HB 1233 modifies New Hampshire's right-to-know law to clarify how non-public meeting minutes are handled. It requires that only specific portions of minutes directly covered by a motion to hold a non-public session may be withheld from public disclosure, rather than entire records. The bill also mandates that public bodies list non-public session minutes online with the date, start time, end time, and reason for withholding. This affects town councils, school boards, and other public bodies holding non-public meetings. The changes take effect 60 days after enactment.
HB 1667 establishes New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation security task force to coordinate planning for presidential campaign events during the 2028 election cycle. The task force, chaired by the safety commissioner and including members from state agencies, universities, police associations, and both major political committees, must develop statewide security guidance that protects free speech while ensuring public safety. Key provisions require the task force to create coordination protocols for law enforcement, identify resource needs like communication tools, and produce a comprehensive security plan by September 2027. This bill directly affects all presidential campaign events in New Hampshire and requires reports to state leaders by 2026-2028, with minimal fiscal impact ($10,000/year).
HB 1370 removes a requirement for New Hampshire public schools to report to the Department of Education if they lack policies for identifying and accommodating gifted and talented students. The bill amends RSA 189:29-b to eliminate the specific language (now in brackets) that previously forced schools to state "if no such policies exist" in their annual reports. Instead, schools must now only submit an annual narrative report detailing their existing policies, programs, and procedures for gifted students starting in the 2026-2027 school year. This change simplifies reporting for schools that do not have dedicated gifted education programs, while maintaining the requirement for those that do. The bill directly affects all public schools in New Hampshire and the Department of Education.
HB 1090 applies New Hampshire's 8.5% meals and rooms tax to motorboat rentals. It expands the definition of "motor vehicle" to include registered watercraft (like motorboats) used on public waterways and requires rental companies to collect this tax on all boat rental receipts. The bill also changes tax rounding rules to the nearest nickel for all taxable transactions. This affects boat rental businesses statewide, with estimated annual revenue increases of about $189,000 for the Education Trust Fund.
HB 1225 amends New Hampshire's child support guidelines by updating how "adjusted gross income" is calculated for determining support payments. The bill specifically adds Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from an employee's pay as a deductible item when calculating income for child support obligations. This change directly affects parents who pay child support (obligors), as it may lower their calculated income and potentially reduce their required payments. The amendment takes effect January 1, 2027.
HB 1108 revises New Hampshire's criminal threatening law to clarify that individuals displaying a firearm or other lawful self-defense tool in response to specific threats (like potential serious injury, death, property damage, or unlawful intrusion) will not be considered to have committed criminal threatening. It applies directly to people using defensive measures against these defined threats. The key provision creates a legal exception for reasonable defensive actions, specifying that the response must be to conduct a reasonable person would view as likely to cause the listed harms. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local fiscal impact.
HB 1134 clarifies how town meeting budget items are counted for tax and budget cap calculations. It requires that total appropriations in warrant articles (budget items) be accumulated in the order they are voted on during annual town meetings, rather than by their position on the agenda. This directly affects towns operating under the town meeting form of government, ensuring consistent application when determining if a budget exceeds the 10% expenditure limit or triggers a tax cap override. The bill makes this procedural change to prevent ambiguity in budget voting outcomes.
HB 1135 prohibits the creation of prescriptive rights (such as easements) in private roads, driveways, or trails through long-term, unauthorized use. It directly affects landowners of private roads and the public who may have used these properties without permission for extended periods. The law explicitly states that any use of such private properties, regardless of duration, cannot establish a legal right or easement. It does not apply to claims already resolved by court before its effective date, which is 60 days after passage.
SB 134 requires New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services to resubmit a federal waiver application to CMS by July 1, 2025, seeking approval to enforce work requirements as a condition of Medicaid eligibility under the Granite Advantage program. The bill also mandates annual reports to the legislature starting November 1, 2025, detailing the waiver status and implementation progress. This bill does not change current Medicaid rules, as work requirements are not currently in effect; it only sets a process for the state to seek federal approval to potentially implement such requirements. The bill has no immediate cost but may lead to future expenses if the waiver is approved and implemented.
SB 94 prohibits New Hampshire municipalities from creating new local building, energy, or fire code regulations that differ from the state codes after July 1, 2025. It allows existing local amendments in effect as of that date to remain valid but bans any new local modifications. The bill directly affects cities and towns that previously had the authority to adopt supplementary code requirements. All municipalities must now fully comply with the state codes without local changes, though they may continue enforcing pre-July 2025 local amendments.
This bill requires health care providers performing abortions to report specific anonymized data - including patient age, state of residence, abortion method, gestational age, and related prescriptions - to the medical facility where the procedure occurs. Medical facilities must then submit this aggregated information annually to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The department will compile statistical reports on abortion procedures, maternal health, and gestational age, and provide an annual summary to the legislature. The law directly affects health care providers and medical facilities that perform abortions in New Hampshire, with no requirement for personally identifiable patient information.
SB 83 establishes a fund to reimburse municipalities for property tax revenue lost due to exemptions for elderly, disabled, blind, and deaf residents. The bill authorizes video lottery terminals (VLTs) at facilities licensed for charitable gaming, requiring them to operate with an 88% minimum payback rate and distributing 40% of VLT revenue to charitable organizations (35%), a special fund (25%), the reimbursement fund (25%), and retirement benefits (50%). It also creates a voluntary statewide self-exclusion database to help people with problem gambling avoid gambling venues. The bill renames the state lottery commission to the "New Hampshire lottery and gaming commission" and sets a July 1, 2025 effective date.
