HB129 Relative to the definition of the term "evidence-based" within public education.
Relative to the definition of the term "evidence-based" within public education.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Concerning
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
State taxpayers face $118,000–$127,000 annually for a new Department of Education position starting FY 2026, and local school districts face indeterminable increases in administrative and implementation costs beginning FY 2026 with no state funding provided.
Your Community
School districts must audit all pedagogical methods and potentially replace or revise current practices, which creates administrative burden and implementation uncertainty, though the intent is to align methods with rigorous science.
Your Freedom
The bill constrains how schools can label methods as 'evidence-based' and requires transparency about scientific backing, which increases accountability but may reduce local district discretion in method selection.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 01/07/2026 House Journal 1 P. 70
Sponsor
Mike Belcher (R)
The Short Version
This bill establishes a legal definition of 'evidence-based' for teaching methods in NH schools, requiring studies to show reproducibility or independent confirmation across disciplines while excluding surveys and self-reported data. It mandates the Department of Education and all school districts document and publicly share the scientific studies backing their pedagogical methods, with unclear costs to implement statewide.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Students, if the bill results in adoption of teaching methods with stronger empirical support
- ▲ Residents who value transparency about the scientific basis for school practices
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ NH taxpayers funding new state Department of Education position ($118,000–$127,000 annually starting FY 2026)
- ▼ Local school districts absorbing indeterminable administrative and implementation costs
- ▼ Schools that must audit current methods and potentially replace curricula or practices deemed not evidence-based under the bill's definition
- ▼ Curriculum providers required to furnish scientific studies on demand
Bill statuses as of October 7, 2026. Check LegiScan or NH General Court for the latest.
This bill was auto-scored using AI analysis of the bill text and legislative data. Scores may be refined as we review more bills.