Our New Hampshire legislature gets many education bills—over 100 just last year—covering building aid, commission memberships, free school meal eligibility, cyber-bullying, masking, menstrual product policies, and much more. While some measures address important issues, most have little or no impact on learning, pedagogy, or knowledge acquisition.
An exception was HB320 in 2021, which required that every high school graduate pass the 128-question USCIS exam, which prospective naturalized citizens need to study. With bipartisan sponsorship, it sailed through both legislative bodies. Governor Sununu even had a signing ceremony. With some schools teaching little or no social studies, the assessment requirement created a solid civics knowledge base common to every Granite State high school grad. It was a major success story that resulted in real knowledge acquisition.
If any schools are delinquent in following the spirit and letter of this law, school boards should take note.
HB319 was a sister measure to HB320. It similarly required that public college graduates also show mastery of the USCIS testing material. It faced a tougher slog, passing the house narrowly before getting hung up in the Senate Education Committee, as senators were spooked by misinformation from postsecondary agents. Eventually, the misinformation was addressed, and HB319 finally reached the governor’s desk.
The Governor’s office then contacted me, as prime sponsor, asking to meet. Clearly, his office received the same misinformation that the Senators got. Meetings were scheduled and rescheduled, and finally, then-Representative Tim Lang and I got an audience with the Governor, where we seemed to address all concerns. We were honored that the Governor made time for us—a courtesy and sign of respect not extended to every bill sponsor. The next day, the Governor even tweeted out a photo of the three of us along with a nice message thanking us for stopping by.
Thus, we were surprised by the veto news. Only later did we learn that the enrollment time clock had run out and the governor had to make a veto decision before our rescheduled meeting, which perhaps helps account for his generous social media post.
C’est la vie.
Fast forward to 2025. Supporters of HB319 filed an identical measure, which became HB112, also calling for degree recipients from USNH or CCSNH to pass the USCIS exam. This worthy measure received blowback from the usual suspects and was retained by the House Education Funding Committee.
Significantly, HB112 received a Fiscal Note (FN), meaning it would go to a funding committee and then a finance committee as opposed to just the education policy committee that heard and passed the identical HB319, which had no FN. Supporters were stunned that the measure was assigned a $1 million price tag. Among other things, the FN explained that USNH would have to hire new personnel to administer the exam, in Durham, Keene, and Plymouth, at $130,000 a position.
When the retained HB112 had a subcommittee hearing on September 23, I questioned the FN. I pointed out that I’d spent 20 years with CCSNH System and 12 years with USNH and had posted countless online exercises and assessments that students could take on their own and which were corrected automatically. The USCIS civics test could be administered in that fashion. Registrars routinely review and update transcripts to reflect online credit by examination. There was no need to hire anyone. I called the FN “ludicrous.”
Democrat committee members, with their aversions to assessments and accountability, then ridiculed the USCIS test as they made the case that civic action (i.e., “Climate Action Now”) is what really mattered while chastising me for questioning the FN numbers calculated by the Office of Legislative Services. I responded that I’d asked OLS about the FN numbers, and they explained that they’d asked USNH/CCSNH about projected costs associated with HB112. Thus, the $1 million price tag.
Just to give a test.
With many committee members unfamiliar with postsecondary assessment procedures and options, the bogus $1 million price tag was a poison pill designed to spook legislators and derail HB112.
The committee chair, a nice man who’d earlier voted for HB319, shared that the USNH Trustees opposed the bill due to this cost and also other factors, i.e., it could discourage applications. I pointed out that it would have been nice of the Trustees to allow a supporter of HB112 to speak to its value.
I added that other states have adopted the civics test requirement for their public institutions, most recently South Dakota, Missouri, and Florida. Even elite private institutions such as Purdue University have civics test requirements, which enhance the value of their degrees and find much favor with parents who want their educational investments to reap maximum dividends.
Almost 95% of CCSNH students are Granite Staters who satisfy the test requirement in high school. HB112 simply covers gaps involving a few out-of-staters and older students. USNH has more out-of-staters, but an online version of the test would provide an easy way for all students to develop basic civics proficiency.
In contrast to the Democrat committee members, Rep. Pam Brown (R- Kingston), who has a doctoral degree, applauded HB112 and its intent, and called the FN “ridiculous.”
My 32 years in higher education gave me an understanding of “eduspeak.” The obfuscation by postsecondary education is very disappointing, given the abject ignorance so many college grads have re: civics, government, and history. It’s a terrible situation that HB112 could remedy somewhat, as it would guarantee a significant body of knowledge washing over every N.H. student.
It really comes down to a choice between knowledge and ignorance. HB112 supporters hope our elected leaders and our higher education people choose knowledge.
