This bill mandates that all undergraduate students admitted to or transferring within the university and community college systems of New Hampshire on or after July 1, 2027, must fulfill a civics graduation requirement. Specifically, students must either pass the 128-question 2020 version of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services civics naturalization test with a score of 70 or better, or successfully complete a civics course that covers fundamental American documents as part of their general education curriculum, or pass a competency test related to that course. Institutions within both systems are required to establish procedures for administering, certifying, and recording the results of these assessments. Notably, certain groups, including exchange students, foreign nationals, and military personnel, are exempt from this requirement.

The bill introduces new sections to RSA 187-A and RSA 188-F, specifically sections 187-A:16-d and 188-F:6-b, which outline these requirements. The legislation does not allocate any funding for implementation, and the estimated fiscal impact on the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) ranges from $200,000 to $1,000,000 annually due to the costs associated with testing platform procurement, administrative oversight, and potential staffing needs. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2027.