SB 592 requires New Hampshire municipalities and regional planning commissions to explicitly include habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors in their regional conservation, land-use, and energy planning. Conservation commissions must now maintain an index of these natural areas within their communities, and regional commissions must consider them in comprehensive regional plans covering land use, transportation, recreation, and infrastructure. The bill uses existing definitions for habitat strongholds (RSA 207:1, XIII-a) and wildlife corridors (RSA 207:1, XXXVI) without creating new protected areas. This change affects all municipalities and regional planning bodies statewide, ensuring these natural features are factored into development decisions.
HB 281 requires election officials to provide electronic absentee voter lists in a sortable format, rather than plain text. This affects candidates, political parties, and authorized individuals who request these lists under New Hampshire's absentee voting rules. The bill mandates that lists include specific data fields (like voter name, address, and ballot request dates) and must be supplied electronically without charge. This change makes it easier for users to organize and analyze voter data by sorting information like dates or names.
HB 661 requires New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services to manage social security payments, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and veterans benefits for children in foster care. The department must determine eligibility within 60 days of a child entering foster care, apply for benefits on the child's behalf, and properly manage these funds until the child turns 18 or leaves foster care. The bill prohibits using the child's benefits to cover foster care costs but allows using them for the child's unmet needs, and mandates annual accounting to the child, their representative, and parents. The bill appropriates $1 for the 2026-2027 biennium with estimated annual costs of $2.9 million starting in 2027 to implement these changes.
HB 158 requires town and city clerks to make absentee ballot applicant lists (including names and addresses, arranged by voting place) available for public inspection 60 days after an election (or earlier with a court order), excluding voters with protective orders. The bill also mandates the secretary of state to create a report on absentee ballot requests, detailing requests by voting district, address discrepancies, multiple ballots sent to one address, and the top 20 common mailing addresses. This affects local clerks who manage absentee ballots and the public who can access the lists. The report will provide transparency on absentee ballot distribution patterns without altering voting procedures. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.
HB 707 requires New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services to establish site-specific setback distances for new landfills from perennial rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. It mandates that setbacks must be calculated using a formula based on groundwater seepage velocity testing (conducted by an independent hydrogeologist) and must be at least 3,000 feet or the 5-year groundwater travel distance, whichever is greater. The bill directly affects developers seeking permits for new landfills by imposing these distance requirements to protect water sources from contamination. It also includes additional safeguards like 24/7 landfill staffing, restrictions on building near Superfund sites or existing landfills, and soil permeability standards. The law does not apply to expansions of currently operating landfills.
HB 340 prohibits public employees in New Hampshire from campaigning or influencing elections while performing their official duties or using government resources like phones, computers, or vehicles. It defines "electioneering" broadly to include distributing campaign materials, making political statements, or organizing political events during work hours. The bill includes specific exemptions, such as neutral voter registration drives, sharing factual election information (e.g., dates/locations), and displaying campaign materials at public events without favoring any candidate. Violations are punishable as misdemeanors, and the law takes effect January 1, 2026.
HB 317 requires election supervisors to verify a voter's identity using official identification, even if they personally know the voter. It directly affects voters without photo ID who need to cast a ballot. The bill amends voting procedures to mandate that supervisors cannot accept personal knowledge as verification - only valid ID will suffice. If a voter's ID isn't verified, they may appeal the denial to superior court. This change takes effect 60 days after enactment.
HB 155 reduces New Hampshire's business enterprise tax (BET) rate from 0.55% to 0.50% for tax years ending on or after December 31, 2026. This directly affects businesses that pay the BET, calculated on their taxable enterprise value. The rate change takes effect July 1, 2025, applying permanently to all future tax periods meeting the end-date requirement. The bill does not alter other tax provisions but will decrease state revenue from this tax, with estimated impacts of $4.3 million in fiscal year 2026.
HB 639, titled "The Blockchain Basic Laws," establishes legal protections for blockchain technology and digital assets in New Hampshire. It prohibits government restrictions on using digital assets for purchases, self-custody of digital assets, and payments using digital assets without additional taxes. The bill protects home digital asset mining (within noise ordinances) and digital asset mining businesses (in industrial zones), prevents discriminatory electricity rates for mining, and creates a specialized "blockchain dispute docket" in superior courts to handle blockchain-related legal matters. It also recognizes smart contract-based trusts as legally valid and protects private keys from being compelled in legal proceedings.
This bill requires New Hampshire health insurance companies to cover specific non-opioid pain management services as alternatives to opioids, including behavioral therapies (like CBT and mindfulness), manual treatments (chiropractic and massage), movement therapies (yoga and tai chi), and acupuncture. It mandates at least 12 visits per service category, prohibits more restrictive utilization controls for non-opioid therapies than opioids, and requires insurers to create and post detailed pain management plans. The bill applies to both individual and group health insurance policies, aiming to increase access to evidence-based non-opioid pain management options. It takes effect July 1, 2025, though it does not provide funding for these new requirements.
HB 1275 establishes a New Hampshire agricultural PFAS relief fund to assist farmers who have incurred losses or costs due to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in soil, water, or crops from standard farming practices like land application of sludge or biosolids. The fund, financed by settlements against PFAS manufacturers, federal grants, and other sources, covers expenses including soil/water testing, water filtration systems, business adaptation costs, and health screenings for farm workers. The bill also imposes a 5-year moratorium on using sludge or biosolids for agricultural purposes to prevent further contamination. Priority for fund distribution is given to farms with historical sludge use and those currently used for agriculture.
HB 1469 requires massage therapy businesses employing more than one therapist to obtain a state license and undergo regular inspections by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The bill establishes new health and safety standards for these businesses, including requirements for direct supervision by licensed therapists and procedures for license renewal and disciplinary actions. It also adds compensation for members of the massage therapists' advisory board and creates a new investigative paralegal position within the OPLC, with funding provided for this role. This legislation directly affects massage therapy businesses, the OPLC, and the advisory board by expanding regulatory oversight and operational requirements.
