The expectation at this point is that the House Education Committee will recommend that the amended HB 1636 be sent to a committee of conference and that the House will vote on that on May 10. Here is the amendment adding SB 193 to HB 1636. (This amendment, “Death Benefit for School Employee Killed in Line of Duty” was also added to HB 1636)

The House could kill the bill then and there but if it agrees to the committee of conference, the Speaker will name the committee members, probably then and there, and the committee will prepare its report. The version of SB 193 added to HB 1636 is a version that the Senate passed in March, 2017 and that no one considers viable at this point. The committee of conference will probably replace it with a version much like the one the House voted down this week.

The House would vote on the committee of conference report at the May 23 session. If it passes, it will go immediately to the Senate. If it fails, it is dead at that point. The last day of the current legislative session is scheduled to be May 24.

Both the Concord Monitor (here) and the Union Leader (here) have provided updates on last night’s Senate action. From the Monitor:

In a party-line vote, senators opted to tack the original version of Senate Bill 193 onto House Bill 1636, an unrelated bill about establishing a committee to study teacher preparation programs and charter school facilities….

“It was very close in the House, and I think the supporters of 193 want one last chance. So that’s the reason behind it,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro. “There are some skeptics in the House. We’re obviously going to have to win them over.”

HB 1636 – with SB 193 attached – now goes back to the House, which next convenes May 10. The chamber will have the opportunity to vote the bill up or down or to send it to conference committee, where a group of lawmakers from both chambers can craft a compromise piece of legislation. If the conference committee can agree on a bill, it will be sent back to the House and Senate for approval…..

The original version of SB 193 is what was amended onto HB 1636 on Thursday. But Bradley suggested a conference committee would likely again revise the bill.

“This is just really more an opportunity to allow the discussion to continue,” he said.

From the Union Leader:

…Sen. John Reagan, R-Deerfield, said there was strong support for the education freedom scholarships and it should be part of the final 2018 negotiations on disputed bills.

The Senate approved the change on a party-line, 14-10 vote. The move was praised by Gov. Chris Sununu.

“There is more work to do, and we will continue to work with members of the House and Senate to advocate for what is right,” Sununu said.