On March 9, the House of Representatives met.
There were several bills on gun control. HB32 placed more
constraints on gun possession in school zones. HB59 added additional background checks. HB78 repealed the
state’s prohibition to enforce federal overreach, and HB106 established “Red Flag” laws. All were defeated on
bi-partisan votes. We thank our Democrat colleagues who voted for the 2nd Amendment.
Another hot topic in this session was the Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). HB367 changed students’
eligibility from 300%of federal poverty guidelines to 350%. This modest increase will raise the income limit by
$9000 but allow more families to participate. HB464 expanded the definition of who is eligible. Both passed on
partisan votes. The EFA program has been widely successful and will continue to be promoted by the
Republicans. The Democrats have continued to try to derail the freedom accounts but have been primarily
unsuccessful. Cyril and I spoke with the nonprofit organization managing this program. They would love to
discuss the program with Pittsfield and Chichester parents. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED
(claytoncyril@claytoncyril4house.com), and we will arrange a meeting.
The third group of bills focused on rental property. HB112 regulated property sale notice. HB117 strengthened
the termination of the lease. HB401 controlled notice for property renovation, HB469 forced rental owners to
take vouchers, and HB567 required more notice for a prospective rent increase. Only HB117 passed. These
votes were more bi-partisan since adding these constraints would only hurt the current rental property
availability crisis and make it worse.
The Session was more bi-partisan. Though Republicans had more Reps, many Democrats helped us “Get It
Right!” It was a long and productive session.
Clayton and Cyril worked with the Merrimack County budget committee to finalize the budget on March 10. The
team managed to keep the budget nearly flat at approx. 1.3%increase vs the nearly 3%originally proposed.
Sincerely, Representatives Clayton Wood and Cyril Aures