Sen. Debra Altschiller

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.

Maddy summaryHB 493 requires physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in New Hampshire to complete one hour of accredited education on recognizing, reporting, and collaborating regarding child abuse and neglect as part of their mandatory continuing medical education. This requirement applies to both initial licensure and every biennial license renewal. The education must be accredited for category 1 medical or nursing hours and recognized by the New Hampshire chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill amends existing licensing rules to make this training a formal condition for maintaining licensure.

Maddy summaryHB 537 ensures that condominium associations without commercial use pay the same residential electric rates for septic systems and well pumps as individual residential units, regardless of whether the homeowners association (HOA) is billed directly by the utility. It requires utilities to split shared meter costs equally among residential units and bill all such units at residential rates - even if the HOA is the customer or shared meters are used. The bill applies to public utilities, rural electric cooperatives, municipal aggregations, and municipal electric utilities. It specifically targets non-commercial condominiums under RSA 356-B, preventing higher commercial rates for these essential residential services.

Maddy summaryHB 157 establishes a legislative study committee to review and improve the process for creating fiscal notes - documents estimating the cost of proposed laws. The committee, composed of House and Senate members plus the legislative budget office, will examine current requirements for when fiscal notes are needed, what they should include (like cost-benefit analysis), and whether the $10,000 cost threshold should change. It will also assess staffing and resource needs for the budget office and state agencies, focusing on major departments like health and education. The goal is to make fiscal notes more useful for lawmakers without changing actual legislation.