Sen. Howard Pearl

Maddy summarySB 590 allows municipalities to use revolving funds to support energy services under approved electric aggregation plans. It specifically authorizes the use of non-tax revenues (like fees from participating customers) to supplement these programs, while prohibiting the use of local tax funds for this purpose. This bill directly affects towns and cities operating aggregation plans, which let residents and businesses collectively choose electricity providers. The key change is enabling municipalities to establish revolving funds for these services, with potential local expenditure increases estimated between $10,000 and $100,000 per municipality that adopts the provision. Participation in aggregation plans remains voluntary for residents and businesses.

Maddy summarySB 655 requires employee leasing companies and their client companies to ensure leased workers have workers' compensation coverage. It mandates that either the leasing company or client company must purchase and maintain this insurance, with options for one policy (voluntary market) or two policies (one voluntary, one residual market). The bill clarifies that both parties share the same legal protections under workers' compensation law and neither is vicariously liable for the other's workplace actions. This directly affects employee leasing businesses and their client employers in New Hampshire. The law takes effect 60 days after passage.

Maddy summarySB 644 requires background checks for individuals seeking permits to operate solid waste and hazardous waste facilities in New Hampshire. Specifically, it mandates criminal history checks - including fingerprint-based national database searches - for owners, officers, directors, partners, and managers of these facilities during the permit application process. The law applies to all facility owners (including partners in partnerships and managers/members in LLCs) and covers both new permits and ownership transfers. These checks must be conducted through the state police and FBI databases, with applicants submitting authorization forms and fingerprints to the Department of Environmental Services.

Maddy summarySB 595 creates a path for community water systems to return to standard testing schedules after being required to test more frequently due to missing or late water tests. It directly affects water systems sanctioned by the Department of Environmental Services for these violations. The key provision requires such systems to submit six consecutive timely water test results to revert to the original testing frequency. This bill modifies existing rules to provide a clear remediation process without changing overall testing requirements. The change applies only to systems that have corrected their testing compliance.

Maddy summarySB 505 repeals the $34 temporary registration fee for non-resident owners of off-highway recreational vehicles (OHRVs), such as ATVs or snowmobiles. This change affects non-residents who previously paid the temporary fee for short-term use; they will now need to pay the full regular registration fee ($61-$100, depending on OHRV type and nonprofit club membership). The bill removes the temporary registration option, requiring all non-residents to use the standard registration process. This simplifies the fee structure but eliminates the lower-cost short-term option. The change takes effect November 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 633 creates a voluntary $0.50-per-ticket surcharge for New Hampshire performing arts venues with 100-2,500 seats that choose to participate. Venues can add this to ticket prices, and all collected funds will go into a dedicated account managed by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The money supports the Division of Arts and State Council on Arts through grants, administrative costs, and program funding - no other uses are allowed. The program is optional for venues, requires no taxpayer money, and has minimal fiscal impact (under $10,000 annually).

Maddy summarySB 421 amends New Hampshire's trauma medical review committee membership and adds an annual reporting requirement. The bill specifies that the committee must include representatives from all trauma hospital levels (I-IV), emergency medical services groups, trauma nurses, fire services, and a trauma survivor. It also requires the committee to annually report to the governor on trauma hospital locations and levels, committee recommendations for system improvement, and data on leading causes of injury and death from both intentional and unintentional causes. This bill directly affects trauma hospitals, medical providers, emergency services, and injury prevention stakeholders in New Hampshire.

Maddy summarySB 578 requires all public schools to provide daily recess for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, expanding current requirements. It mandates play-based learning for kindergarten through third grade and explicitly prohibits withholding recess as punishment for misbehavior or incomplete schoolwork. The bill defines recess as unstructured outdoor play (when safe), separate from physical education classes. This law applies to all public schools in the state, directly affecting K-8 students and school policies.

Maddy summaryHB 1444 requires New Hampshire state agencies and local governments (counties, cities, towns) to stop purchasing or acquiring drones not on an official "cleared list" after January 1, 2028. The bill mandates the Department of Safety to create and maintain a public list of security-compliant drones by that date, including models cleared by the Defense Department, meeting federal security standards, or proven incapable of unauthorized data transmission. All state and local procurement must prioritize drones on this list, with contracts for non-listed drones deemed void. The bill has no new funding impact, as noted in its fiscal analysis.

Maddy summaryHB 1172 expands New Hampshire's definition of "sexual assault counselor" to explicitly include National Guard sexual assault prevention and response personnel, such as coordinators and victim advocates. This change grants these military and civilian staff the same confidentiality protections already provided to other sexual assault counselors under state law, based on military rules of evidence. The bill, requested by the Department of Military Affairs and Veteran Services, amends RSA 173-C:1 to include these personnel in the existing legal framework for confidential communications. It takes effect on July 1, 2026, directly affecting National Guard staff who support sexual assault victims.