HB 314 prohibits using federal, state, or local public funds - including grants, appropriations, or payments from counties, towns, cities, or school districts - to lobby, influence legislation, or engage in political activities. It requires entities receiving public funds to physically and financially separate those funds from any money used for lobbying, not just through bookkeeping. The bill allows taxpayers to sue to stop violations and recover attorney fees, while imposing criminal penalties (Class A misdemeanor) and requiring violators to pay 3 times the misused amount. The law takes effect January 1, 2026, applying to all public fund expenditures after that date.
SB 106 requires customer generators with facilities between 100 kilowatts and 5 megawatts (operational after January 1, 2023) to consume at least 20% of their own annual electricity generation through net energy metering. This applies to larger residential, commercial, or industrial systems that generate renewable energy but not to low- and moderate-income customers, who are exempt. The bill modifies existing net metering rules to allow these generators to retain their current tariff for up to 20 years or until 2040, whichever is longer. It does not create new funding but may involve utility billing system upgrades to track cross-territory energy data.
HB 675 increases the statewide education property tax revenue cap to $773 million for 2025 and requires municipalities to remit excess tax collections to the state education trust fund. It limits school district spending growth on non-facilities expenses by tying annual appropriations to the 3-year average Consumer Price Index (CPI), with stricter rules after 2027. The bill also raises the base per-pupil adequacy cost from $4,100 to $7,356 and mandates annual reporting of district spending to the Department of Education. These changes directly affect school districts and municipalities managing education funding, effective July 1, 2025. (Note: The bill’s title mentioning "central office expenses" does not align with the actual provisions; this summary reflects the actual tax and spending mechanisms described in the bill text.)
HB 572 establishes the "Partners in Housing" program, a low-interest loan and grant program under the Housing Champions Fund to help municipalities, counties, and developers build workforce housing. The program prioritizes single-family starter homes, duplexes, small apartment buildings, and "missing middle housing" on municipally-owned land suitable for residential development, with $2 million of the $10 million total funding specifically allocated for this initiative. Municipalities can identify suitable public land for housing development, which would be added to a statewide list prioritized for program funding, and projects must include at least 20% affordable units for 20 years. The program also includes expedited review processes for qualifying projects to speed up development. The bill appropriates $10 million for the Housing Champions Fund, with $500,000 designated for program administration.
HB 256 establishes a New Hampshire committee to study the federal government's response to the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty, a U.S. Navy ship. The committee - comprising four House members, one Senate member, and one public appointee - will investigate whether the U.S. government properly determined Israeli civilian and military culpability in the attack. It must report findings and recommendations to New Hampshire's congressional delegation by November 1, 2025. This is a procedural study bill with no direct policy changes, focusing solely on examining historical federal actions.
HB 624 creates a grant program to provide funding to existing local river management advisory committees in New Hampshire. These committees, established under state law, can apply for grants of up to $10,000 annually to support their work managing local river resources. The bill appropriates $40,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $40,000 for fiscal year 2027 from the General Fund, to be administered by the Department of Environmental Services. The program requires the department to develop application rules but does not include funding for administrative costs.
SB 150 defines "electric vehicle charging station" as any device that transfers electricity to electric vehicles from an external source, meeting specific technical standards. It requires charging station operators to pay a $175 annual fee per meter for testing and certification by the Division of Weights and Measures. The bill creates a new state position for a "registered electric vehicle service technician" within the Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food to handle this testing. The fee revenue and costs for the new position are funded through the Agricultural Products Regulatory Fund, with estimated annual revenue starting at $25,165 in 2026. This directly affects businesses operating electric vehicle charging stations in New Hampshire.
SB 90 allows municipalities to permit high-density residential housing (defined as at least 20 units per acre) on land currently zoned for commercial use like retail or offices. It directly affects local governments, which must permit such development if adequate infrastructure (roads, water, sewage) is available or provided. The bill amends zoning rules to remove barriers for mixed-use projects combining residential and commercial space, requiring only that infrastructure supports the new housing. This policy change aims to increase housing options in areas currently limited to business uses, without mandating new construction. The law takes effect 60 days after passage.
SB 111 establishes a pilot program allowing New Hampshire electric utilities to buy reliability indexing credits from qualified local energy storage systems (like batteries) to support grid reliability. The program would pay storage providers the difference between a set "strike price" and a daily "reference price" reflecting wholesale market value - paying them when the strike price is higher, and charging them when the reference price is higher. Utilities must get approval from the Public Utilities Commission for multi-year agreements (up to 200 megawatts) and recover costs through customer rates. The Department of Energy must develop program terms by December 2025, with utilities petitioning for approval by February 2026. This pilot aims to incentivize storage participation without direct state funding.
SB 63 changes how the Division of Travel and Tourism in New Hampshire is funded by adjusting the calculation of meals and rooms tax revenue. Currently, the division receives 3.15% of the "net income" from this tax, which excludes transfers to the Municipal Revenue Fund. The bill adds back that transfer amount to the calculation, increasing the funding base. Based on 2024 data, this would raise annual funding from $10.2 million to $14.3 million (a $4.1 million increase). The change applies to future budgets starting with the 2028-2029 fiscal year.
SB 162 restricts foreign governments and entities from China, Russia, Iran, Syria, and North Korea from purchasing or leasing property within 10 miles of six specific New Hampshire military installations, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease Air National Guard Base. The bill requires anyone acquiring such property to file a sworn affidavit confirming they aren't a foreign principal from a designated country and that they understand the restrictions. Violations could result in criminal penalties (a Class A misdemeanor for individuals, Class B felony for entities) or civil forfeiture of the property. This law applies to real property within 10 miles of protected facilities, measured as the shortest distance between property and facility perimeters.
SB 231 would limit local zoning requirements for road frontage and setbacks near wetlands to a maximum of 50 feet, aiming to increase housing density by reducing the minimum distance properties must be from wetlands. The bill ensures these limits remain consistent with existing shoreland protection standards (RSA 483-B:9) and do not override broader environmental regulations (RSA 489:2). It directly affects local governments creating zoning rules and developers building near wetlands, allowing more compact development while maintaining current environmental safeguards. The bill amends state law to add this purpose to zoning ordinances and takes effect 60 days after enactment.
