HB 1239 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to the offense of loitering or prowling.

HB 1239 prohibits registered Tier II or Tier III sex offenders (for crimes against children under 13) from appearing within 1,000 feet of childcare facilities, churches, schools, or areas where children commonly gather under circumstances that would alarm reasonable people. This directly affects individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children under 13 who are required to register under New Hampshire law. The bill amends existing loitering statutes to add this specific restriction, creating a new criminal violation for such conduct near child-focused locations. It takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local cost impact.
Bill status failed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Dec 1, 2025 Last action Mar 11, 2026
Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Ought to Pass: MF DV 156-178 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 77
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass 02/18/2026 (Vote 7-5; RC) HC 10 P. 32
lower
Dec 1, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 1 P. 12
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors