Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a committee to study how the housing crisis since 2008 has specifically impacted people with disabilities in New Hampshire. The committee would be made up of five legislators and is tasked with investigating issues such as the lack of accessible and affordable housing options that often force adults with disabilities to live with their parents. Members of the committee would meet within 45 days of the bill's passage and submit their findings and any legislative recommendations to state officials by November 1, 2024. Although the bill outlines these steps for investigation, it was ultimately deemed inexpedient to legislate by the relevant committees.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require doctors who perform abortions to send written reports to their medical facility detailing the date, location, patient's age and residence, method used, gestational age, and any related prescriptions. The medical facilities would then be responsible for compiling this data and submitting an annual report to the state Department of Health and Human Services. The collected information would be used to create statistical tables on maternal health and abortion procedures, which the department would present to the state legislature each year.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the state Attorney General to send written notices to hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other service providers detailing specific rights for sexual assault survivors. The notice would inform these entities about rights such as receiving free medical exams, accessing victim compensation, and understanding how evidence collection kits are stored and preserved. Additionally, the bill mandates that healthcare providers and law officers make a reasonable effort to share this information directly with survivors. Finally, the Attorney General must make this information publicly available on their official website.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires municipalities to provide reasonable opportunities for placing manufactured housing and subdivisions, prohibiting them from completely banning these structures through zoning or other regulations. It mandates that if a town allows residential development, it must permit manufactured homes on individual lots in most residential zones, subject to the same lot size and spacing rules as conventional single-family homes. The law also ensures that manufactured housing parks can expand and that their lot sizes and density requirements remain reasonable, while eliminating the need for special permits that are not also required for traditional single-family housing.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires employers with 15 or more employees to clearly communicate their policies on unused paid time off and to provide workers with regular accounts of their accrued balances. It mandates that when an employee leaves due to a business closure, ownership change, or termination without a reasonable expectation of return, any unused vacation, holiday, or personal time must be paid out as wages, excluding sick days. The law also allows employees to agree in writing to transfer their unused paid time off to a new employer following a change in ownership instead of receiving cash payment. These rules are designed to apply to companies offering paid earned time and will become effective on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill protects tenants who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking by preventing landlords from evicting them solely based on their victim status. It allows victims to stay in their homes if they provide written proof of a protective order, a report to law enforcement, a statement from a professional, or a court-approved self-certification form. The law also permits victims to request new locks at their own expense to exclude abusers and clarifies that landlords cannot be held liable for damages caused by these lock changes. While the bill offers these protections, it explicitly states that landlords can still evict tenants for unrelated reasons such as nonpayment of rent. Additionally, the bill requires landlords to keep all information regarding a tenant's victim status strictly confidential.

Maddy summarySB 514 modifies New Hampshire's timber tax by increasing the amount of wood that certain landowners can cut without paying a tax or filing an intent to cut. The bill raises the annual exemption limits for individuals cutting logs for personal construction projects from 10,000 to 15,000 board feet and for fuel wood from 20 to 30 cords. It also expands the exemption for land conversion purposes to include up to 15,000 board feet of logs and 300 tons of whole tree chips, provided the owner has secured all necessary permits for the land's new use. These changes directly affect private landowners and utility providers who harvest timber for their own use, allowing them to keep more of their harvested wood tax-free. The legislation takes effect on July 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new committee to study foster care families and the foster care system in New Hampshire. The committee will be made up of members from the state Senate and House of Representatives who will meet to gather information from foster parents and government officials. Their main task is to identify challenges within the current system and offer recommendations to improve how foster care is managed. The group must submit their findings and any suggested laws to state leaders by November 1, 2024.

Maddy summarySB 537 proposes changes to New Hampshire absentee voting procedures by allowing election officials to open outer envelopes and partially process ballots before Election Day. Under the bill, clerks and moderators could schedule specific times in the three weeks prior to an election to open envelopes, check for errors, and contact voters to fix issues, provided they post public notice at least five days in advance. The legislation also expands the types of reasons a voter can cite on their application to include working on election day or caring for children or infirm adults. Additionally, the bill updates the standard text on return envelopes to clarify that ballots must be sealed in an inner envelope before being placed in the outer return envelope.