HB 1698 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to electronic credentials.

HB 1698 clarifies that New Hampshire law does not require individuals to obtain, create, maintain, or display electronic credentials (such as mobile driver's licenses), nor does it compel businesses to accept them. The bill amends two sections of state law (RSA 263-A:5 and 263-A:3) by adding explicit language stating that no person or business may be forced to use or accept electronic credentials. It directly affects drivers who might receive electronic IDs and businesses that could previously have been required to accept them. The bill ensures existing authority for the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue electronic credentials remains voluntary for users and adopters.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Dec 12, 2025 Signed Jun 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Version adopted by both bodies CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION · 2 edits
MINOR
No substantive policy changes occurred between these two versions. The differences are limited to standard formatting updates that happen when a bill is enrolled as a law: section numbers were renumbered with the chapter prefix (178:1, 178:2, 178:3), and approval and effective dates were added at the end.
TECHNICAL

Section numbering changed from generic numbers (1, 2, 3) to chapter-prefixed numbers (178:1, 178:2, 178:3), which is the standard format for enacted laws in New Hampshire.

TIMELINE

Approval date (June 19, 2026) and effective date (August 18, 2026) were added at the end of the document, confirming when the governor signed the bill and when it takes effect.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
12
Key actions
5
Committee
4
Jun 24, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor Ayotte 06/19/2026; Chapter 178; eff. 08/18/2026
lower
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/07/2026; SJ 11
upper
Apr 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 05/07/2026; Vote 4-0; CC; SC 17
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Introduced
Introduced 02/19/2026 and Referred to Transportation; SJ 5
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Ought to Pass: MA VV 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 36
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass 02/10/2026 (Vote 15-0; CC) HC 7 P. 22
lower
Dec 12, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Transportation HJ 1 P. 32
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors

Sponsors