonopposes

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

Feb 10, 2026HouseCommittee report· regular calendar: Inexpedient to Legislate10–8
Overall
56% yea
Feb 19, 2026HouseRoll callInexpedient to LegislateAdopted185–159How they voted
Overall
54% yea
Party-line vote
Republicans
185–299% yea
Democrats
0–1570% yea

Hearings and debates

Jan 20, 2026Public hearingHouse Education Funding3:45:32–3:57:5212m 20slocated in the stream transcriptPublic Hearing
Feb 6, 2026Public hearingHouse Education FundingWatchnot located in the transcript — opens the full stream==RECESSED== Executive Session
Feb 19, 2026Floor debateHouse floor51:48–56:324m 44slocated in the stream transcriptInexpedient to Legislate — adopted, roll call 185-159

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

Legislative history

Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Education Funding HJ 1 P. 36
Jan 20, 2026HousePublic Hearing: 01/20/2026 01:30 pm GP 232
Feb 6, 2026House==RECESSED== Executive Session: 02/06/2026 10:00 am GP 232
Feb 10, 2026House==CONTINUED== Executive Session: 02/10/2026 10:00 am GP 232
Feb 10, 2026HouseMajority : Inexpedient to Legislate 02/10/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC) HC 7 P. 27
Feb 11, 2026HouseMinority : Ought to Pass
Feb 19, 2026HouseInexpedient to Legislate: MA RC 185-159 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 47

Coverage

No reporting linked yet.

Background reading

Evergreen reading on the policy area — spanning perspectives — not coverage of this specific bill.

New Hampshire’s effort to overturn the Claremont school funding rulings, explainedExplainer — NH context
New Hampshire Bulletin — How Claremont, ConVal and Rand fit together, and what overturning them would require.AI-generated
NH Supreme Court upholds ruling finding base adequacy unconstitutionally lowPlaintiff side
NH School Funding Fairness Project — The ConVal holding as the districts that sued read it, including the $7,356 base figure.AI-generated
New Hampshire Supreme Court rules state violated constitution by underfunding public schoolsLegal analysis
Education Law Center — A national school-finance litigation group's summary of the decision.AI-generated
Formella’s school funding fix: kill ClaremontConservative
NH Journal — The argument for returning funding decisions to the legislature.AI-generated
Reaction mixed on ConVal education rulingReaction round-up
InDepthNH — Both sides on the day of the ruling, before the legislative response took shape.AI-generated

Documents (PDF)

Introducedversion

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