New Hampshire HB 1820: requiring the department of education to administer the education freedom account program.

Bill Text

HB 1820-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-3179

 07/08

HOUSE BILL 1820-FN

AN ACT requiring the department of education to administer the education freedom account program.

SPONSORS: Rep. Luneau, Merr. 9; Rep. Damon, Sull. 8; Rep. Cornell, Hills. 22; Rep. Fellows, Graf. 8; Rep. Bricchi, Merr. 15; Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10

COMMITTEE: Education Policy and Administration

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ANALYSIS

 This bill changes the administration of the education freedom account program under RSA 194-F from scholarship organizations to the department of education.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-3179

 07/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT requiring the department of education to administer the education freedom account program.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 New Paragraph; Education Freedom Accounts; Definition; Commissioner. Amend RSA 194-F:1 by inserting after paragraph I the following new paragraph:

 I-a. "Commissioner” means the commissioner of the department of education.

 2 Definition; EFA. Amend RSA 194-F:1, IV to read as follows: 

 IV. "Education freedom account” or “EFA” means the account to which funds are allocated by the [scholarship organization] department to the parent of an EFA student in order to pay for qualifying education expenses to educate the EFA student under this chapter. 

 3 Definition; State Board. RSA 194-F:1, XII is repealed and reenacted to read as follows: 

 XII. "State board” means the state board of education. 

 4 Program; Funds Transfer. Amend RSA 194-F:2, I to read as follows: 

 I. The commissioner of the department of education shall transfer to the [scholarship organization] student's EFA the per pupil adequate education grant amount under RSA 198:40-a, plus any differentiated aid that would have been provided to a public school for that eligible student. The transfers shall be made in accordance with the distribution of adequate education grants under RSA 198:42. 

 5 Qualifying Expenses. Amend RSA 194-F:2, II(o) to read as follows: 

 (o) Any other educational expense approved by the [scholarship organization] state board.

 6 Unused Funds. Amend RSA 194-F:2, VII to read as follows: 

 VII. An EFA shall remain in force, and any unused funds shall roll over from quarter-to-quarter and from year-to-year until the parent withdraws the EFA student from the EFA program, the student becomes ineligible, or until the EFA student graduates from high school, unless the EFA is closed because of a substantial misuse of funds. Any unused funds shall revert to the education trust fund established in RSA 198:39. Unused funds that roll over from year-to-year shall not exceed the amount of one quarterly distribution into the student’s EFA and any excess year-to-year roll over funds shall be returned to the education trust fund.

 7 Education Freedom Accounts. RSA 194-F:3 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

 194-F:3 Application for an Education Freedom Account.

 I. A parent may apply to the department to establish an EFA for an eligible student. The department shall accept and approve applications for the fall and spring semesters each year and shall establish procedures for approving applications in an expeditious manner.

 II. The department shall create a standard form that parents can submit to establish their student’s eligibility for the EFA program and shall ensure that the application is publicly available and may be submitted through various sources, including the Internet.

 III. The department shall approve an application for an EFA if:

 (a) The parent submits an application for an EFA in accordance with application procedures established by the department.

 (b) The student on whose behalf the parent is applying is an eligible student.

 (c) Funds are available for the EFA.

 (d) The parent signs an agreement with the department:

 (1) To provide an education for the eligible student in the core knowledge domains that include science, mathematics, language, government, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, the history of the constitutions of New Hampshire and the United States, and an exposure to and appreciation of art and music.

 (2) Not to enroll the eligible student as a full-time student in their resident district public school while participating in the EFA program.

 (3) To provide an annual record to the department of educational attainment by:

 (A) Having the student take th