Rep. Henry Noël

Maddy summaryHB 1614 establishes a distinct legal standard for reviewing decisions made by the Department of Environmental Services, separating it from the standards applied to other state agencies. Under this bill, courts will evaluate the validity of the department's orders and rules based on specific grounds, such as constitutional violations, lack of legal authority, procedural errors, or arbitrary actions. The legislation also creates a specific process for filing declaratory judgments to challenge the validity of the department's rules in court. These changes would take effect on January 1, 2025, providing a clearer framework for judicial oversight of the department's regulatory actions.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require municipalities to send any excess money collected from the statewide education property tax to the state's education trust fund instead of keeping it locally. It also prohibits the state revenue commissioner from setting negative tax rates on real property to offset other taxes. These changes aim to ensure that surplus education funds are directed toward the state education trust while preventing specific tax rate adjustments. Although the bill was introduced, it was laid on the table and did not become law during the 2024 legislative session.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies how municipalities and counties can group their electric customers together to negotiate power rates. It updates state laws to ensure that the personal data of these individual customers remains private and is not made public. The legislation also specifies that these local groups can use customer information to develop new energy services and comply with existing energy regulations. By making these adjustments, the bill aims to streamline how local governments manage and utilize electricity aggregation programs.

Maddy summaryThis law requires the state Department of Revenue Administration to study how forest carbon credit programs might reduce timber tax revenue and to submit reports to the legislature by late 2024 and late 2025. The bill also creates a public registry to list New Hampshire forest lands enrolled in carbon programs, requiring owners to provide details such as their name, property location, and enrollment dates. Additionally, it mandates that landowners or program administrators notify the local municipalities where the enrolled forest land is located about these enrollments.