Sen. Donovan Fenton

Maddy summarySB 243 modifies New Hampshire's child care scholarship program by establishing rules for a temporary pilot program. It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to temporarily suspend the pilot if an active waitlist exists (per administrative code) and requires reinstatement when the waitlist ends. The bill also mandates a detailed report by May 2028 to the legislature, covering program usage, costs, funding needs, and improvements. Additionally, it directs the department to study and simplify the application process by November 2026 to reduce unnecessary paperwork for families seeking child care scholarships. This bill directly affects low-income families applying for child care assistance and providers participating in the scholarship program.

Maddy summarySB 170, if passed, would strengthen housing nondiscrimination protections in New Hampshire by adding gender identity, sexual orientation, and school enrollment status to the list of protected classes under state law. It also limits municipal authority over development by prohibiting cities and towns from imposing stricter septic system, well-siting, or utility placement rules than state standards allow, and requires municipalities to provide written feedback on development plans within 7 days. The bill directly affects housing applicants, developers, and local governments by ensuring equal access to housing and streamlining approval processes for utilities in subdivision buffers (excluding wetlands). The bill would take effect January 1, 2026, pending final legislative approval.

Maddy summarySB 272 allocates state funds to support the installation and operation of electric-vehicle charging stations across the state. It directly affects electric vehicle owners, charging station operators, and local governments seeking to expand infrastructure. The bill establishes a grant program for businesses and public entities to cover a portion of installation costs, prioritizing locations in underserved communities. Key provisions include setting eligibility criteria for applicants and requiring annual reporting on station usage and maintenance. The bill does not create new taxes or alter existing utility regulations.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 140 establishes a voluntary "Blue Envelope Program" to improve communication between law enforcement and drivers with autism spectrum or trauma and stressor-related disorders. The Division of Motor Vehicles will design and provide these free envelopes, which include written guidance for effective communication during traffic stops. The envelopes also offer space for a driver's license, registration, emergency contact information, and optional health details. Drivers or their guardians can request an envelope with proof of diagnosis, and it is designed to be displayed on the vehicle's visor for easy access.

Maddy summarySB 228 revises regulations for net energy metering, affecting customer-generators, community solar projects, and municipal entities. It allows customer-generators to participate as group members in net metering arrangements, provided they are not the host. The bill mandates the authorization of at least two new low-moderate income community solar projects annually per utility and triples the aggregate capacity limit for these projects to 18 megawatts. It also refines how group hosts are compensated to ensure payments do not exceed the group's total electricity costs, and expands the definition of "political subdivision" for municipal host eligibility to include nonprofit educational institutions.

Maddy summarySB 230 proposes updates to the legal definitions related to electric utility restructuring and distributed energy resources. The bill establishes a new definition for "Small modular reactors" (SMRs), specifying them as advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 megawatts. It then modifies the definition of "Distributed energy resources" to explicitly include these newly defined SMRs. This change would allow SMRs to be considered among the resources used for strategies like reducing line losses or supporting voltage regulation within the electric distribution system.