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SB 139 New Hampshire Senate · 2026 Regular Session

creating a private right of action in civil rights cases.

SB 139 creates a private right of action in civil rights cases, allowing any person subjected to unlawful interference with their civil rights to file a lawsuit directly. Currently, only the New Hampshire Attorney General can initiate such cases under the Civil Rights Act (RSA 354-B). The bill requires courts to notify the Attorney General by sending copies of the complaint and final judgment to their office. The law will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEnables private lawsuits for civil rights violations, enhancing accountability in law enforcement actions - a key criminal justice reform indicator.85% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action Jan 7, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
0
Committee
3
Nov 3, 2025
Committee
Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 01/07/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 46
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Committee
Rereferred to Committee, MA, VV; 03/06/2025; SJ 6
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Committee
Committee Report: Rereferred to Committee, 03/06/2025; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 3
upper
0 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.