With less than two weeks left to act on dozens of bills, state lawmakers are hunkering down to deliberate on the state budget and other policies. In the meantime, Gov. Kelly Ayotte has nominated a new commissioner to head up the Department of Education and is planning a trade mission to Canada.

Here’s what to know as this legislative session approaches the finish line.

This past week

■Ayotte announced she’ll lead a delegation to Canada this fall, marking her first international travel as governor. The trip will focus on strengthening trade between New Hampshire and our neighbors to the north, courting Canadian companies and pitching economic opportunity in the Granite State. New Hampshire imported $1.7 billion in goods from Canada last year, according to the governor’s announcement.

■Every child in New Hampshire is now eligible for the state’s Education Freedom Accounts regardless of their family’s income after Ayotte signed Senate Bill 295 into law. The EFAs program, which gives government money to families for private school and education-related expenses, received an influx of about 500 new applications in the first day of its expansion.

■Ayotte nominated Caitlin Davis to serve as the next commissioner of the Department of Education. Davis currently heads the Division of Education Analytics and Resources, where she’s worked for 15 years. Ayotte praised her as a leader who’ll keep New Hampshire schools “innovative and forward-thinking.” If confirmed to the role, Davis will succeed Frank Edelblut, whose departure as commissioner was announced earlier this spring.

The week ahead

Committees of conference – focus groups of state representatives and senators tasked with working out policy disagreements on specific bills – meet throughout this week. They’ll make recommendations on the fate of about 50 different bills ranging from housing policies, education and parental rights laws and LGBTQ issues. The full schedule can be found on the General Court’s website.

There are no full voting sessions this week; the final one is scheduled for June 26.

For more information on the budget process and other inner workings of the State House, check out our 2025 Legislative Guide.

For an unpacking of weekly news from the State House, subscribe to my newsletter, Capital Beat. Please contact me if you have questions or tips about anything happening in the Legislature.

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.