Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Hampshire town meeting procedures to allow local communities to vote on specific questions using official ballots, similar to how they currently elect officials. Under the new rules, towns would place these referendum questions on the meeting warrant and conduct voting through established absentee and polling place protocols, with polls remaining open for at least one hour after discussion ends. The legislation also provides a process for towns that previously adopted a system where only officer elections use official ballots to vote on returning to that earlier arrangement, requiring a three-fifths majority to approve such a change. These adjustments take effect 60 days after the bill passes, giving municipalities time to prepare for the updated voting methods.
Rep. Diane Pauer
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill allows towns in New Hampshire to choose whether their conservation commission members are appointed by local officials or elected by voters. Under the new rules, a town meeting can vote to switch between these two methods, giving communities direct control over how their conservation leaders are selected. If a town opts for elections, members serve staggered three-year terms, and the town can later vote to return to the appointment system if desired. The legislation also clarifies that commission members must live in the town they represent and may serve on other municipal boards.
Maddy summaryThis bill expands property tax exemptions for disabled veterans who own homes specially adapted with assistance from the Veterans Administration. To qualify, veterans must be 100 percent permanently and totally disabled, a double amputee, or blind in both eyes due to service-connected conditions, and they must provide proof of these disabilities to local assessors. The exemption applies to the veteran or their surviving spouse who has not remarried, removing all property taxes on their specially adapted homestead. The law takes effect 60 days after it is passed.