New Hampshire House Bill HB667

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/25
• Refer: 1/21/25
• Report Pass: 3/5/25
• Report DNP: 3/5/25
• Refer: 3/13/25
• Engrossed: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Report Pass: 4/24/25
• Report Pass: 5/20/25
• Enrolled: 7/8/25

Caption

Relative to health education and requiring the viewing of certain videos demonstrating gestational development.

Impact

The implementation of HB667 is expected to place additional requirements on both public schools and institutions of higher education, including the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) and the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). Both systems will need to develop procedures to certify that students have viewed the required content as a condition for graduation. This could lead to increased operational costs, estimated in the hundreds of thousands, as institutions may need to hire additional staff to ensure compliance and handle administrative tasks related to monitoring and certifying student participation. Moreover, if students do not fulfill this requirement, it could delay their graduation.

Summary

House Bill 667 (HB667) aims to amend New Hampshire's health education curriculum to include a mandatory viewing of videos related to gestational development for public school and higher education students. Specifically, the bill requires students to watch a high-quality computer-generated animation or ultrasound video that illustrates the development of vital organs in early fetal stages. The mandatory provision intends to provide medically accurate information regarding human development to students, potentially influencing their understanding of human biology and reproduction.

Contention

While supporters of HB667 may argue that increased knowledge about gestational development is beneficial for fostering a well-informed student body, critics are likely to raise concerns regarding the implications of mandated content in educational settings. Points of contention may center around the potential for this legislation to push specific ideological views on reproduction and health education, thus limiting educational autonomy at local levels. Additionally, the financial burden on educational institutions to comply with the new requirements without new funding may provoke pushback from various legislative and community stakeholders concerned about balancing educational quality with budget constraints.