2026 SESSION
26-3015
07/08
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 28
RELATING TO: morality and piety.
PROVIDING THAT: town, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies may elect and contract with teachers.
SPONSORS: Rep. Soti, Rock. 35; Rep. Sabourin dit Choiniere, Rock. 30; Rep. Sellers, Graf. 10; Rep. Potenza, Straf. 19
COMMITTEE: Education Policy and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution grants towns, parishes, bodies corporate, and religious societies a constitutional right to elect their own public teachers, and grants every denomination of Christian additional religious protections under the constitution.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type
26-3015
07/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PROPOSING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
RELATING TO: morality and piety.
PROVIDING THAT: town, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies may elect and contract with teachers.
Be it Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, that the
Constitution of New Hampshire be amended as follows:
I. That the first part of the constitution be repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
[Art.] 6. [Morality and Piety.] As morality and piety, rightly grounded on evangelical principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to due subjection; and as the knowledge of these, is most likely to be propagated through a society by the institution of the public worship of the Deity, and of public instruction in morality and religion; therefore, to promote those important purposes, the people of this state have a right to impower, and do hereby fully impower the legislature to authorize from time to time, the several towns, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies within this state, to make adequate provision at their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality:
Provided notwithstanding, That the several towns, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies, shall at all times have the exclusive right of electing their own public teachers, and of contracting with them for their support and maintenance. And no person of any one particular religious sect or denomination, shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the teacher or teachers of another persuasion, sect or denomination.
And every denomination of Christians demeaning themselves quietly, and as good subjects of the state, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another, shall ever be established by law.
And nothing herein shall be understood to affect any former contracts made for the support of the ministry; but all such contracts shall remain, and be in the same state as if this constitution had not been made.
II. That the above amendment proposed to the constitution be submitted to the qualified voters of the state at the state general election to be held in November, 2026.
III. That the selectmen of all towns, cities, wards and places in the state are directed to insert in their warrants for the said 2026 election an article to the following effect: To decide whether the amendments of the constitution proposed by the 2026 session of the general court shall be approved.
IV. That the wording of the question put to the qualified voters shall be:
“Are you in favor of amending article 6 of the first part of the constitution to read as follows:
[Art.] 6. [Morality and Piety.] As morality and piety, rightly grounded on evangelical principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to due subjection; and as the knowledge of these, is most likely to be propagated through a society by the institution of the public worship of the Deity, and of public instruction in morality and religion; therefore, to promote those important purposes, the people of this state have a right to impower, and do hereby fully impower the legislature to authorize from time to time, the several towns, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies within this state, to make adequate provision at their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality:
Provided notwithstanding, That the several towns, parishes, bodies corporate, or religious societies, shall at all times have the exclusive right of electing their own public teachers, and of contracting with them for their support and maintenance. And no person of any one particular religious sect or denomination, shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the teacher or teachers of another persuasion, sect or denomination.
And every denomination of Christians demeaning themselves quietly, and as good subjects of the state, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another, shall ever be established by law.
And nothing herein shall be understood to affect any former contracts made for the support of the ministry; but all such contracts shall remain, and be in the same state as if this constitution had not been made.”
V. That the secretary of state shall print the question to be submitted on a separate ballot with other constitutional questions or on the official ballot. The ballot containing the question shall include 2 ovals next to the question allowing the voter to vote “Yes” or “No.” If no oval is marked, the ballot shall not be counted on the question. The outside of the ballot shall be the same as the regular official ballot except that the words “Questions Relating to Constitutional Amendments proposed by the 2026 General Court” shall be printed in bold type at the top of the ballot.
VI. That if the proposed amendment is approved by 2/3 of those voting on the amendment, it becomes effective when the governor proclaims its adoption.
VII. Voters’ Guide.
AT THE PRESENT TIME, towns, parishes, bodies corporate, and religious societies, do not have a constitutional right to elect their own public teachers, and every denomination of Christian does not have additional religious protections under the constitution beyond those granted to other religions.
IF THE AMENDMENT IS ADOPTED, towns, parishes, bodies corporate, and religious societies, shall have a constitutional right to elect their own public teachers, and every denomination of Christian shall be granted additional religious protections under the constitution.