Rep. Ellen Read

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits restaurants, retail food stores, and large food facilities from automatically providing single-use plastic items like utensils, straws, and condiment packets to customers, requiring them to ask first instead. It mandates that these businesses display signs explaining the ban and its environmental goals, while also requiring online ordering platforms to let customers explicitly choose whether they want these items. The rules apply to large facilities starting in 2025 and to all other food service establishments and retail stores by 2026, with a $100 daily fine for violations. Exceptions allow businesses to provide certain items like cup lids and sleeves without a request to prevent spills during takeout or delivery, and pre-packaged items like those in juice boxes remain unaffected.

Maddy summaryHB 1657 establishes new laws to prohibit hazing at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions in New Hampshire by defining hazing as any act that forces a student to violate laws, consume harmful substances, endure physical or mental abuse, or risk their health and safety. The bill imposes criminal penalties on individuals and organizations that knowingly participate in hazing and requires schools to report serious incidents to local authorities within 72 hours. Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the law mandates that all students and student organization advisors complete an anti-hazing education program before participating in school activities. Additionally, educational institutions must publicly report annual findings of hazing violations on their websites while protecting the privacy of individual students.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a patient's right to receive sterilization treatment in New Hampshire if they are at least 18 years old and request it. For patients with a medical condition where sterilization is advisable, doctors cannot refuse the procedure based on age, number of children, or assumptions about future reproductive desires, provided the patient signs an informed consent form. If a patient seeks sterilization unrelated to a medical condition, physicians must refer them to another doctor willing to perform the procedure and accept their payment method if they cannot do so themselves. The law also clarifies that patients who proceed with sterilization against medical advice generally cannot sue providers for being rendered sterile, except in cases of purposeful, reckless, or negligent conduct.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires manufacturers and testing facilities in New Hampshire to publicly report their use of animals for product testing starting in 2026. The annual reports must be posted on company websites and include details such as the number and species of animals used, the specific products tested, and the number of times alternative testing methods were applied or waived. These disclosures apply only to testing done for commercial products rather than biomedical research, aiming to increase transparency without changing how the testing itself is conducted.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all properly noticed meetings and hearings of municipal agencies to be livestreamed for public viewing or, if technology fails, video recorded and made accessible online. Local governments must post these recordings on their websites within 72 hours and keep them archived for at least five years. To fund this requirement, municipalities must vote to raise money at their annual town meetings, except those already livestreaming their meetings. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025, and explicitly states that it does not change existing rules about emergency meetings or allow officials to attend meetings remotely.

Maddy summaryHB 1706, known as the Circumcision Transparency Act, would require health care providers in New Hampshire to obtain written informed consent from parents before performing a non-therapeutic circumcision on a child under 18. The bill mandates that providers use a specific consent form detailing the procedure's risks, lack of proven medical benefits, and available alternatives, while also prohibiting solicitation or coercion of parents. Additionally, the law would require two parental signatures for the procedure, provide an educational guide for parents who choose not to circumcise, and mandate that consent forms be retained for 25 years. Although the bill includes provisions to protect religious ceremonies and allow for tissue donation opt-ins, it was ultimately not recommended for future legislation by the state committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the use of dogs to hunt coyotes in New Hampshire. It directly affects hunters by adding a new rule that makes hounding coyotes with dogs illegal. The law takes effect immediately upon passage and requires no significant funding.

Maddy summaryHB 1293 updates New Hampshire laws to regulate the sale and application of fertilizers specifically for urban lawns and turf. The bill establishes strict limits on nitrogen content, capping application rates at 0.7 pounds per 1,000 square feet per use, and defines specific categories for low-phosphate and no-phosphate products intended for new or established urban grass. It also introduces new definitions for terms like "enhanced efficiency fertilizer" and "plant biostimulant" to clarify what products fall under regulatory oversight. Although the governor initially vetoed the measure, the legislature overrode the veto, and the law is set to take effect on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1005 proposes creating a new Judicial Training Coordinator position to oversee professional development for judges and court staff. The bill mandates that all new judges and non-judicial employees hired after July 1, 2025, complete an initial orientation covering court procedures, legal skills, and specific topics like ethics and implicit bias. It also establishes annual continuing education requirements, such as 24 hours for supreme and superior court justices and 12 to 16 hours for various clerks and administrative roles. Although the legislation outlines these specific training hours and responsibilities, the bill was ultimately laid on the table and did not become law.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow the state's fish and game commission to establish a special season for hunting coyotes at night, specifying rules on how, when, and where such hunting can occur. It also adds a protection period from April 1 through July 31 to prevent hunting during the time coyote pups are being raised. The legislation does not change existing laws regarding hunting coyotes during the day or in baited areas. Although the bill was introduced, it was ultimately set aside and did not become law.