Rep. Lorie Ball

Maddy summaryHB 753 creates a faster timeline for due process hearings related to special education disputes. It requires school districts to schedule these hearings within 30 days of a request, instead of the previous longer process. This directly affects students with disabilities and their parents or guardians who are seeking to enforce educational rights under federal law. The bill became law on June 2, 2025, and takes effect August 1, 2025.

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 expands legal representation for children involved in New Hampshire child protection cases by requiring courts to appoint attorneys for specific vulnerable groups. The law mandates that a lawyer be assigned to represent the expressed interests of any child placed in a group home, child care institution, or state-operated residential treatment program, while also allowing counsel for children whose legal needs conflict with the recommendations of their existing advocates. To manage the transition, the legislation includes a phased implementation schedule that rolls out these appointments based on the child's age and the location of their placement, with full coverage targeted for July 2026. Additionally, appointed attorneys are granted specific rights to access the child's medical, educational, and psychological records to effectively advocate on their behalf.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a specific legal process called a "family access motion" to help parents enforce court-ordered parenting time when the other parent denies or interferes with it. It requires courts to provide a simple form for parents to file these motions without a lawyer and mandates that the case be resolved within 60 days. If a parent is found to have violated the parenting plan without good cause, the court can order remedies such as making up the lost time, requiring counseling, imposing fines, or ordering the violator to pay the other parent's legal fees. The law takes effect on January 1, 2025.