Bill Text: NH SB296 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Increasing the percentage of nonpublic school scholarships awarded to students who qualify for the federal free and reduced-price meal program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-24 - Hearing: 02/19/2025, Room 103, State House, 01:20 pm; Senate Calendar 10 [SB296 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-SB296-Introduced.html
SB 296 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0983
07/05
SENATE BILL 296
SPONSORS: Sen. Rochefort, Dist 1; Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18; Rep. Potenza, Straf. 19; Rep. Peternel, Carr. 6; Rep. Noble, Hills. 2
COMMITTEE: Education Finance
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ANALYSIS
This bill increases the percentage of nonpublic school scholarships awarded to students who qualify for the federal free and reduced-price meal program. The bill also removes income qualification requirements for scholarship recipients after the initial year of qualification.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0983
07/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Taxation; Education Tax Credit; Definitions. Amend RSA 77-G:1, VIII to read as follows:
VIII. "Eligible student" means a New Hampshire resident who is at least 5 years of age and no more than 20 years of age, or 21 if eligible under RSA 186-C:2, who has not graduated from high school, and
(a)(1) Who is currently attending a New Hampshire public school, including a chartered public school, and for whom the adequacy grant in the next school year would be reduced if the student were removed from the average daily membership calculation, or who is entering kindergarten or first grade; or
(2) Who received a scholarship under subparagraph (1) or this subparagraph in the prior program year; or
(3) Who does not qualify under subparagraph (1) or (2). [; and
(b) Whose annual household income is less than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines as updated annually in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. section 9902(2). The scholarship organization shall verify eligibility under this subparagraph.]
2 Taxation; Education Tax Credit; Scholarships. Amend RSA 77-G:2, I(d) and (e) to read as follows:
(d) At least 50 [40] percent of the scholarships awarded by the scholarship organization to eligible students as defined in RSA 77-G:1, VIII(a)(1) and (2) shall be awarded to students who qualified for the federal free and reduced-price meal program [in the prior year].
(e) No income threshold needs to be met in subsequent years, provided a student otherwise qualifies for a scholarship [A student shall reapply each year for a scholarship].
