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Bill

HB 773

relative to aid to school districts for the cost of special education.

2026 Regular Session

HB 773 aimed to change state aid for special education but was deemed inexpedient to legislate, so no funding formula changes took effect.

Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 01/07/2026 HJ 1 P. 73
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Bill Summary · HB 773

Summary of HB 773 (2026) – New Hampshire

Title

Relating to aid to school districts for the cost of special education.

Purpose and intent

HB 773 seeks to modify the way New Hampshire school districts are aided or reimbursed for the cost of providing special education services to students with disabilities. The bill appears to address funding levels, eligibility, or formulas used to determine state aid to districts for special education, with the aim of alleviating local financial burden and ensuring districts have sufficient resources to meet students’ needs.

Key provisions and changes (as indicated by bill history and committee activity)

  • The bill has undergone multiple readings and committee reviews, including:
    • Introduction and referral to Education Funding, then to Finance.
    • Amendments proposed (e.g., Amendment #2025-0714h) and consideration by the joint committee on education funding.
    • Reports indicating “Ought to Pass with Amendment” and “Retained in Committee” at various stages.
  • The final disposition in the action history shows an “Inexpedient to Legislate” determination passed by January 7, 2026, which suggests that the bill did not advance to enactment during that session. Specifically:
    • January 7, 2026: Inexpedient to Legislate (HJ 1, P. 73) – effectively ending consideration for that session.
    • November 5, 2025: Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate (Vote 25-0; CC) – committee recommended against passage.
  • Despite earlier appearances of favorable or neutral positions (e.g., “Ought to Pass with Amendment” and multiple work sessions), the ultimate outcome was a negative recommendation from the committee and an inexpedient-to-legislate ruling by the full House.

Who would be affected

  • New Hampshire public school districts: The primary impact concerns the level and mechanism of state financial aid for the costs associated with providing special education services.
  • Students with disabilities: Indirectly affected through the level of resources available for their special education programming and services, contingent on any changes to funding formulas or eligibility.
  • Local taxpayers: Potential changes in state funding could influence local property tax burdens used to fund education, depending on how the state adjusts aid.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduced in 2025 and referred to Education Funding, then Finance (March 2025), with multiple committee hearings and executive sessions throughout 2025.
  • Notable stages:
    • Public hearing held February 4, 2025.
    • Several work sessions and executive sessions between 2025 and 2026.
    • Amendment activity in March 2025 (e.g., Amendment #2025-0714h).
  • Final disposition:
    • The bill was deemed inexpedient to legislate by the House on January 7, 2026, effectively terminating its path to enactment in the 2026 session.

Potential impact (summary)

  • Given the inexpedient-to-legislate ruling, the bill would not have altered state aid formulas or funding levels for special education in New Hampshire for the 2026 session.
  • If similar proposals were reintroduced in the future, they could aim to:
    • Change the calculation of state aid for special education.
    • Expand or constrain eligibility for state-funded special education aid.
    • Reallocate or raise caps/limits on funding levels per pupil or per district.
  • For now, districts and families should anticipate that no changes to current special education funding formulas were enacted by HB 773 in the 2026 session.

Note

The summary reflects the bill text’s trajectory as shown in the action history. For exact statutory language or any later reintroduction, consult the NH General Court’s official bill versions and subsequent sessions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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