Requiring instruction on communism in public high schools.
Summary
HB 749 requires every public school board and every private or nonpublic school governing board to certify that each high school student receives at least one hour of instruction on the nature and history of communism before graduating or receiving another completion credential. The instruction may be offered as a stand-alone course or incorporated into an existing social science class, giving schools flexibility in how they meet the requirement.
The bill would add a new section to RSA 189 governing high school instruction and graduation requirements. It applies to both public and private/nonpublic schools, and it would take effect 60 days after passage. The fiscal note says local revenue would not be affected, while local expenditures are indeterminable because compliance costs could vary by district and depend on how schools choose to provide the instruction.
Impact
HB 749 would create a new statewide instructional mandate for high schools and expand state education law by requiring schools to document that students have received instruction on communism as a condition of graduation or completion. It would affect school boards, private and nonpublic school governing boards, and local districts responsible for curriculum planning and compliance. The fiscal note indicates no direct revenue impact, but potential administrative or curriculum costs are uncertain and would likely be borne locally.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have generated mixed to unfavorable sentiment in floor action. The recorded votes show that an attempt to adopt a floor amendment failed, and the bill also faced a close but ultimately unsuccessful vote on OTPA, suggesting substantial debate and division. The absence of committee transcript material limits more detailed readouts of discussion, but the voting pattern indicates the proposal was contested rather than broadly embraced.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the policy choice to require instruction on communism for graduation, including whether the state should mandate a specific ideological/history lesson and whether that requirement should apply to private and nonpublic schools as well as public schools. Another likely issue is implementation burden: supporters may view the bill as a straightforward civics/history requirement, while opponents may question curriculum intrusion, instructional time, and the uncertain local costs noted in the fiscal analysis. The failed amendment vote suggests there were efforts to modify the bill, but those changes did not gain enough support.