Bill Text: NH HB656 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to the authority of local school districts to accept federal grants.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 12-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-27 - ==CANCELLED== Executive Session: 03/11/2025 10:30 am Legislative Office Building 205-207 [HB656 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-HB656-Introduced.html
HB 656 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0449
02/08
HOUSE BILL 656
AN ACT relative to the authority of local school districts to accept federal grants.
SPONSORS: Rep. Peternel, Carr. 6; Rep. Colcombe, Hills. 30; Rep. Drago, Rock. 4; Rep. Drye, Sull. 7; Rep. Harvey-Bolia, Belk. 3; Rep. Litchfield, Rock. 32; Rep. Noble, Hills. 2; Rep. Pauer, Hills. 36; Rep. P. Brown, Rock. 14; Rep. DeRoy, Straf. 3; Sen. Rochefort, Dist 1; Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18
COMMITTEE: Education Funding
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires that all funds disbursed from a federal government unit to a school district be deemed unanticipated money for the purposes of appropriation of unanticipated funds made available during the year. It also requires that the notice of a hearing for action on unanticipated funds, or minutes of the school board meeting that takes action on unanticipated funds, include a summary of any obligations incurred by accepting the funds.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0449
02/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to the authority of local school districts to accept federal grants.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Appropriation for Unanticipated Funds Made Available During the Year. Amend RSA 198:20-b, II-III to read as follows:
II. Such money shall be used only for legal purposes for which a school district may appropriate money. No funds disbursed from the education trust fund pursuant to RSA 198:42 shall, under any circumstances, emergency or otherwise, be deemed to be unanticipated money under the provisions of this section. All funds disbursed from a federal governmental unit shall be deemed to be unanticipated money under the provisions of this section.
III.(a) For unanticipated funds in the amount of $20,000 or more, the school board shall hold a prior public hearing on the action to be taken. Notice of the time, place, and subject of such hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the relevant municipality at least 7 days before the meeting is held. Such notice shall contain a summary of any obligations incurred by accepting the unanticipated funds, or state that there are no obligations incurred.
(b) A school board may establish the amount of unanticipated funds required for notice under this subparagraph, provided such amount is less than $20,000. For unanticipated funds in an amount less than $20,000, the school board shall post notice of the funds in the agenda and shall include notice in the minutes of the school board meeting in which such funds are discussed. The minutes of the school board meeting shall contain a summary of any obligations incurred by accepting the unanticipated funds, or state that there are no obligations incurred. The acceptance of unanticipated funds under this subparagraph shall be made in public session of any regular school board meeting.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
