Rep. Clayton Wood

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a first-degree murder charge for anyone who administers medication intended to terminate a pregnancy without the pregnant woman's knowledge or consent. It also changes when a fetus can be considered a homicide victim, removing the previous 20-week gestation limit and instead defining a "fetus" from conception (or implantation for IVF) until birth. These changes mean that nonconsensual administration of pregnancy-termination medication could now be prosecuted as murder, and killing a fetus at any stage would be treated as homicide under the new definition. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1437 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring all New Hampshire elections to use hand-counted, serial-numbered ballots with perforated voter receipts matching ballot numbers. It mandates strict ballot handling procedures, including 24/7 monitored storage for 60 months, dual-signature chain-of-custody logs, and random county audits by citizen reviewers after each election. The bill directly affects all local election officials (moderators, clerks) and voters, limiting polling locations to 5,000 voters and requiring annual training for election staff. This amendment must be approved by voters in the 2026 general election before taking effect.

Maddy summaryHB 281 requires election officials to provide electronic voter checklists in a sortable format, directly affecting local and state election offices that manage voter registration and check-in systems. The key provision mandates that these digital checklists be structured so they can be sorted by criteria like voter last name, precinct, or voting status. This change aims to improve efficiency during election administration by allowing officials to quickly organize and access voter data. The bill is currently pending in committee after passing a committee report with amendments.

Maddy summaryHB 590 would change the election procedures for school boards in cooperative school districts (where multiple towns share a school system). It directly affects these districts and their residents by altering how school board members are chosen. The bill introduces new requirements for candidate qualifications and voting processes within these shared governance structures. This is a procedural change focused on standardizing election rules across cooperative districts, as reflected in the committee's recommendation to pass it with amendments.

Maddy summaryHB 289 addressed rules for determining where individuals must live to vote (domicile qualifications). The bill was reviewed by committees but was ultimately deemed "Inexpedient to Legislate" with a 17-0 vote on September 16, 2025, meaning it did not advance further. No specific policy changes were proposed in the available context, and the bill was effectively tabled without becoming law. This procedural bill did not affect any current voting rules or directly impact voters, as it was rejected by the committee.

Maddy summaryHB 609 clarifies the General Court's legislative authority over matters involving firearms, stun guns, Tasers, pepper spray, knives, and other self-defense tools. The bill specifically addresses the court's power regarding sale, purchase, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, taxation, and related issues for these items. It does not propose new regulations but defines the scope of legislative authority over these tools. This bill directly affects the General Court's ability to legislate on these matters and impacts individuals or entities involved with the specified self-defense tools. The bill is currently pending further committee action after receiving a majority committee recommendation to pass.

Maddy summaryHB 154 allows voters in elections using voting machines to request a manual hand-count of their ballot instead of relying solely on machine tabulation. This directly affects voters who wish to verify their vote's accuracy in machine-counted elections, such as local, state, or federal contests. The bill requires election officials to provide this option upon voter request during the voting process, with the law taking effect on September 30, 2025. It does not change voting methods but adds a verification step for eligible voters.

Maddy summaryHB 270 requires election officials to preserve external storage devices used in electronic ballot counting systems after elections. This directly affects state and local election administrators responsible for managing voting equipment. The bill mandates that these devices be retained for a specified period (as defined by the law) to ensure verifiable records of election results. The law became effective on September 13, 2025, following gubernatorial approval on July 22, 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.