Debra Altschiller
Serving as: NH Senate District 24
These objective, nonpartisan measures are used to show this legislator's activities at the Statehouse in 2023 and 2024. The measures are not intended to present a ranking or rating of any kind. Average is that of all state elected officials in this chamber.
Session days attended
Party unity score/partisanship
Participated in official roll call votes
Bills sponsored (as prime sponsor)
Prime sponsored bills that became law
Voting Record
CACR 24 (2024)
Constitutional amendment creating "an individual's right to personal reproductive autonomy."
HB 1205 (2024)
Prohibits anyone with the reproductive biology and genetics of a male at birth from participating on school sports teams designated for females. As introduced, this bill covered K-12 schools as well as the university and community college system. The House amended the bill so that it only applies to middle and high schools.
HB 1633 (2024)
Legalizes and regulates recreational marijuana sales to adults over age twenty-one. As amended by the House, this bill would allow the state to license fifteen cannabis retail outlets. There would be a 10% tax on monthly total gross revenue derived from the sale of cannabis and cannabis products. Smoking in public and consuming marijuana while driving would be illegal. Towns could limit marijuana businesses.
HB 1665 (2024)
Raises the annual household income limit to qualify for the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program, from 350% to 500% of the federal poverty level (from about $100,000 to about $150,000 for a family of four).
The Senate rewrote the bill. The Senate version of the bill raises eligibility to just 400% of the federal poverty level, and extends the timeline for phase-out grants for public schools when students leave to use EFA program funds, from 2026 to 2029. These changes are similar to SB 442, a bill killed in the House.
HB 2 (2023)
State budget bill (part 2). The governor presented his proposal for the next state budget February 14. The House and Senate both made changes to that proposal. Click here to read a summary of the 2023 budget process.
HB 224 (2023)
Repeals the civil and criminal penalties for health care providers who violate the state's ban on abortion after 24 weeks.
HB 367 (2023)
Increases the maximum household income limit for participation in the Education Freedom Account program, from 300% to 500% of the federal poverty guidelines. The Education Freedom Account program allows families to spend the state's per-pupil share of education funding on private or home school expenses.
The House amended the bill to only increase the income limit to 350% of the federal poverty guidelines.
HB 619 (2023)
Prohibits gender transition care for minors under age 18. This bill also prohibits teaching about gender identity in public schools (with an exception for high school psychology courses), requires schools to use the name and gender that students are enrolled as, prohibits students from participating on sports teams that do not correspond to their biological sex at birth, and requires students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex at birth.
HB 624 (2023)
Requires state and local law enforcement to notify the public before an immigration checkpoint.
HB 639 (2023)
Legalizes marijuana for adults over age twenty-one. The bill allows limited home-growing of marijuana. A new Cannabis Commission would oversee licensing and regulations related to the manufacture, testing, and sale of legal marijuana. Cannabis sales would be taxed under the Meals and Rooms tax system. Alternative Treatment Centers, which currently serve the state's medical marijuana patients, would be allowed to apply for a "dual use certificate" that allows them to participate in recreational marijuana business. Towns could limit marijuana businesses.
SB 104 (2023)
Establishes regulations for online gambling, with the proceeds going to a new community college scholarship fund.
SB 117 (2023)
Changes the definition of "child" in the law about negligent storage of firearms, raising the age to anyone under age 18.
SB 144 (2023)
Gradually increases the minimum wage to $15 per hour by July 1, 2024.
SB 220 (2023)
Allows any voter to vote by absentee ballot, whether or not he or she will actually be absent on election day. The bill also allows partial processing of absentee ballots prior to Election Day.
SB 263 (2023)
Permanently reauthorizes the New Hampshire Granite Advantage Health Care Program, commonly known as expanded Medicaid. Previous law ended the program on December 31, 2023. This bill also reestablishes and revises the commission to evaluate the New Hampshire Granite Advantage Health Care Program, commonly known as expanded Medicaid.
SB 272 (2023)
Establishes a parental bill of rights in education. Some of the parental rights in this bill include:
"The right to access and review all medical records of a child maintained by a school or school personnel"
"The right to inquire of the school or school personnel and to be truthfully and completely informed if the child is being identified or referred to by school district staff, as being of a gender other than that of which the child was identified or referred when enrolled"
SB 308 (2024)
Increases the minimum wage to $12 per hour in 2024 and $15 per hour in 2025.
SB 360 (2024)
Establishes a procedure for issuing extreme risk protection orders to protect against persons who pose an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others. Family, household members, and law enforcement could petition the court for an order. An extreme risk protection order would restrict a person's access to firearms, and is also known as a "red flag law."
SB 415 (2024)
Sets a mandatory minimum sentence for supplying fentanyl. The minimum starts at three years and six months for 5 grams of fentanyl, and goes up for higher quantities.
SB 461 (2024)
Repeals a line in the law against abortion after 24 weeks that states, "Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion."
The Senate rewrote the bill. The new bill requires any health care provider who performs an abortion to report information including:
SB 536 (2024)
Allows any voter to register and vote by absentee ballot, whether or not he or she will actually be absent on election day.
SB 563 (2024)
Prohibits state and local governments from adopting "sanctuary policies," which prohibit or impede law enforcement cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
The Senate added the text of this bill to HB 1292.
Completed our 2022 State Candidate Survey
Position on Issues
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support the “Education Freedom Account” program, which gives students access to the per-pupil share of state school funding to spend on private school or home school expenses?
"New Hampshire subsidizes participation in parochial, private and homeschool programs. Taxpayers send up to $5K per child in public assistance to schools that can pick and choose their student body. These schools can and do exclude students that have disabilities, learning differences, have different religious backgrounds or family structures not supported by their religion. One school that is on the 'approved vendor' list is run by what the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a hate group. I do not support sending taxpayer money to private or religious schools or homeschool parents. NH has public and charter schools and the Virtual Learning Academy offering 3 different ways parents can access education for their children. We have long had school choice. The voucher program now bankrolls a subsidy, mostly used by families who never had their children in public school in the first place and cannot say if it would have been a good match for their children. Even as I serve on the Oversight Committee for this program, I am in the minority in asking for accountability for the state tax dollars being spent. The commissioner of education entered the state into a no-bid contract with a NY based voucher administrator to prop up a NH chapter that is, by design, unaccountable to citizens."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the first trimester (e.g. after 6 weeks gestation)?
"Our current law says this: Chapter 329:41 'Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion.' There is NO affirmative right to abortion healthcare in NH state law, period. Granite State women should be trusted to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. We deserve the right to bodily autonomy. There are a total of zero laws in NH governing men's reproductive health choices and entire chapters devoted to controlling women. The NH GOP continues to bring forward bans (note this past session's 15 day ban & 6 week ban) and proposals for government tracking of women's pregnancy information. They continue to defund NH Family Planning contracts for healthcare providers who serve those who are uninsured, underinsured and in danger. They have blocked our efforts to remove the severe criminal penalties for doctors who provide care. I have sponsored an abortion shield law to protect providers in NH who perform abortions for out-of-state residents whose home states ban abortion. It was defeated by the GOP. I have worked for years to bring a constitutional amendment to the voters making reproductive healthcare decisions inviolate for all Granite Staters."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the second trimester (e.g. after 15 weeks gestation)?
"Our current law says this: Chapter 329:41 'Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion.' There is NO affirmative right to abortion healthcare in NH state law, period. Granite State women should be trusted to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. We deserve the right to bodily autonomy. There are a total of zero laws in NH governing men's reproductive health choices and entire chapters devoted to controlling women. The NH GOP continues to bring forward bans (note this past session's 15 day ban & 6 week ban) and proposals for government tracking of women's pregnancy information. They continue to defund NH Family Planning contracts for healthcare providers who serve those who are uninsured, underinsured and in danger. They have blocked our efforts to remove the severe criminal penalties for doctors who provide care. I have sponsored an abortion shield law to protect providers in NH who perform abortions for out-of-state residents whose home states ban abortion. It was defeated by the GOP. I have worked for years to bring a constitutional amendment to the voters making reproductive healthcare decisions inviolate for all Granite Staters."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3?
"Banning discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity is wrong. Also wrong is the banning of acknowledging the gender identities or sexual orientation of teachers, para professionals, coaches, administrators, students and their families. This question is disingenuous because its origins come from proposed fear-based discriminatory practice. Why are we even having the conversation about denying people their identities?"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the state law that bans teaching certain concepts, such as the idea that people may be "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously"?
"This law, that was inappropriately inserted into the state budget, is yet another attack on our public schools. It is designed to stifle discussion and debate on difficult topics. That our teachers can teach that there was a Holocaust in Europe but not why is a dangerous path to take on teaching history. To teach that there is a Juneteenth but not why, to delve into the suffrage movement but not its genesis and to even not be able to discuss the origins of colonialism lest the fragile thinking of those with unexamined unconscious bias be offended is the antithesis of creating a robust learning environment. The "divisive concepts law" jammed into the state budget is a lesson in fearing examination of our history and must be repealed."
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should NH add an income tax on earned income?
"Against"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should NH add a broad-based sales tax?
"Against"
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire add a tax credit for businesses that contribute to student loan repayment for employees?
"Incentivizing student loan repayment assistance, particularly for industries that are chronically understaffed, may be a good way to draw more people into the New Hampshire workforce. This is a proposal worth exploring."
Other| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire lower business taxes?
"There are two kinds, the Business Profits Tax (BPT) and Business Enterprise Tax (BET). The nonpartisan, independent research nonprofi,t New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, examines issues related to the State budget, the economy, policy decisions, and the financial security of Granite Staters. Their analysis showed that multi-national entities that pay the majority of BPT revenues and their ownership may be anywhere, the benefits of a BPT reduction may flow to out-of-state shareholders, rather than being reinvested here. Other research suggests that New Hampshire's economy could be more effectively stimulated by services or tax reductions targeted at residents with lower incomes, who would use more of those resources locally. For example, evaluating U.S. policy choices in 2021, Moody's Analytics estimated that each public dollar spent on food assistance for low-income households would have generated $1.61 in economic growth that year, while a corporate tax rate reduction would have generated only $0.32 for every dollar. Reducing business taxes that primarily benefit out of state shareholders and shifting the cost burdens of necessary government programs to local property tax payers is irresponsible."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire government do more to address climate change?
"For"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support giving voters who register without ID on Election Day a ballot that only counts if they return identifying documents to the state before a deadline?
"Against"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire add a fee or mileage charge for electric vehicle owners to help pay for transportation and/or electric infrastructure?
"Against"
Other| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should the state do more to encourage municipalities to remove zoning barriers to housing development?
"The state needs approximately 60K housing units in the next six years, to meet our projected population growth. Incentivizing development is more in line with the New Hampshire way of doing business, the Housing Champions program passed by the legislature last year incentivizes & rewards municipalities for bringing affordable & workforce housing to the market. While the originally proposed $25 million to get the program started was reduced to $5 million we were able to avoid housing mandates, instead incentivizing municipalities to build. Cities & towns who apply to be 'Housing Champions' can receive funding from both the Housing Infrastructure Municipal Grant & Loan Program & the Housing Production Municipal Grant Program. Municipalities can get grants for board member trainings to update master plans & revise land use regulations. Housing Champion towns can qualify for infrastructure funding like water, sewer, accessible sidewalks & public transportation (often a barrier to building workforce & affordable housing) plus per-unit production grants. Adding Workforce housing: households making between 60% and 120% of the local median income & affordable housing: rent that is no more than 30% of a household's gross income, are two critical parts of the housing market. We can see that market rates for renters and home buyers are unreachable for many people in our communities who provide the services that keep our cities & towns running. Meeting our housing needs is paramount to enticing younger people to make NH their forever home and keeping seniors in their communities."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should New Hampshire extend the renewable portfolio standard past 2025, requiring public utilities to obtain more than 25% of electricity from renewable energy sources?
"Yes, the state's reliance on fossil fuels with little to no investment in renewable energy sources has brought us to where we are now. Eversource's energy service rate is rising by 112%, Liberty Utilities is going up 100% & the New Hampshire Electric Co-op is going up 77%. Companies like Eversource say rates are doubling due to the war in Ukraine and New England's reliance on natural gas. Those factors are true but only a part of the total picture. Eversource is reporting $1.2 billion in profits for second year in a row. The SEC filings show the outgoing CEO was paid $10.22 million in total compensation (2020) and the new CEO is being paid $6.47 million (2021). Dividend payouts to shareholders have risen consistently over the past ten years. Meanwhile, NH seniors and families are figuring out how to absorb the astronomical energy cost increases. The ratepayers are being left behind in the current business models. Moving NH away from its almost total reliance on fossil fuels towards a robust renewable portfolio is critical to our future."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire guarantee the right to access abortion before 24 weeks?
"Our current law says this: Chapter 329:41 'Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion.' There is NO affirmative right to abortion healthcare in NH state law, period. Granite State women should be trusted to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. We deserve the right to bodily autonomy. There are a total of zero laws in NH governing men's reproductive health choices and entire chapters devoted to controlling women. The NH GOP continues to bring forward bans (note this past session's 15 day ban & 6 week ban) and proposals for government tracking of women's pregnancy information. They continue to defund NH Family Planning contracts for healthcare providers who serve those who are uninsured, underinsured and in danger. They have blocked our efforts to remove the severe criminal penalties for doctors who provide care. I have sponsored an abortion shield law to protect providers in NH who perform abortions for out-of-state residents whose home states ban abortion. It was defeated by the GOP. I have worked for years to bring a constitutional amendment to the voters making reproductive healthcare decisions inviolate for all Granite Staters."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the option of mail-in ballots for all voters, not just absentees?
"Mail-in ballots provide greater access to the vote for everyone."
Other| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support New Hampshire’s current system of public school funding, with about two-thirds of total funding coming from local property taxes?
"The current system fosters gross inequity in educational offerings and results, both the Claremont and ConVal cases proved that. The entire funding approach needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. In order to do that though, all municipalities have to realize benefits and have buy in from citizens."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?
"For"
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?
"Against"
Against| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?
"Against"
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire raise the minimum wage?
"NH has opted not to set a minimum wage and thus we must defer to the federal minimum of $7.25 p/h which has not changed in almost 15 years. It's purchasing power has diminished exponentially since it was set. We have the lowest minimum wage in the entire Northeast. Connecticut $15.69 p/h Maine $14.15 p/h Massachusetts $15 p/h New Hampshire $7.25 p/h Rhode Island $14 p/h Vermont $13.67 p/h. If we were to set an average living wage for New Hampshire it would be $23.58 p/h. In State Senate District 24 a single person needing to pay rent and living expenses would need to earn $42.34 p/h (working full time, 52 weeks a year, 2080 hours p/year) to make the $49,045.00 needed to just barely keep your head above water. The federal minimum wage, which NH defers to, was established by Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. The first federally set wage was $0.25 p/h. The stated intention of the series of government regulations, including the minimum wage was to eliminate conditions 'detrimental to the maintenance of the minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency and general well-being of workers.' The minimum wage in recent times has been conflated with a 'starting wage' a designation often used to justify underpaying new workers while they learn the skills of a job. Labor is labor and should be compensated."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Should the state permanently increase how much tax revenue it shares with towns and cities every year, beyond public school funding?
"For"
Undecided| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022
Do you support the gradual phase-out of the Interests and Dividends tax?
"The I&D tax is only applicable to a certain types of income. Wages paid from work or from a personal businesses are excluded. The tax is only on interest (ie: savings accounts) and dividends (income distributed for shares of stock, exchange traded funds & mutual funds). Dividends earned in a 401(k) or IRAs are also not counted for this tax. The dividend portion of this tax only applies to dividends earned in a taxable investment account, which are investments outside of your IRA or 401(k). Also, the tax does not currently apply to capital gains. In fact this I&D tax only applies to the 5% on the amount of dividends and interest above the exemption amount of $2,400 for an individual, or $4,800 for joint filers. There is also an increased exemption for those age 65 and older. Granite Staters who are not yet 65 and are unable to work or are blind, are also exempted. This is very specific group of high passive income earners who participate in this tax and further evaluation is needed to decide what in the NH State Budget might be sacrificed if this revenue was eliminated."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should New Hampshire repeal the ban on abortion after 24 weeks gestation?
"Our current law says this: Chapter 329:41 'Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion.' There is NO affirmative right to abortion healthcare in NH state law, period. Granite State women should be trusted to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. We deserve the right to bodily autonomy. There are a total of zero laws in NH governing men's reproductive health choices and entire chapters devoted to controlling women. The NH GOP continues to bring forward bans (note this past session's 15 day ban & 6 week ban) and proposals for government tracking of women's pregnancy information. They continue to defund NH Family Planning contracts for healthcare providers who serve those who are uninsured, underinsured and in danger. They have blocked our efforts to remove the severe criminal penalties for doctors who provide care. I have sponsored an abortion shield law to protect providers in NH who perform abortions for out-of-state residents whose home states ban abortion. It was defeated by the GOP. I have worked for years to bring a constitutional amendment to the voters making reproductive healthcare decisions inviolate for all Granite Staters."
For| Read My Position
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should NH pass stricter gun control laws?
"For all practical purposes there is only a veneer of gun violence prevention laws in New Hampshire. Granite Staters deserve the freedom to work, go to school, play in parks, get medical treatments and enjoy their communities without the constant threat of gun violence. The unfettered access to firearms has created an environment where our children know when they practice a active shooter drill and a fire drill at school, the active shooter is more likely to become a reality. The US Supreme Court affirmed in the Heller decision that 'Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited.' With rights come responsibilities and our state has a responsibility to public safety and good public health policy. With those goals in mind I support the following policies: *Extreme Risk Protection Orders that allow for family members, intimate partners and law enforcement to petition the courts for a temporary removal of firearms from people who are demonstrating through their words and actions that they are a danger to themselves or others. I was the prime sponsor of the Extreme Risk Protection Order (aka Red Flag) bill that passed both the House and Senate after a 2 year vetting process, but was vetoed by the Governor. * Comprehensive Background checks, every firearm sale in our state should include a background check. The loophole of allowing private sales to be exempt from background checks potentially puts guns in the hands of people who would not pass a legal background check for a commercial sale. This loophole must be closed. * Waiting periods between purchase and delivery of a firearm. NH has had exponential growth of the rate of suicide in our state, 50% of the deaths by suicide are with a firearm. We can slow that down with a short waiting period between the purchase and delivery. * NH must begin First: in cases involving involuntary mental health commitment Two in cases where a person accused of a crime has been found not competent to stand trial and the court has found that their illness could make them a danger to themselves or others. * We must authorize the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. We are one of only 3 states in the nation that withhold this information and we now know (according to the Attorney Generals investigation) after the murder at Concord Hospital these are deadly omissions. The three circumstances we must add to our NICS reporting are: involuntary mental health commitments, when a person on trial has been found not guilty by reason of insanity and judicial decisions of incompetent to stand trial due to mental health."
