Overview

• On July 15, Governor Kelly Ayotte rejected seven Republican-backed bills that included new book challenge procedures and rollbacks of transgender nondiscrimination safeguards.
• She cited redundant provisions as current law already mandates parental exemptions and advance notice for course material on human sexuality and gender identity.
• House Bill 324 would have authorized state-level appeals and $1,000 lawsuits against schools, but the veto maintains local school board authority over content decisions.
• House Bill 148 sought to allow sex-based separation in bathrooms, locker rooms, sports and detention facilities, but the veto keeps statewide transgender nondiscrimination protections intact.
• An override requires a two-thirds legislative majority that GOP leaders have not secured, drawing praise from teachers unions and civil liberties groups and frustration from conservative lawmakers.