House rejects motion to suspend rules to reintroduce 2025 tax bill aimed at school funding
January 08, 2026 | House of Representatives, Committees , Legislative, New Hampshire
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A motion to suspend House Rule 36(e) and permit reintroduction of material from a 2025 tax bill was defeated Thursday after floor debate in the New Hampshire House.
Supporters, led on the floor by Representative Wolpow, said reintroducing the policies in House Bill 503 would restore what she described as “over 1,000,000,000 in lost revenue through tax cuts” and provide funding to ease property taxes and boost state support for public schools. Wolpow told colleagues that restoring the interest and dividends tax and reversing business tax cuts would direct money toward special education and other school needs.
Opponents, including Representative Steven Smith, focused not on the merits of the proposals but on procedure. "What you're voting on is whether or not there is merit to suspend the rules," Smith said, arguing the rules committee had considered the request and rejected it "on a unanimous bipartisan vote," and that the House should not bypass the established vetting process.
After a roll-call vote, the motion failed and the rules were not suspended. The clerk recorded the vote as 57 in favor and 280 opposed and declared the motion failed on the floor.
Why it matters: Backers framed the measure as a way to increase state support for education without tying that decision to the normal committee schedule; opponents said the same goals should be pursued through the usual committee process so lawmakers can review fiscal and legal implications. The result preserves the rules committee's prior decision and keeps debate on the legislative floor focused on committee-referral procedures rather than the underlying tax policy.
What comes next: Because the motion to suspend rules failed, any effort to reintroduce the specific material will have to follow the House's usual committee referral and scheduling process. Lawmakers and sponsors signaled they may continue to press for tax and school‑funding proposals via regular committee channels.
Supporters, led on the floor by Representative Wolpow, said reintroducing the policies in House Bill 503 would restore what she described as “over 1,000,000,000 in lost revenue through tax cuts” and provide funding to ease property taxes and boost state support for public schools. Wolpow told colleagues that restoring the interest and dividends tax and reversing business tax cuts would direct money toward special education and other school needs.
Opponents, including Representative Steven Smith, focused not on the merits of the proposals but on procedure. "What you're voting on is whether or not there is merit to suspend the rules," Smith said, arguing the rules committee had considered the request and rejected it "on a unanimous bipartisan vote," and that the House should not bypass the established vetting process.
After a roll-call vote, the motion failed and the rules were not suspended. The clerk recorded the vote as 57 in favor and 280 opposed and declared the motion failed on the floor.
Why it matters: Backers framed the measure as a way to increase state support for education without tying that decision to the normal committee schedule; opponents said the same goals should be pursued through the usual committee process so lawmakers can review fiscal and legal implications. The result preserves the rules committee's prior decision and keeps debate on the legislative floor focused on committee-referral procedures rather than the underlying tax policy.
What comes next: Because the motion to suspend rules failed, any effort to reintroduce the specific material will have to follow the House's usual committee referral and scheduling process. Lawmakers and sponsors signaled they may continue to press for tax and school‑funding proposals via regular committee channels.
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