Rep. Rebecca McWilliams

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 updates state laws regarding residential parking, tenant definitions, and the eviction of unauthorized occupants. It limits the number of required parking spaces for certain small workforce housing units and multi-family buildings to no more than 1.5 spaces per unit. The legislation clarifies who counts as a tenant by formally defining subtenants and implied tenants, while establishing that only authorized individuals may live in a rental property. It also changes how landlords must handle personal property left behind after a tenant moves out, requiring a seven-day grace period before disposal. Finally, the bill sets strict timelines for court hearings in eviction cases and outlines specific evidence needed to prove someone is living there without permission.

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 bill creates a new state trust fund specifically to hold money from legal settlements related to soil and water contamination. When the attorney general receives settlement funds for environmental damage, they must deposit the money into this separate account rather than mixing it with other state funds. The state treasurer will manage and invest the money, and the legislature will decide how to spend it on cleanup efforts, testing, health monitoring, or further investigation for the specific contamination involved. If funds remain unused after four years or if the contamination is already fixed, the money will be moved to other dedicated environmental funds. The law does not apply to criminal fines, penalties, or settlements that already have specific funding rules under existing statutes.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates zoning laws in New Hampshire to make it easier for families to operate home-based child care businesses. It allows family and group family child care to be used as an accessory to any residential property without needing a special site plan review, provided they meet state health and safety standards. Local governments must permit these facilities by right or through a conditional use permit, and providers can start operating immediately if their state permit is pending while waiting for local approval. The changes take effect 60 days after the law is passed.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires electric and gas utilities in New Hampshire to submit detailed ten-year distribution plans to the state commission within five years of its effective date. These plans must include forecasts for future energy demand, assessments of efficiency programs and infrastructure needs, and evaluations of alternative solutions like non-wires options for electricity and non-pipeline options for gas. The commission will review each plan through a public process, approving, rejecting, or modifying it within one year, with the goal of improving grid reliability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness while aligning with the state's broader energy strategy.

Maddy summarySB 354 requires health insurance companies to apply money from independent charity patient assistance programs toward an enrollee's cost-sharing obligations, such as copayments and deductibles. This rule applies to group accident and health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs, but it excludes drugs that have generic or other covered alternatives available. The law also mandates that insurers receive specific details about assistance payments made on behalf of patients, while exempting high-deductible and catastrophic health plans from these requirements until the enrollee's annual deductible is met. Taking effect on January 1, 2026, the bill aims to streamline how charitable funds interact with insurance billing processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows towns to approve the conversion of single-family homes into two-unit dwellings in specific urban areas without requiring a discretionary hearing. To qualify, the property must be located in an urbanized area or urban cluster, cannot involve recent tenants or affordable housing restrictions, and generally cannot demolish more than 25% of the home's exterior walls unless local rules permit it. Local planning boards retain the ability to set objective standards like parking requirements and setback limits, but they cannot use these rules to physically block the construction of two units of at least 1,000 square feet each. Additionally, the bill permits planning boards to deny a project only if there is clear evidence of a specific adverse impact on public health, safety, or the environment that cannot be fixed.