New Hampshire state representatives are locking in their 2026 lawmaking agenda this week, as the window officially opened Monday morning for them to ask the Office of Legislative Services to draft bills for the upcoming session.
House members have until Friday at 4 p.m. to file their legislative service requests, or LSRs, which will be refined into the formal proposals that lawmakers and stakeholders will debate, amend, and potentially adopt during the second half of the two-year term. (The deadline for senators to file their own LSRs is in December.)
Unlike the first-year legislative session, which is a topical free-for-all, the second-year session comes with subject-matter limits. House rules prohibit members from introducing any bill in 2026 that is substantially similar to legislation the chamber killed in 2025, unless a special exception is granted.
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That means state representatives will generally be barred from introducing 2026 proposals that seek to adopt so-called “right-to-work” legislation, allow ranked-choice voting, or exclude undeclared voters from each party’s presidential primary, for example, since the House rejected such measures this year.
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While hundreds of bills were approved or discarded this year in the House, another 163 technically survived by being either retained in committee or referred for interim study, so those measures are still in the 2026 mix as well. (One such bill, which seeks to protect kids from online pornography by requiring content filters on electronic devices, came up Monday for a work session.)
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House Speaker Sherman A. Packard, a Republican, told members in a note on Friday that fewer bills are expected in the 2026 session, which should simplify logistical challenges related to office space. Since the Legislative Office Building is closed for maintenance, likely through October 2026, lawmakers will conduct some of their business at 1 Granite Place in Concord.
There are currently 41 more Republicans than Democrats in the 400-seat House (not to mention a Republican super-majority in the 24-seat Senate), so the only legislation that stands a foreseeable chance in 2026 is that which has backing from Republican leadership or a large bipartisan coalition.
House Majority Leader Jason M. Osborne sent a fervent message Friday reminding fellow Republican members about the legislative filing period and signaling his desire, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, to “turn up the heat” in what he characterized as a battle of good versus evil, with a major emphasis on the classroom.
Osborne wrote that “anti-American elements” have festered in public institutions. He claimed schools are “the primary breeding grounds for polarizing propaganda meant to shred our intricate social fabric,” teachers are “spewing marxist ideology,” and students are being radicalized “against their own country.” His message echoes what President Trump and Stephen N. Miller have said about the “radical left” since Kirk’s killing.
“By taking back our institutions, and starting with schools, we can take back our republic,” Osborne wrote.
New Hampshire Republicans already enacted a state law this year to strip public funding from schools that engage in efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; however, a federal judge temporarily blocked its enforcement against many schools, while she weighs a legal challenge. That initial restraining order is set to expire on Thursday, though it could be extended.
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Democrats responded Monday by condemning Osborne’s recent comments as dangerous, including his social media post telling young men they have been “conscripted to war” in light of Kirk’s murder.
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson of Exeter said it’s “appalling” that Osborne would make such comments in the wake of political violence.
“This is not leadership,” she said. “Words matter, and dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric like this puts lives at risk.”
Simpson said Osborne is stoking division and extremism while Granite Staters struggle with rising costs. She called on lawmakers to support what Democrats are calling their “Fair Chance Agenda” to focus on “kitchen-table” issues, like the affordability of health care, energy, and other basic needs.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.