Legislative Update March 15

 Week of March 15, 2021

Next House Session Scheduled:
Next House Session scheduled for April, 7, 8 and 9 at the Bedford Sports Complex. The crossover deadline is April 9th.

House Judiciary Committee Votes in Favor of Civil Liberties!

Update on Recent Legislative Action

Bills we have been following that are now on to the next steps. Your voice still needed and still matters! 

HB 542 with amendment: The Religious Liberty Act

STATUS: This past week the House Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 Ought to Pass on HB 542 with amendment. The bill will now go to the House of Representative for a full vote.

CORNERSTONE POSITION: Cornerstone SUPPORTS HB 542.

WHY:  “[HB 542] will protect churches from being treated worse than other essential services. To religious people around the world, religious communities are of fundamental and eternal importance. Our federal and state constitutions appropriately provide unique protections for religious exercise that are not accorded to other kinds of activities and organizations.”

Read the rest of the testimony from Cornerstone’s Director of Policy, Ian Huyett.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please call or email your representatives and ask them to vote in favor of HB 542!

HB 440 with amendment: The Civil Liberties Defense Act

STATUS: This past week the House Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 Ought To Pass on HB 440 with amendment. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives for a full vote. 

CORNERSTONE POSITION: Cornerstone SUPPORTS HB 440.

WHY:  “Strong executive action does not require that constitutional rights be suspended or set aside. New Hampshire does not need to adopt the radical theory that civil liberties are subject to suspension in an emergency and that no constitutional scrutiny applies to emergency actions.”

Read the rest of the testimony from Cornerstone’s Director of Policy, Ian Huyett.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please call or email your representatives and ask them to vote in favor of HB 440!

HB 136, requiring schools to update documents and software to include the option of identifying a student as non-binary

STATUS: HB 136 had a public hearing last week. The Education Committee will now vote on their recommendation for the full House.

CORNERSTONE POSITION: Cornerstone OPPOSES this bill.

WHY:  “[Cornerstone believes] that in its current form, HB 136 invites potential unintended negative consequences for the student. While non-binary is a self-identity issue, biological sex does impact other areas such as healthcare. By removing any annotation of the student’s biological sex, appropriate medical care measures may be delayed or not identified.”

Read the rest of the testimony from Cornerstone’s Executive Director, Shannon McGinley.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please call or email the Education Committee and ask them to vote Inexpedient to Legislate on HB 136!

SB 130, relative to education freedom accounts

STATUS: The Senate Education Committee has voted OTPA (Ought to Pass with Amendment) on SB 130 with amendment. The bill will now go on to the Senate for a full vote. Clerical errors were made in the amendment passed last Tuesday, but friendly amendments are being brought forward to address those errors.

Continue the fight for life in New Hampshire! If you have not already done so, please contact your senator and ask them to vote YES on HB 625-FN!


HB 625-FN, relative to the protection of fetal life, would prohibit abortion after 24 weeks gestation. If passed it would become New Hampshire’s first prohibition on abortion at any stage of gestation. We are still awaiting scheduling of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 625-FN. However, it is still extremely important that your senators hear from you. Contact your senator and ask them to vote in favor of HB 625-FN here.

For information on all the bills Cornerstone is currently following, as well as instructions on how you can take action, visit our Action Center.

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