Rep. Paul Berch

Maddy summaryHB 1067 establishes a state grant program to fund new mental health courts in New Hampshire, requiring counties, districts, or non-profits to apply through a standardized process managed by the judicial branch's Office of the Statewide Treatment Courts. The bill revises mental health court procedures to allow judges to dismiss charges or withhold prosecution upon successful completion of treatment programs, while mandating risk and clinical assessments for participants. It requires the judicial branch to develop application standards, track outcomes like recidivism, and provide training to ensure program effectiveness. The goal is to reduce incarceration costs and improve treatment access for individuals with mental illness through structured court interventions.

Maddy summaryHB 1422 extends the deadline for filing a petition for a new trial beyond the standard three years in specific criminal cases. It applies to individuals convicted of a felony or class A misdemeanor who are incarcerated, subject to sentence terms, or facing collateral consequences, provided they allege newly discovered evidence and innocence. The petition must detail the new evidence, including results from new forensic testing or scientific analysis not available at trial. Courts must first verify the petition meets these conditions before granting a hearing, and the state must reactivate victim services during the case review.

Maddy summaryHB 1127 replaces New Hampshire’s current "Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act" with the "Uniform Voidable Transactions Act" to align state law with a national model. This bill updates terminology and definitions (such as "debtor," "creditor," and "insider") used in bankruptcy and debt collection cases, directly affecting creditors, debtors, and courts handling asset transfers. The key change is procedural - it doesn’t create new rules but standardizes existing legal language to match the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act used in other states. This simplifies legal processes for creditors seeking to recover assets transferred before bankruptcy.

Maddy summaryHB 164 requires New Hampshire municipalities to store local government records electronically on a publicly accessible website designated by the state archivist, eliminating the need for physical copies if free public access is provided. It creates a funded position for a local government records manager (previously unfilled since 2002) to develop and maintain this website, with $150,000 appropriated for the 2026 fiscal year to cover setup, maintenance, and staffing. The bill directly affects all municipal governments by changing how they manage and provide public access to electronic records, while ensuring transparency through free online access. Key provisions include allowing digital storage without duplicate paper copies and mandating that public bodies provide website links instead of physical records upon request. This policy change streamlines public access to local government records while shifting management responsibilities to the state archives office.

Maddy summaryHB 1468 allows New Hampshire municipalities to voluntarily include flood resilience planning in their master plans, without imposing new state mandates or costs. The bill amends state law to require municipalities to identify flood risks and propose mitigation measures in their natural hazards sections (Section 2), and adds an optional coastal/inland flood resilience section addressing storm surge, riverine flooding, erosion, and infrastructure protection (Section 3). It also expands state housing planning grants to cover flood hazard mitigation and related land use updates. Municipalities may choose whether to adopt these provisions, with the law taking effect 60 days after passage.

Maddy summaryHB 1013 prohibits any contest, game, or activity where a pig (greased, oiled, or otherwise) is released with the goal of capturing it. The bill directly affects individuals or organizers operating such events, making participation or operation a misdemeanor offense. Key provisions ban these activities under New Hampshire law (RSA 644:8-h) and set a January 1, 2027 effective date. The law does not address other animal-related contests or specify enforcement details beyond the misdemeanor penalty.

Maddy summaryHB 1489 updates New Hampshire's legal procedures for handling depositions and discovery across state lines. It replaces the existing "Uniform Foreign Depositions Law" with a new "Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act" (RSA 517-A), clarifying how courts process subpoenas from other states. The bill requires parties seeking discovery in New Hampshire to submit foreign subpoenas to a local court clerk, who then issues a standardized subpoena incorporating the original terms. This affects lawyers, courts, and parties in multi-state legal cases by streamlining cross-jurisdictional discovery while aligning with similar laws in other states.

Maddy summaryHB 1064 modifies New Hampshire's laws on government liability for negligence. It increases the maximum payout for personal injury or property damage claims against government agencies from $325,000 to $475,000 per person per claim, with a $1.425 million limit per incident. The bill also requires local governments to cover employees' negligence costs (if not reckless) during work duties, shifting financial responsibility from employees to the agency. This directly affects injured individuals seeking compensation and government employees who may face personal liability for work-related incidents.

Maddy summaryHB 1100 allows individuals to record phone calls or conversations if the other party has already been informed the call may be recorded. This exception directly affects people and businesses that want to document communications, such as in customer service or personal contexts. The bill amends New Hampshire law by adding a new provision (RSA 570-A:2, II(n)) to permit such recording, while maintaining existing prohibitions against unauthorized interception. The change takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local fiscal impact.

Maddy summaryHB 1570 requires New Hampshire law enforcement agencies to obtain written approval from their local budget authority before entering federal immigration enforcement agreements (Section 287(g) agreements with ICE). The budget authority must review the agreement, consider the estimated yearly cost to the agency (including employee hours), and notify residents before authorizing participation. Agencies must submit quarterly reports detailing costs, officer activities, and federal reimbursements, and the budget authority can terminate the agreement at any time due to cost concerns. Failure to comply results in the state withholding all state funding from the agency.