Governor Ayotte Vetoes HB 434, Affirming Local Control and Existing New Hampshire Law

EveryLibrary welcomes Governor Kelly Ayotte's veto of HB 434, legislation that would have created an unnecessary and constitutionally questionable process for challenging school library books and other instructional materials from New Hampshire public schools.

As the Governor wrote in her veto message:

"Existing New Hampshire law already requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent's determination that the material is objectionable."

That principle has guided New Hampshire schools for years. Parents have the right to work with their local schools to provide alternative instructional materials for their own children, and school districts across the state already maintain locally adopted policies for reviewing challenged library and classroom materials.

EveryLibrary's work on this issue spans multiple legislative sessions. Since 2023, we have worked alongside New Hampshire parents, librarians, educators, and community organizations to oppose legislation that would replace local decision-making with broad state mandates governing access to library and instructional materials. During the 2025 debate over HB 324 and again this year as SB 434 became HB 434, EveryLibrary helped coordinate statewide advocacy, published policy analyses and legal guidance, organized public education campaigns, mobilized supporters to contact legislators, and provided strategic communications and organizing support to partners across the state. Throughout each of these efforts, our position has remained consistent: New Hampshire's existing laws already protect parents' rights while preserving local control, professional judgment, and constitutional safeguards. Rather than creating new mechanisms for censorship, the state should continue to trust local communities to govern their schools through transparent, democratic processes.

HB 434 would have significantly altered that balance. While presented as a measure to standardize review procedures, the bill would have imposed a new statewide process, shortened review timelines, eliminated the flexibility of local review committees, and allowed repeated challenges to the same materials without meaningful limits. Those changes would have shifted authority away from local communities and created additional burdens for schools and educators already operating under well-established policies.

"This veto is a victory for good governance as much as it is for the freedom to read," said John Chrastka, EveryLibrary's Executive Director. "Governor Ayotte recognized that New Hampshire already has the laws, the local policies, and the democratic institutions needed to address parents' concerns without creating a new statewide censorship mandate. Strong communities are built by trusting local schools, respecting the rule of law, and allowing educators, parents, librarians, and elected school boards to work together. We hope this marks the beginning of a renewed focus on supporting students, strengthening public education, and preserving the local decision-making that has long been one of New Hampshire's greatest strengths."

EveryLibrary is especially grateful to our longtime partners at MomsRising New Hampshire, whose collaboration with us began during the successful campaign opposing HB 324 in 2025 and has continued throughout this legislative session. Their organizing, leadership, and steadfast commitment to New Hampshire families have been indispensable.

We also salute the members of the New Hampshire Freedom to Read Coalition, whose thoughtful, principled advocacy made them among the most effective voices at the State House this year. Throughout the legislative session, the coalition consistently demonstrated that defending intellectual freedom also means defending the rule of law, local control, and the ability of communities to resolve concerns through established democratic processes.

This veto reflects more than the defeat of a single bill. It is a reminder that effective advocacy is built on partnership, persistence, and respect for local institutions. EveryLibrary is proud to have stood alongside parents, students, educators, librarians, civil liberties advocates, and community leaders across New Hampshire in support of the freedom to read and the enduring principle that local communities are best equipped to govern their own schools.