Sen. Denise Ricciardi

Maddy summarySB 560 updates New Hampshire's land surveying standards by formally adopting the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) current coordinate system, replacing outdated terms like "New Hampshire coordinate system of 1927" and "1983." It requires all survey documents, maps, and land records to use the new "New Hampshire state plane coordinate system" (NHSPCS) defined by NGS, phasing out older systems by specific deadlines (1927 system no longer usable after 1989, 1983 system after NGS releases the new standard). This directly affects licensed land surveyors, government agencies, and anyone creating or recording land surveys or maps. The bill clarifies terminology, standardizes coordinate units (feet/meters), and mandates clear documentation of survey methods in public records.

Maddy summaryHB 1630 prohibits businesses from selling nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") and specific inhalants like butyl nitrites for recreational use, creating a class A misdemeanor for violations. Key exceptions include medical use (e.g., by hospitals or dentists), food-related applications (like whipped cream cans), and industrial/automotive purposes. The law explicitly exempts sales of flavored whipped cream and substances sold for legitimate medical, food, or industrial purposes, but presumes recreational intent if products are marketed with food-like flavors. It takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state revenue or expenditure impact.

Maddy summarySB 610 revises New Hampshire's long-term care insurance regulations by moving the insurance commissioner's rulemaking authority for loss ratio standards into a new section of the law. It allows the commissioner to approve innovative long-term care policies if they benefit the public and offer reasonable value relative to premiums, while updating criteria for disapproving insurance forms (e.g., removing unreasonable benefits or deceptive pricing). The bill also permits public hearings on form and rate filings, with the commissioner able to limit disclosure of sensitive details during these hearings. These changes directly affect insurers, the insurance commissioner, and long-term care policyholders by streamlining approvals and clarifying regulatory processes.

Maddy summarySB 500 requires certain businesses to provide restroom access to commercial drivers and drayage truck operators under specific conditions. It mandates that covered establishments (like warehouses or larger retail businesses) allow drivers access to existing restrooms when delivering goods or waiting to load cargo, without requiring businesses to build new facilities. For port and rail yard operations, terminal operators must provide sufficient restrooms with parking access for drayage truck drivers moving cargo. The bill excludes small restaurants (800 sq ft or less) with employee-only restrooms from these requirements.

Maddy summarySB 460 prohibits registered sex offenders required to register under RSA 651-B for sexual offenses against children under 13 from knowingly appearing within 1,000 feet of certain locations - such as childcare facilities, churches, schools, or areas where children gather - when circumstances would alarm nearby residents. The law applies specifically to tier II and tier III offenders and takes effect January 1, 2027. It creates a new criminal violation for these prohibited appearances, with no direct state or local funding impacts identified. The bill was requested by the Department of Safety and aligns with existing registration requirements for sex offenders.

Maddy summaryHB 1325 changes election procedures by removing specific day restrictions for correcting voter checklists. Currently, supervisors must hold checklist correction sessions on a Saturday (6-13 days before an election) and another session the day before candidate filing begins. This bill allows supervisors to correct checklists on any day of the week, giving them greater flexibility. It directly affects town meeting and election supervisors who manage voter eligibility records. The change applies to town meetings and elections governed by New Hampshire law.

Maddy summarySB 649 increases fines for drivers using handheld mobile phones while operating a vehicle. It raises penalties for first offenses from $100 to $250 (or $500 if contributing to a crash), second offenses from $250 to $500 (or $750 with a crash), and third+ offenses to $750 with up to 30 days of license suspension (or $1,000 and 60 days if a crash occurs). The bill applies directly to drivers convicted of this violation, with enhanced penalties when the distraction causes a collision. It takes effect January 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 622 expands New Hampshire's identity fraud law to explicitly protect businesses, government agencies, and other organizations (referred to as "entities") alongside individuals. It adds a clear definition of "entity" to include corporations, trusts, government bodies, and their departments, and updates the offense to cover fraud committed against these entities. The bill makes it a crime to obtain or use someone's personal information (like account numbers or passwords) without authorization to impersonate an entity or assist others in doing so. This change directly affects organizations that could face financial harm from identity fraud targeting their accounts or data. The law takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local cost impact.

Maddy summaryHB 1175 updates New Hampshire's law against fraud using scanning devices or reencoders to specifically cover payment card chips (like those in modern credit cards), not just magnetic strips. It makes it illegal to scan or reencode chip data without permission to defraud cardholders, card issuers, or merchants. The bill expands existing criminal penalties to address current fraud methods targeting chip-based payment technology. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 665 requires pharmacies to charge consumers the lowest available price for prescription drugs at the point of sale, directly affecting patients purchasing medications and pharmacies. The bill defines "lowest available price" as the minimum of the pharmacy’s cash price, the consumer’s insurance cost-sharing amount, or any available discount price at the time of transaction. Pharmacists must determine and disclose this price before completing the sale, and insurers cannot penalize pharmacies for doing so. Violations could result in disciplinary action by the pharmacy board or civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation, with the law taking effect January 1, 2027.