Rep. David Preece

Maddy summaryHB 1760 repeals a requirement that the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services seek a waiver to impose pharmacy copayments and premiums on Medicaid beneficiaries, including those in the New Hampshire Advantage Health Care Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It removes specific law sections (2025, 141:65; RSA 126-AA:2-a; and RSA 126-A:3, IX) that would have mandated these cost-sharing measures. The bill appropriates funds to the Department of Health and Human Services to cover the resulting revenue shortfall for the 2026-2027 biennium. This change directly eliminates new costs for Medicaid participants while maintaining program funding stability.

Maddy summaryHB 1506 creates a process for New Hampshire state agencies to request exceptions to current restrictions on artificial intelligence use. It requires agency heads to submit written requests specifying their purpose for needing the exception, which must first be reviewed by the Department of Information Technology and then approved by the Executive Council. This bill directly affects state agencies seeking to use AI for specific purposes beyond existing prohibitions, without changing the core restrictions on AI applications.

Maddy summaryHB 1005 repeals the commission established to study New Hampshire's zoning enabling act under RSA 674:23-a. The bill dissolves this specific statutory commission without altering any zoning laws or affecting residents, businesses, or local governments. This is a procedural change that removes the commission's legal existence, with no new policies or regulations implemented.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how towns regulate manufactured homes. It requires municipalities to allow siting on residential lots with the same zoning rules as single-family homes (not just in parks), and mandates "reasonable efforts" to accommodate them. Existing manufactured housing parks must follow NFPA 501A fire safety standards for expansions. It also allows disaster victims to temporarily live in manufactured homes on their property for 30 days after a building permit is issued, while rebuilding their primary residence.

Maddy summaryHB 1434 allows New Hampshire towns and cities to hold votes on whether to permit keno gambling within their borders. It replaces a prior law that only let municipalities vote to *ban* keno with a system where they can vote to *allow* it. The bill requires a public hearing and a ballot vote (via town meeting or municipal election) with a majority "yes" vote needed to authorize keno operations. It also repeals outdated keno administration laws from 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1799 defines what constitutes a "constitutionally adequate education" in New Hampshire, requiring the state to fund specific resources to ensure all students have access to quality education regardless of location. The bill mandates funding for key staff (teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses), instructional materials, technology, facilities maintenance, and transportation starting in 2026. It directs school districts and the state to develop plans addressing educational outcome disparities between districts. This directly affects public school districts and the state's education budget, shifting responsibility to cover these defined costs rather than relying solely on local property taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Hampshire municipalities to permit multi-family housing (like apartment buildings) on land currently zoned for commercial use (e.g., stores or offices), provided adequate infrastructure (roads, water, sewage) exists. It also allows towns to mandate ground-floor retail space in new mixed-use developments and block residential use in industrial zones where impacts like noise or pollution might occur. Municipalities can convert existing nonconforming buildings (e.g., outdated structures) to housing without making them more nonconforming. Implementation costs are estimated to be minimal, under $10,000 per municipality.

Maddy summaryHB 1145 allows New Hampshire municipalities to impose fees on new developments (like housing projects or subdivisions) that don’t meet local affordable housing requirements. These fees must be kept separate from general city funds and spent *only* on affordable housing - through state housing authorities, community development programs, or local housing agencies. Fees are collected at key development stages (e.g., when a building permit is issued) and must be reported annually on how they’re used. The bill gives municipalities flexibility to set fee amounts based on local needs but requires strict transparency in spending.

Maddy summaryHB 1017 allows New Hampshire towns to count accessory dwelling units (ADUs, like backyard cottages) toward their local workforce housing goals. It requires that ADUs meet specific affordability standards and lets municipalities enforce these standards through legal agreements recorded with property deeds. The bill directly affects local governments and property owners who develop or manage ADUs. This change modifies how towns calculate existing housing obligations without creating new state-level requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1008 clarifies the definition of "inclusionary zoning" to include voluntary incentives like density bonuses or streamlined applications that encourage affordable housing development. It expands local government options for promoting affordable housing and creates a new process allowing developers to propose alternative compliance methods for inclusionary zoning requirements. If a planning board disagrees with an applicant's alternative solution, the bill permits third-party review under existing law. This directly affects municipalities establishing housing policies and developers seeking to build affordable units under local ordinances. The changes take effect 60 days after enactment.