HB 1368 establishes a 7-member committee (4 House members, 3 Senate members) to study primary care provider availability and access, with a focus on rural New Hampshire. The committee will examine factors like provider shortages, reimbursement rates, electronic health record costs, and Medicaid enrollment impacts, and must submit findings by November 1, 2026. This bill creates a study body with no direct policy changes; it only gathers data to inform future legislative action.
HB 1096 establishes a legislative committee to study how to manage the disposal of vapes and e-cigarettes. The committee, composed of three House members (appointed by the Speaker) and one Senate member (appointed by the President), will examine solutions like extended producer responsibility and commercial sales regulations. It must report its findings and recommendations to state leaders by November 1, 2026. This bill does not create new laws but directs a study on disposal management for these products.
HB 1691 (New Hampshire) limits eligibility for property tax assessments based on current agricultural or conservation use. It restricts qualifying land to 40 acres per lot in semi-rural zones, 10 acres in developed zones with conservation land requirements, and prohibits clear-cutting or invasive species. Municipalities must cap current use approvals at 75% of rural zones and 5% of high-density zones, while requiring sustainable practices like invasive species management and limiting chemical use. Violations trigger retroactive tax payments using "best and highest use" rates from the last compliance date. This affects landowners currently enrolled in New Hampshire's current use tax program.
HR 28 is a House Resolution requesting the New Hampshire Supreme Court to clarify the state's constitutional obligations regarding education. It asks the court to address specific legal questions about whether the state constitution requires direct state funding for public education, the limits of judicial review over education funding, and the historical role of towns versus the state in education. The resolution seeks the court's opinion on whether the constitution creates an enforceable right to state funding or leaves such decisions to the legislature's discretion. This procedural request does not change current law but aims to resolve legal uncertainty around education funding obligations.
HB 1291 would make it a class A misdemeanor to operate a small drone without permission over large public gatherings (like sports events, concerts, or festivals) or over critical infrastructure, such as power plants, water treatment facilities, military sites, or government buildings. The bill defines "critical infrastructure" to include specific facilities like petroleum refineries, electric substations, and public safety buildings. This law would take effect on January 1, 2027, and applies to all drone users who fly without prior authorization in these scenarios. The bill does not require new funding but may impact law enforcement and court processes if violations occur.
This bill changes the name of a temporary teaching authorization from "one-year certificate of eligibility" to "emergency authorization" in New Hampshire education law. It applies to school boards hiring non-credentialed educators who hold a bachelor's degree, pass background checks, and meet experience requirements. The existing rules remain unchanged: authorizations are limited to one year (with possible one-year extension), include no tenure, require department notification, and exclude those with revoked credentials. The change is purely terminological, with no new requirements or policy shifts.
HB 1237 updates how New Hampshire's state police select and manage contracted tow companies for removing abandoned or obstructive vehicles. It revises procedures to create a rotating list of qualified tow businesses organized by geographic area and vehicle type (class I, II, or III), replacing outdated terms like "wreckers" with "qualified tow businesses." The bill affects state police, tow companies, and property owners dealing with vehicles abandoned on private property or obstructing public spaces. Key changes include requiring the police to use this updated list when practicable, allowing specialized towing for specific vehicle classes, and ensuring tow companies can charge appropriately for equipment used. The Department of Safety requested this change to improve efficiency and safety in vehicle removal operations.
HB 1214 allows New Hampshire municipalities to take direct control of public library governance. If a town or city elects to assume control under state law, the library's existing trustees would transition to an advisory role, while the municipal governing body (like a town council) becomes the primary decision-maker. This bill directly affects local governments and public library boards, changing how libraries are managed without altering library funding or services. The policy change would take effect 60 days after enactment, as specified in the bill.
HB 1020 designates Lake Winnipesaukee as New Hampshire's official state lake. This symbolic recognition formally honors the lake's cultural and recreational significance to the state without changing any laws, regulations, or policies. The bill was introduced by multiple legislators and referred to the Resources, Recreation and Development committee. It has no direct impact on residents, businesses, or government operations.
HB 1806 creates a process for educators with revoked or suspended licenses (not due to criminal conduct) to petition for removal from the state's public registry of educator misconduct. To qualify, petitioners must provide documentation showing rehabilitation and proof the revocation wasn't criminal. The Department of Education must review petitions within 90 days and may remove names if the individual poses no current risk to students and removal aligns with public interest. The bill also requires biennial registry reviews to remove deceased individuals and ensure accuracy, while mandating annual anonymized reporting of removals.
HB 1688 expands when schools and treatment facilities may use physical restraint on students, allowing it only when there is an imminent risk of bodily harm to a child or others. It modifies the definition of "seclusion" by adding a new exception: temporarily isolating a child alone to help them regain self-control (if they can leave the area and no barriers exist). The bill removes the previous requirement that restraint must address "substantial" harm, lowering the threshold to "imminent risk" of harm. Restraint must still be a last resort after other interventions fail, used only by trained staff. The bill directly affects students in schools and treatment facilities and the staff who implement these practices.
HB 1534 clarifies how electric utilities recover costs related to default service - the safety-net option for customers who don’t choose a provider. It requires utilities to recover costs (including those from renewable energy compliance) through approved default service rates, ensuring past under- or over-collections are addressed in future rates for the same service tier. The bill also allows the utility commission to implement measures discouraging long-term use of default service, with any revenue from such measures used to offset stranded costs. This directly affects customers on default service plans and utilities managing these rates.
