HB 1689 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to the term of office for county officers in Belknap and Merrimack counties.

HB 1689 would extend the term of office for Merrimack County elected officials (sheriff, county attorney, treasurer, register of deeds, and register of probate) from their current term length to four years. The bill requires that elections for these positions occur every four years, aligning them with presidential elections starting in 2028. This change applies specifically to Merrimack County, affecting how often residents vote for these county-level officers. The bill would take effect January 1, 2027, for the next election cycle.

Bill status passed both 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Failed

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Governor

Introduced Dec 12, 2025 Last action Apr 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → As Amended by the Senate · 3 edits

MINOR

The Senate amendment expands HB 1689 from covering only Merrimack county to also covering Belknap county for 4-year terms of elected county officers. It also adds a new section amending RSA 7:33 to specifically extend the term for county attorneys in both Belknap and Merrimack counties, mirroring provisions already in place for Rockingham and Coos counties.

Scope change

Expanded from Merrimack county only to both Belknap and Merrimack counties. Belknap county officers transition to 4-year terms starting in 2026 (one election cycle earlier than Merrimack's 2028 start).

SCOPE

Belknap county is added to the bill's scope. County officers (sheriff, county attorney, county treasurer, register of deeds, and register of probate) in Belknap county will now be elected for 4-year terms starting with the 2026 state general election.

A new section amending RSA 7:33 is added to specifically extend the term for county attorneys in Belknap county (starting 2026) and Merrimack county (starting 2028) to 4 years, matching the pattern already established for Rockingham (2022) and Coos (2024) counties.

TIMELINE

The effective date provision is renumbered from Section II to Section III due to the insertion of the new RSA 7:33 amendment, but the effective date itself remains January 1, 2027.

Floor votes · House Apr 9, 2026

How they voted

41–160

Failed · 22 other

Total votes 223

Apr 9, 2026

D Democratic108

13 Yea 84 Nay 11

77% Nay

I Independent2

1 Nay 1

50% Nay

R Republican113

28 Yea 75 Nay 10

66% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 9, 2026

Vote failed

House Vote: fail (41-160-22)

house

Apr 9, 2026

Introduced

House Non-Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1204s (Rep. Sweeney): MA VV 04/09/2026 HJ 10 P. 10

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Introduced

House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1204s (Rep. Pauer): MF RC 65-287 04/09/2026 HJ 10 P. 8

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1204s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/26/2026; SJ 7

upper

Mar 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Amendment # 2026-1204s, AA, VV; 03/26/2026; SJ 7

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1204s, 03/26/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Introduced

Introduced 02/05/2026 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 4

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA VV 02/05/2026 HJ 3 P. 17

lower

Jan 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass 01/16/2026 (Vote 15-1; CC) HC 5 P. 14

lower

Dec 12, 2025

Introduced

Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 1 P. 31

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors