Rep. Juliet Harvey-Bolia

Maddy summaryHB 71 prohibits public school facilities from being used to house non-citizens and requires health department contracts to align with this restriction. It also mandates that local governments provide public notice before reassessing property values for tax purposes. The bill directly affects school districts, health agencies, and property owners who may face new administrative requirements. These provisions focus on restricting shelter use in schools and ensuring transparency in property tax assessments.

Maddy summaryHB 143 makes it a crime for anyone to use AI-powered communication tools (like chatbots) to facilitate, encourage, offer, solicit, or recommend harmful acts to a child. It directly affects developers and operators of generative AI services interacting with minors, imposing criminal penalties for violations. The bill also creates a private right to sue for individuals harmed by such interactions. It became law on August 1, 2025, and takes effect January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 613, which was vetoed by Governor Ayotte on August 1, 2025, required all municipal election offices to use accessible voting systems that accommodate voters with disabilities. The bill directly affected voters with disabilities by mandating that voting systems meet specific accessibility standards, such as audio interfaces or adaptive devices. It did not specify detailed technical requirements but established a statewide standard for accessible voting technology in local elections. The bill passed both chambers with strong support (195-158) but did not become law due to the governor's veto.

Maddy summaryHB 225 requires New Hampshire employers with 50+ employees at a single location to reemploy military spouses if their service member is involuntarily deployed. The bill defines "employer" to exclude combined staff under common ownership and allows employers to refuse reemployment only if circumstances make it impossible or unreasonable, per federal guidelines (20 C.F.R. § 1002.139). This directly affects military spouses in New Hampshire who face job loss due to their partner's deployment. The law creates a clear framework for employer obligations while providing a specific exception tied to federal standards. It takes effect January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 228 requires citizens to submit petitions requesting topics for town meeting agendas by July 1st each year, instead of the previous deadline. This directly affects towns and residents participating in local governance, as it standardizes the submission window for petitioned articles at annual or special town meetings. The bill modifies procedural rules for town meeting organization without altering substantive policies. It became law on July 22, 2025, and takes effect September 13, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 475 would have modified the standard budget reductions applied to official ballot town meetings in New Hampshire towns. The bill aimed to adjust how much funding is automatically reduced for these local meetings, directly affecting towns that rely on this format for budget decisions. It passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Ayotte on July 15, 2025, preventing it from becoming law. The measure focused on changing the default budget calculation method, not on new funding or procedural changes.

Maddy summaryHB 356 would have allowed school districts to choose whether to hold partisan elections for school board seats, meaning candidates could run under political party labels (e.g., Democrat or Republican) instead of as nonpartisan candidates. This change would directly affect school districts that opt to adopt this system and the voters who participate in those elections. The bill’s key provision was amending election rules to permit partisan contests, shifting the process from nonpartisan to party-based voting for school board positions. The bill passed both legislative chambers in May 2025 but was vetoed by Governor Ayotte on July 7, 2025, so it did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 230 amends state law to restrict town health officers' authority to adopt public health regulations. The bill removes language allowing regulations beyond "prevention and removal of nuisances" (like unsanitary conditions), limiting health officers to only these specific measures. For any regulation to take effect, it must still be approved by selectmen, recorded by the town clerk, and published in a local newspaper or posted in public places. This directly affects towns and their health officers by narrowing the scope of public health rules they can implement without broader municipal approval.

Maddy summarySB 163 repeals temporary limits on residential building permits and subdivision approvals, while requiring all residentially zoned areas to permit manufactured housing "as a matter of right." The bill defines manufactured housing (excluding campers and modular homes) and mandates that municipalities amend zoning ordinances within one year to allow it without special permits or unreasonable restrictions. It explicitly prohibits local bans or discriminatory policies against manufactured housing in residential zones. This change directly affects homeowners, developers, and local governments by altering land-use rules for a specific housing type.