Education mandate bill dies in the Senate

A bill that would have limited the State Board of Education’s rulemaking authority died in the Senate on Thursday, reported the Concord Monitor.

According to disability and education advocates, HB 620 was intended to limit the ability of the State Board to impose unfunded mandates on school districts, but could have had drastic impacts on protections and services available for students with disabilities and their families.

The Senate unanimously killed the bill due to technical language:

“A new term I learned this week was ‘void for vagueness,’ and this certainly fits the description of void for vagueness. But in the end, we are presenting to the Governor a bill that he would have to veto because it amends the wrong statute. So for that reason, by itself, we should oppose this committee of conference report,” Sen. John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican, told his colleagues from the Senate floor on Thursday.

Advocates fear that the bill will return:

We are “thrilled that the New Hampshire Rules for Education of Children with Disabilities are safe for the time being,” said Lisa Beaudoin, of ABLE-NH. “Unfortunately, we believe the language or the intent of this amendment will probably come back.”

Source: Education mandate bill dies in the Senate | Concord Monitor