Video & Transcript Research : '1191'
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 564 (05/28/2026)
Summary:
The Committee of Conference on Senate Bill 564 reconvened to review a new amendment from Representative DuMont. The amendment cleaned up prior language, added a new section carving out wetland buffers and conservation areas for special exception or conditional use permit treatment, and included an effective-date delay. Senator Murphy noted that agreed-upon language was missing to prevent municipalities from imposing new building or lot-size restrictions before the bill’s effective date, and that language was restored using wording from amendment 2070.
The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey, who explained that fire-code concerns centered on road access and dead-end roads, and suggested tying road-length limits to NFPA 1141 so the bill would reference an established standard while preserving existing state fire code provisions on water supply, road widths, slopes, and turnarounds. Members discussed refining the language to say road-length caps must comply with the state fire code and NFPA 1141. Representative Alexander also explained that section 3 would expand by-right treatment for certain subdivision buffers and reduce development costs, while section 4 would require at least conditional use or special exception review for wetland buffers and conservation areas rather than allowing a flat denial.
After a brief pause to resolve concerns, participants agreed to keep section 3 and section 4, with the understanding that the changes struck a balance between lowering housing-development costs and preserving local review and environmental protections. The committee then voted unanimously to support the agreement, seconded by Rainforth, and the chair said the revised amendment would be sent to OLS for final drafting.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 578 (05/27/2026)
Summary:
The Committee of Conference on Senate Bill 578 met to reconcile differences in a bill concerning recess times for children and related early learning provisions. The Senate sponsor described two compromise amendments, both based on the Senate version, that would restore play-based learning through third grade and replace guided reading with interactive shared reading; the only difference between the two was whether recess would extend through fifth grade or eighth grade. The sponsor argued the changes were supported by studies, existing state investment in play-based learning, and examples from schools using recess to improve attendance and behavior.
House members opposed the amendments, saying they were concerned about creating an expensive or unfunded mandate and about limiting local control over curriculum decisions. One House member said the state lacked enough fiscal support and implementation time for districts, and another said the proposal should perhaps be studied further before expanding it beyond kindergarten. Supporters countered that the state had already invested in training, that the proposal was a teaching method rather than a new curriculum, and that play-based learning and recess improve mental health, classroom behavior, and student engagement.
The committee voted on the 2084S amendment, and it failed on a divided vote. After further discussion, the House reiterated that it would stick with its position and oppose the Senate amendments. The chair then stated that the committee was at an impasse and that the bill was effectively dead, with no further action taken.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 564 (05/26/2026)
Summary:
The committee considered Senate Bill 564 and discussed two related amendments, which were ultimately combined. The main amendment would create carve-outs for wetland buffers and conservation subdivisions, allowing certain facilities or utilities to proceed by conditional use permit or special exception while still requiring site plan review and DES permitting. Supporters said the change would open up developable land and provide a path forward for housing development without an automatic denial.
Members also focused on the effective date. The amendment was revised to take effect March 1, 2027, to give municipalities time to update ordinances and, if desired, designate conservation subdivisions. To prevent towns from undermining the bill before it takes effect, a second amendment was added stating that municipalities may not impose additional building or lot-size restrictions on affected properties before the effective date. Senators said this would avoid a “poison pill” response such as increasing minimum lot sizes.
After brief discussion, members agreed the amendments were consistent with the bill’s housing and conservation balance. The committee voted unanimously to adopt the combined amendments, agreed to place the bill on consent, and then adjourned.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 475 (05/26/2026)
Summary:
The committee of conference met on Senate Bill 475, considering the House-amended version. Representative Aaron explained that the House Environment and Agriculture Committee had added language to distinguish between a pet vendor foster home and a pet vendor foster facility, and required pet vendors to report foster homes to the Department of Agriculture at least annually and update the information as needed. That reporting information would be kept confidential and not subject to public disclosure. The House also incorporated language from HB 1766 into the bill as amended by the Senate.
Representative Alexander asked to recess until 3:00 so the committee could address related bills tied to the legislation, but the chair declined, noting scheduling constraints and that the committee appeared ready to agree on the bill. After brief discussion, the Senate conferees agreed to accede to the House changes, with no further changes to the bill’s language.
The committee then voted on the agreement, with one no vote recorded, and approved placing the bill on the consent calendar. The conference was then closed.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 538 (05/26/2026)
Summary:
The meeting briefly opened as a committee of conference on SB 538 FN. Representative Boles explained that the agreed compromise was to replace Section 2 of SB 538 with the language of Section 7 of House Bill 1738 as amended by the Senate, saying this would be an acceptable solution and likely satisfactory to the Governor’s office. Members present voiced concurrence, and the House members were polled on whether to place the bill on consent; they agreed.
No opposition was raised, and the motion carried unanimously. The committee then thanked participants and closed the hearing.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 534 (05/22/2026
Summary:
The Committee of Conference on Senate Bill 534 met to reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill dealing with foreign influence in elections and related election-law provisions. The House members explained that they had spent several hours revising the bill line by line to better fit existing statute, while preserving the substance of the Senate bill. Senator Lang reported that, after meeting with the Secretary of State, his concern about a foreign entity using a lobbyist for procurement matters was resolved, and he said the House language addressed election-law and warrant article issues rather than procurement issues.
Senator Rosenwald raised concerns that the House version broadened the bill too far into local elections and could burden or discourage candidates for local offices such as select board, library trustee, or fire commission. In response, House members said the bill does not require local candidates to form committees or file new reports; instead, it prohibits foreign entities from donating to local campaigns and makes enforcement complaint-driven through the Attorney General’s public integrity unit. They said an earlier affirmation requirement had been removed and characterized the change as closing a loophole for foreign funding of local candidates and measures.
After discussion, the Senate voted to accede to the House position, with the chair calling the vote and announcing that the ayes had it. The committee then discussed placing the measure on the consent calendar, but that plan was dropped because of an anticipated objection. The meeting concluded with adjournment.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 481 (05/22/2026
Summary:
The committee of conference met on Senate Bill 481, which concerns the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center property and where the proceeds should go. The main disagreement was between the Senate version, which would send proceeds to the general fund if the sale occurs before June 30, 2027 and to the YDC settlement fund afterward, and the House version, which would send all proceeds to the general fund. House members argued the property sale is uncertain in timing and value, and that keeping the money in the general fund preserves flexibility and follows common practice for state property sales. Senate members said the House language conflicted with the intent of House Bill 2, which directed the property to be sold in 2027 and the proceeds to the settlement fund, and they noted the Senate’s general fund language was likely left in inadvertently from an earlier appropriation structure.
Members also discussed that the property is unique, potentially valuable, and may contain many buildings that could affect its sale and redevelopment. House members emphasized that victims’ settlement payments would still be funded through the established process and that the fiscal administrator would request whatever amount is needed. One member noted a direct conflict in House Bill 2 between sections referring to the general fund and to the settlement fund, and said the issue needed to be fixed. Another member observed that the relevant provisions may be session law and could become moot after June 30 of the following year.
After a brief Senate caucus, the committee voted to adopt the House position on the conference committee report. The meeting then turned to procedural matters, including adding a third name to the bill, signing requirements, and a deadline for signatures by 4:00 p.m. the following Thursday. No further business was raised, and the committee adjourned.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 460 (05/20/2026)
Summary:
The meeting on SB 460 focused almost entirely on where the bill should be placed in statute and how it would be enforced. One side argued the proposal should be moved out of the loitering section and into the sex offender registration framework, saying loitering is already under constitutional challenge, is vague, and does not fit the conduct at issue. They said the bill is meant to create a clear, advance-notice restriction for registered sex offenders, especially around schools, day care facilities, and similar places, and that this would be easier for police to enforce.
The opposing view was that the loitering placement is the better fit and that moving the bill would create broader drafting problems by opening the door to reorganizing many other sex-offender-related restrictions. There was also discussion of whether the bill’s references to schools should use the school-property statute, whether churches should be included, and whether the existing loitering statute’s alarm-based elements are too complicated and potentially unconstitutional. The committee also discussed a pending federal challenge to the loitering law, with one member saying there was no injunction yet but the case was being challenged.
No agreement was reached. After a brief break and further debate, members concluded that the Senate and House positions remained unresolved, and the meeting ended without a compromise or vote on the substantive dispute.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Committee of Conference on SB 429 (05/20/2026)
Summary:
The Committee of Conference met on Senate Bill 429, which concerns a non-germane amendment related to the Parents’ Bill of Rights recording statute. Senate staff explained that the bill already exempted public events from the recording restriction, but a drafting issue in the underlying statute could be read to allow recording anywhere in a school whenever a public event was occurring. The proposed fix was a one-word change, replacing “during” with “of,” to make clear the exemption applies at a public event rather than merely during one.
A House member asked whether the clarification affected the House amendment, and the Senate responded that it did not; the change was in the underlying statute and was being corrected now to avoid returning next year. The committee then recessed briefly for caucus. After returning, the Senate receded to the House position with the suggested word change in amendment 2026-1997S.
The committee took a voice vote, with all members present voting in favor and none opposed. The members then agreed to place the report on the consent calendar, and both the Senate and House indicated they were willing to do so.
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Health and Human Services (05/06/2026)
Health and Human Services
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Executive Departments and Administration (05/06/2026)
Executive Departments and Administration
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New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Energy and Natural Resources (05/05/2026)
Energy and Natural Resources
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