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SB 574 New Hampshire Senate · 2026 Regular Session

establishing a commission to study the efficiency and structure of school administrative units.

SB 574 establishes a commission to study how New Hampshire school districts (called school administrative units or SAUs) operate, focusing on efficiency and potential consolidation. The commission, made up of 2 senators, 3 representatives, education officials, and school association representatives, will analyze enrollment trends, costs per student, and barriers to merging districts. It will also review how other states restructured school systems and gather input from stakeholders. The commission must submit findings and recommendations to the legislature by November 1, 2026, but the bill itself does not change current school funding or operations.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jul 2026
Introduced Nov 25, 2025 Signed Jul 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Version adopted by both bodies → CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION · 2 edits
MINOR
SB 574 was formally enacted as Chapter 268 with no substantive policy changes. The only modifications are the assignment of the chapter number, renumbering of sections to match the chapter (268:1, 268:2, 268:3), addition of the governor's approval date of July 2, 2026, and minor formatting adjustments to line wrapping and spacing.
TECHNICAL

Bill was assigned Chapter 268 and all section references were updated from generic numbers (1, 2, 3) to chapter-specific numbers (268:1, 268:2, 268:3).

Governor's approval date of July 2, 2026 was added at the end of the document, along with a formal statement of effective dates.

Floor votes · House May 14, 2026

How they voted

103–91
Passed · 28 other
Total votes 222
May 14, 2026
D Democratic108
5 Yea 91 Nay 12
84% Nay
I Independent2
1 Yea 1
50% Yea
R Republican112
97 Yea 15
86% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
8
Committee
6
Amendments
3
Jul 9, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor on 07/02/2026; Chapter 268
upper
May 21, 2026
Introduced
Sen. Ward Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, RC 13Y-9N, MA; 05/21/2026; SJ 13
upper
May 14, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (103-91-28)
house
May 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-1810h: MA RC 197-151 05/14/2026 HJ 13 P. 54
lower
May 14, 2026
Introduced
Amendment # 2026-1810h: AA RC 191-157 05/14/2026 HJ 13 P. 52
lower
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
lower
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1810h 05/04/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC) HC 19 P. 21
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Introduced
Introduced (in recess of) 03/12/2026 and referred to Education Policy and Administration HJ 8 P. 114
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1011s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/12/2026; SJ 6
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Introduced
Sen. Altschiller Floor Amendment # 2026-1093s, AF, VV; 03/12/2026; SJ 6
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Amendment # 2026-1011s, AA, VV; 03/12/2026; SJ 6
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1011s, 03/12/2026; Vote 4-1; CC; SC 9
upper
Nov 25, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Education; SJ 1
upper
0 primary · 15 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.