HB1628 Requiring schools to provide excused absences for certain religious instruction, defining released time courses, and permitting schools to adopt policies and provide credit for released time courses.
Requiring schools to provide excused absences for certain religious instruction, defining released time courses, and permitting schools to adopt policies and provide credit for released time courses.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Concerning
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
No significant financial impact on families or schools.
Your Community
Blurs the line between religious and public education, potentially favoring certain faiths over others in school settings.
Your Freedom
Expands religious exercise options for families, but may pressure students to participate in religious instruction.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 02/12/2026 House Journal 4 P. 3
Sponsor
Wayne MacDonald (R)
The Short Version
Would require schools to grant excused absences for religious instruction and allow academic credit for released-time religious courses. Raises church-state separation concerns by potentially crediting religious education within public school systems.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Religious families and organizations offering released-time programs
- ▲ Students seeking flexibility for religious education
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Students who miss instructional time for religious courses
- ▼ Schools managing complex scheduling and credit requirements
- ▼ Families concerned about church-state separation
Bill statuses as of May 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.