HB 1522 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to amending and adding definitions related to the protection of persons from domestic violence and relative to the domestic violence fatality review committee.

This bill amends New Hampshire's domestic violence law by adding "coercive control" to the list of behaviors courts can consider when issuing protection orders. Coercive control is defined as a pattern of behavior - including isolating a victim from support, controlling finances, monitoring communications, or threatening harm to pets/children - that causes a reasonable fear for safety. The bill directly affects victims of domestic violence and the courts handling protection order cases by expanding the types of abusive conduct that can be legally recognized. It does not change existing penalties or require new funding, as confirmed by the fiscal note showing no state revenue or expenditure impact.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

Jul 2026

Introduced Dec 10, 2025 Signed Jul 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Version adopted by both bodies → CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION · 3 edits

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made between these two versions. The differences are entirely technical and formatting-related, reflecting the standard legislative process of converting a bill adopted by both chambers into its final chaptered form upon enactment.

TECHNICAL

The bill was assigned Chapter 230 and all section numbers were renumbered from generic sequential numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) to chapter-specific citations (230:1, 230:2, 230:3, 230:4), which is standard when a bill becomes law.

The document header changed from 'VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES' to 'CHAPTER 230 - FINAL VERSION,' and the analysis heading changed from 'AMENDED ANALYSIS' to 'ANALYSIS,' reflecting its status as enacted law rather than a pending bill.

Line wrapping and spacing were adjusted throughout due to different column widths in the final version, but no words or phrases were added, removed, or altered in the substantive text of any section.

Introduced → As Amended by the Senate · 5 edits

MODERATE

The Senate amendment significantly restructured how coercive control is treated in domestic violence protection orders - moving it from a standalone act of abuse to a factor courts may consider in their overall analysis. It also added an entirely new section amending the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee's rules, removing a provision that would have blocked committee reviews for three years when civil litigation was possible and explicitly stating that civil litigation cannot be used as a reason to withhold records or testimony from the committee.

Scope change

The bill expanded from solely addressing domestic violence definitions in protection orders to also covering the operations of the state's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, specifically removing barriers that civil litigation could create for the committee's investigative work.

DEFINITION

Coercive control was removed from the list of specific acts that constitute abuse (it was subparagraph j) and instead repositioned as a factor the court 'may consider' in its overall analysis of whether abuse occurred. This makes it a contextual consideration rather than an independent basis for a protection order.

SCOPE

A new Section 4 was added amending RSA 21-M:16-a, VI to govern the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee. The bill's title and scope were expanded to cover this committee in addition to domestic violence definitions.

REQUIREMENT

The provision that would have prevented the fatality review committee from initiating a case review for 3 years when civil litigation was potentially pending was struck (bracketed out). This removes a significant delay mechanism that could have blocked reviews for years.

ENFORCEMENT

New language explicitly states that potential or pending civil litigation shall not preclude the committee's review and shall not constitute a basis for any organization, agency, or person to withhold records or testimony from the committee.

TIMELINE

The original effective date provision ('This act shall take effect upon its passage') was removed and replaced with the new fatality review committee section.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jul 10, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by Governor Ayotte 07/02/2026; Chapter 230; eff. 7/2/2026

lower

May 21, 2026

Introduced

House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1770s (Rep. Roy): MA VV 05/21/2026 HJ 14 P. 2

lower

May 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1770s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

upper

May 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Amendment # 2026-1770s, AA, VV; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

upper

Apr 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1770s, 05/07/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 17

upper

Mar 17, 2026

Introduced

Introduced 03/12/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 7

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 15

lower

Feb 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass 02/18/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC) HC 10 P. 11

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

==CANCELLED== Full Committee Work Session: 02/23/2026 10:00 am GP231

lower

Dec 10, 2025

Introduced

Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 1 P. 24

lower

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors