Transcript Highlights:

• We have three minutes if you want to exec anything.
• I don't know if you're exec anything.
• Do we have a motion to go into exec? Are you guys ready to exec on this one? All right.
• Um last session, we we dealt with form.
• Now, we did not exec. I think we have one more. There we go. We did not exec 55.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . out of executive session.
• motion to go into executive session. motion to go into executive session.
• We can exec anything we want.
• We can exec anything we want.
• take time to read it before we exec it. take time to read it before we exec it.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a few minutes in exec session before that around. Before we have our next bill.
• <00:14:30.800> session >> We have a few minutes in exec session >> We have a few
• minutes in exec session before that<00:14:35.360> around.
• a motion to come out of exec. a motion to come out of exec.
• take a motion to come out of exec. take a motion to come out of exec.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll close this session on Revenue.
• Uh, the time not being 10:15 yet, I cannot start the exec session.
• But actually what we're going to do is start the exec session around 10:15.
• 669 okay I'm not going to open the exec 669 okay I'm not going to open the exec session<00:24:59.679
• session<01:07:17.200> on<01:07:17.359> HB session on HB session on HB 531<01:07:20.240

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first met in a revenue estimate work session to approve an LSR codifying the committee’s revenue estimates. Members reviewed the process for turning the LSR into a House Resolution and discussed how the adopted estimates would be used to amend House Bill 1. After a brief question-and-answer about current revenue splits and the governor’s proposed video lottery and tax-split changes, the committee voted 19-0 to approve the revenue estimates. The committee then moved into executive session on HB 669, which would require all revenue from the statewide education property tax to be deposited into the education trust fund and set an equalized statewide tax rate. Supporters argued the bill would better direct education funding, while opponents said it was unnecessary or duplicative. The committee voted 12-7 to retain the bill (ITL), and a minority report was noted. Next, the committee considered HB 290, which would raise cigarette and electronic cigarette taxes and create a study committee on tobacco and nicotine taxes. Testimony focused on revenue needs, inflation, public health, and concerns that a higher tax could reduce sales or drive purchases across state lines. The committee voted 11-8 to ITL the bill, with a minority report. The committee also ITL’d HB 402, dealing with whether Education Freedom Account payments are taxable income, after debate over unintended consequences and whether the bill’s language was misleading; that vote was 11-8 with a minority report. Finally, the committee opened HB 483, and Representative Tierney moved ITL, arguing the bill’s requirement that the scholarship organization be incorporated in New Hampshire would likely violate the Commerce Clause; the transcript cuts off before the vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• session? session?
• >> motion to move into exec. >> motion to move into exec.
• So, I'll take a motion to go out of exec session. >> So moved. >> Then we got a second from Senator Apprentice
• c><02:35:57.840> session.
• go out of exec session. So, moved. go out of exec session. So, moved.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:45:10.280> session<01:45:10.599> on it this uh concludes the exec session on it
• 4:30 now the chair opens the uh exec 4:30 now the chair opens the uh exec session<01:45:17.159><
• <01:50:34.800> now ends the exec session on 661 and now ends the exec session on 661 and now
• exec session on 652 with that we end the exec session on 652 and<02:05:19.199> we<02:05:19.320
• Bill I open the exec session on House Bill 285.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Children and Family Law Committee opened its March 4 meeting with procedural announcements, including a deadline for any Minority Report, notice that the committee would not meet the following Tuesday because of town meeting day, and a preview of its March 18 agenda. The chair said that meeting would include hearings and executive sessions on HB 518, requiring DHHS to provide a detailed annual report of DCF costs, and HB 775, directing DHHS to seek proposals for supervised visitation centers; HB 553 was also slated for executive session. The committee also heard an update on Representative Grossman’s son, who remained in the PICU at Mass General. The main hearing was on HB 493, which would require child abuse and neglect education for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants as a condition of licensure. Representative Alicia Gregg presented the bill and an amendment reducing the required training from two hours to one hour, saying the goal was to improve recognition of abuse and prevent both missed cases and false accusations. Cassandra Sanchez, the state Child Advocate, strongly supported the bill, describing a 2020 review of nine cases of non-ambulatory infants with serious injuries and later system mapping that identified gaps in medical recognition; she said the training should be part of existing continuing education hours and that voluntary uptake had been limited. Dr. Michael Matos of Wolfeboro Pediatrics also testified in support. Ben Bradley of the New Hampshire Hospital Association opposed legislating the requirement, saying hospitals already train staff and that the legislature should not single out one topic for statutory mandate when other reporting obligations are handled differently. In questioning, committee members asked whether the hour would be part of existing continuing education, whether hospitals already provide similar training, and whether the bill should be placed in the continuing medical education statute instead of child protection law. Bradley said hospital members already provide annual training and collaborate with proponents, but did not support putting the requirement in statute. Sanchez said the bill was intended to use one of the hours already required for training, though members noted that the bill text did not clearly say so. The committee also heard broader testimony about the Family Division of Circuit Court, including a proposal to create a subcommittee to study more difficult issues such as pre-trial counseling, evidentiary practices, and domestic violence-related cases, with the Speaker appointing members to that subcommittee.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:08:03.480> session<01:08:03.680> on passes and this ends the exec session on passes
• you this wonderfully ends our exec you this wonderfully ends our exec session<01:29:46.000> on
• <01:30:24.440> session<01:30:24.960> now<01:30:25.360> on is open the exec session
• with that that concludes the exec with that that concludes the exec session<02:15:53.320> on<
• <02:16:00.199> session fight it out open the um exec session fight it out open the um exec

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Children and Family Law Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 285, which would add language to the parental rights and responsibilities statute directing judges to consider known mental health or medical conditions that could affect parenting. Representative Ball, the bill’s sponsor, said the intent was not to require disclosure of private records, but to give judges a reminder to ask whether anything in a parent’s condition could interfere with parenting and to help ensure children’s safety and best interests, especially in high-conflict or pro se family court cases. He said the proposal was meant as a guardrail and not as a way to reduce parenting time or take children from parents. Committee members questioned whether the existing best-interest factors already cover parenting ability, whether the new language could invite stigma or weaponization in custody disputes, and whether judges already have authority to ask these questions. Ball responded that judges often do not ask, that family court can be difficult for unrepresented parties, and that the language would simply make the issue explicit. He also said he would be open to amendments, including language that more directly instructs judges to ask the question. One member raised concerns about whether the bill should say judges “shall” ask rather than “may,” and Ball said he was willing to work with the committee on wording. Sarah Horn, a NAMI New Hampshire board member and parent, testified in opposition. She described her own history with OCD, ADD, PTSD, hospitalization, and recovery, and said mental illness had not harmed her ability to parent; she warned the bill could increase stigma and discourage people from seeking treatment. In response, Ball said her testimony was part of why he had considered an amendment to include physical health as well, so the bill would not single out mental health. The hearing ended without a vote in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• . session.
• <00:36:45.359> Um in executive session. Um in executive session.
• executive session? executive session?
• and a second to go in executive session. and a second to go in executive session.
• in executive session. in executive session.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll take a motion to go into exec." "I'll take a motion to go into exec." "Second."
• All right, I'll take a motion to go out of exec. So moved. You have a second? Second. All in favor?
• All right, uh, we are out of exec.
• Yeah, they most of... exec so Mo you have a second second all exec so Mo you have a second second all
• <01:36:46.480> I'm I all right uh we are out of exec I'm I all right uh we are out of exec

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I'm going to close the work session on 1068. We're not going to exec 1068 today.
• So now that we're done with our work sessions, we can look to see what we have to exec here. >> Three
• We can exec that.
• morning, try to do the two work sessions on those two bills and then maybe exec them because we've already
• session on um 1787 and 1800. session on um 1787 and 1800.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:27:19.360> on<01:27:19.520> HB session on HB session on HB 417<01:27:22.199> and
• <01:32:33.360> session retained and I'll close the exec session retained and I'll close the
• exec session on it<01:32:38.400> next<01:32:38.840> I<01:32:38.960> will<01:32:
• 39.199> open<01:32:39.440> the<01:32:39.560> exec<01:32:39.920> session<01
• <01:37:57.800> session okay next I will open the exec session okay next I will open the exec

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first held a public hearing on HB 660, which would require historic horse racing facilities to provide 10% of HHR winnings to host municipalities as mitigation. Representative Om said the bill was intended to offset local costs associated with large gaming facilities, noting that prior gaming measures included opt-in provisions and that this proposal would leave charities and the state whole while taking the 10% from the operator’s share. Members questioned why 10% was chosen and whether municipalities were currently experiencing added costs; Om said the amount was meant to address projected future impacts, not broader municipal budget issues, and cited a study on casino-related community costs. Opponents from the New Hampshire Charitable Gaming Operators Association argued the bill unfairly singled out one industry and said gaming facilities do not impose more municipal burden than other entertainment venues. The hearing closed without a vote, and a member clarified the bill would apply to existing and future casinos/facilities. The committee then opened a hearing on HB 658-FN, which raises the cap on reimbursements from the Oil Discharge and Disposal Cleanup Fund and makes related changes to the Oil Pollution Control Fund. Representative Malloy introduced the bill, and Representative Aly described the funds as an insurance backstop for oil spill cleanup and low-income tank replacement, saying the program helps prevent environmental hazards and satisfies financial responsibility requirements. Bob Scully of the Energy Marketers Association supported the bill but noted that fee changes are ultimately passed on to consumers. Department of Environmental Services officials Robert Bishop and Jennifer Marts explained that the bill would change reporting deadlines, raise the reimbursement cap for low-income homeowners, extend the fee collection period for 10 years, and adjust petroleum import fees based on an actuarial review. They said the funds cover spill response, prevention, and tank replacement, and that the fee structure was designed to keep the funds solvent while balancing costs across fuel categories. Committee members asked about the actuarial basis for the fee changes, why some fees would rise while others would fall, and how the funds are used. DES said the review used 10 years of claims and exposure data and that the fuel oil fee would otherwise need to rise sharply, so the board proposed a smaller increase and rebalanced other fees. Members also asked about the scope of covered oil imports, and DES explained that the fee applies to oil destined for use in New Hampshire, not merely passing through the state. The discussion also covered home heating oil spills, which DES said are often discovered by homeowners or fire departments and are usually caused by tank corrosion, piping, or overfills. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair noted that the policy committee had already approved the bill before the finance-focused review.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:34.000> You session. You can seal these records. You session.
• . session. session.
• on a gossip session.
• having a a session on a gossip session. having a a session on a gossip session.
• non-public session. non-public session.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee held a work session on HB 313, a bill dealing with non-public sessions and when a person discussed in such a session should be notified or allowed to request that the meeting be open. The chair opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and invited public comment before committee discussion. The main public testimony came from Phil Jaru, who described a personal dispute with local officials and said the bill should ensure people are notified when they are being discussed in closed session and can request an open meeting. He also argued for limits on non-public sessions, saying they should not be used for matters outside the board’s authority or for what he characterized as gossip, while also trying to avoid interfering with investigations. Committee members focused on the practical and legal problems with the proposal. Several members questioned whether a person should have a right to attend, to demand an open meeting, or simply to receive notice, and whether that right should apply before the meeting or only once the discussion begins. Members raised concerns about situations involving multiple people, children, victims, or other confidentiality interests, and whether a request to open the meeting could conflict when one person wants openness and another wants privacy. One member suggested the bill may be too broad and proposed narrowing it to simple advance notification, possibly by email, rather than an automatic right to open the meeting. The discussion also touched on existing law governing non-public sessions, including the narrow “reputation” exception and Supreme Court cases interpreting it. Members noted that the current statute already limits non-public discussion to the matters stated in the motion, and some suggested that if the concern is boards using non-public sessions for unrelated discussion, that issue may be better addressed by clarifying the existing statute rather than expanding the bill. No vote or final action was taken; the committee appeared to continue working through possible amendments and whether the bill should be narrowed to notification or a right to attend rather than a right to force the meeting open.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we might be able this afternoon quickly to simply introduce those amendments in an exec session and
• So we might be able this afternoon quickly to simply introduce those amendments in an exec session and
• So we might be able this afternoon quickly to simply introduce those amendments in an exec session and
• So we might be able this afternoon quickly to simply introduce those amendments in an exec session and
• a hearing before you come to an exec a hearing before you come to an exec session,<04:31:06.640>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• will not exec. will not exec.
• /c><02:27:32.479> that<02:27:32.720> point exec session and then at that point exec session
• It's not scheduled until 1:30, and we have exec session right after the completion of that 1:30 measure
• the uh have exec session right after the uh have exec session right after the completion<04:15
• Uh, we’ll try to exec some. The execs are going to get a little harder.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All in favor of moving out of a consent exec. >> Aye. >> Any opposed?
• that we're probably not going to exec that we're probably not going to exec this<00:35:16.880>
• Okay, let's exec. >> Well, let's move that because I got to go.
• Yes, you can take it off. >> Motion to move out of execs.
• ,<01:51:04.320> but an exact session, but an exact session, but any<01:51:06.880> uh

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Endorsement as we move into the 2026 legislative session.
• Then, provide that to caucus staff for all of you one week prior to session. Session.
• And included in the exec, because the exec plays the game with us too.
• But then you have this: the exec and the DFA, where the exec can all of a sudden look at a couple of
• During session to make sure that we are actually fully funding things.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't... you're going to exec this out. It's an important bill. Uh, and I appreciate it.
• I don't... you're going to exec this out. It's an important bill. Uh, and I appreciate it.
• I don't... you're going to exec this out. It's an important bill. Uh, and I appreciate it.
• I don't... you're going to exec this out. It's an important bill. Uh, and I appreciate it.
• You're going to exec this out. It's an important bill. Uh, and I appreciate it.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do we want to exec this? Everybody comfortable? >> Sure. >> Do we have a motion moving to exec?
• Do we want to exec >> We have two minutes. Do we want to exec this?
• >> Do we have a motion moving to exec? >> Do we have a motion moving to exec?
• Take a motion come out of exec. Take a motion come out of exec.
• come out of exec. come out of exec.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is listed as an exec session, right? Not a work session. >> Correct.
• This is listed as an exec activities. This is listed as an exec session,<00:08:52.240> right?
• session, right? Not a work session. session, right? Not a work session. >> Correct.
• Um this is we're in an exec<00:39:56.960> session<00:39:57.440> so<00:39:57.760> it<
• session so it would be good if we exec session so it would be good if we don't<00:39:59.119> do

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session to consider HB 314, which would prohibit the use of federal, state, or local funds for lobbying activities. Representative Turkot offered a replace-all amendment intended to be a compromise measure focused on transparency and local control. He explained that the amendment narrows the bill to registered lobbyists, clarifies that public officials and employees who are not required to register as lobbyists are not restricted from testifying, and adds a process allowing municipalities to opt in to lobbying-related spending if approved locally and disclosed in annual reports. He also said the amendment was designed to address confusion he believes has been caused by misinformation about the bill’s effect on municipalities and associations. Committee members raised repeated concerns about how the amendment would apply to school districts, cooperative districts, counties, and other associations beyond the New Hampshire Municipal Association. Turkot and others said the language in RSA 15 and the added references to RSA 318-A were intended to cover lobbying entities generally, while the NHMA section was included because it is separately addressed in statute. Several members questioned whether the amendment’s intent was clear enough without explicit references to schools and counties, and whether the committee should have held a public hearing on the substantially revised language. Supporters argued the amendment was clear, that school districts and municipalities are distinct legal entities, and that cooperative districts could handle the issue through their existing annual-report and voting processes. The discussion also covered how local approval would work, including whether the proposal would require an opt-in vote and how county budgets would reflect lobbying-related dues or expenses. Members noted that in cooperative districts and county settings, approval would likely be handled through existing budget or annual report procedures, with majority vote rules applying where relevant. No final vote on the amendment or bill is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee spent most of the session debating the scope, clarity, and transparency requirements of the proposed changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I expect to be meeting with at least two exec sessions next week on the days we're allocated, unless
• So, um, we're going to have to have two exec sessions, and I have to have two exec sessions that will
• And so, plan on having a work session on those areas I was talking about and then at least exec sessions
• to be meeting with at least two exec to be meeting with at least two exec sessions<03:53:58.720>
• least exec sessions on those two days of that<03:55:00.720> week.

Keywords: 1189, house, all