SB 541 New Hampshire Senate · 2026 Regular Session

relative to capital appropriations for regional drinking water infrastructure.

SB 541 appropriates $16.5 million from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Services for Phase 2 of the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Project. It directly funds infrastructure (including pumps, storage tanks, and pipelines) to increase water supply by over 2 million gallons daily for towns affected by PFAS contamination and rising demand. The bill requires that no public utility ratepayer face adverse costs from this project. Funds are nonlapsing, meaning they remain available for use beyond the fiscal year without needing annual renewal.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Nov 2025

Committee Review

May 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Nov 24, 2025 Signed Jun 24, 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 the version adopted by both bodies and the final chaptered version. The bill was assigned Chapter 194, section numbers were renumbered from generic (1, 2, 3) to chapter-specific (194:1, 194:2, 194:3), the fiscal note was removed (as it is not part of enacted law), and approval/effective dates were added. All appropriations amounts, eligibility criteria, and policy provisions remain identical.

TECHNICAL

Section numbers changed from 1, 2, 3 to 194:1, 194:2, 194:3 to reflect the bill's assignment as Chapter 194 of the 2026 session laws.

The fiscal note section (detailing estimated political subdivision impacts and methodology) was removed, as fiscal notes are not part of the final chaptered statute.

TIMELINE

Approval date (June 19, 2026) and effective date (July 1, 2026) were added at the end of the document, consistent with standard chaptering practice.

Introduced → As Amended by the Senate · 5 edits

MODERATE

The Senate amendment completely replaced the original $16.5 million General Fund appropriation with a different approach: it redirects $5 million from an existing 2020 capital appropriation specifically to the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Interconnection Project (Phase 2B) as a grant, and amends a separate Pillsbury Lake Village District appropriation to allow direct payments instead of requiring the district to take out loans first. The bill no longer provides new state funding but instead restructures how existing appropriated funds are used.

Scope change

The bill shifted from appropriating $16.5 million in new General Fund money for a regional water project to instead redirecting $5 million from an existing 2020 capital appropriation to a specific phase of that same project, plus making technical changes to how a small village district receives its funds.

FISCAL

The original $16,500,000 General Fund appropriation for Phase 2 of the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Project was entirely removed. This means no new state money is being provided by this bill.

A new Section 1 amends an existing 2020 capital appropriation (RSA 2020, 30:6) to specify that $5,000,000 of the $50,000,000 already appropriated for PFAS remediation must be used as a grant for the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Interconnection Project, Phase 2B. It also authorizes the state treasurer to borrow up to $50,000,000 and issue bonds to fund that appropriation.

The Pillsbury Lake Village District appropriation ($325,000) was amended to remove the requirement that the district take out a loan before receiving reimbursement. The department can now pay the district directly, which may reduce the district's borrowing costs.

SCOPE

The $65,000 portion of the Pillsbury Lake Village District appropriation was changed from specifically funding 'new well development' (the Franklin-Pierce well) to the broader purpose of 'water system improvements as agreed upon by both the department of environmental services and Pillsbury Lake Village District,' giving more flexibility in how those funds are used.

The bill's title changed from 'making an appropriation' to 'relative to capital appropriations,' reflecting that it now amends existing appropriations rather than creating a new one.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 24, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor on 06/19/2026; Chapter 194; Effective 07/01/2026

upper

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA VV 05/14/2026 HJ 13 P. 25

lower

May 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass 05/05/2026 (Vote 24-0; CC) HC 19 P. 14

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Committee

Referred to Finance 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 15

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA VV 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 11

lower

Apr 15, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass 04/07/2026 (Vote 15-0; CC)

lower

Mar 27, 2026

Introduced

Introduced 03/26/2026 and referred to Public Works and Highways HJ 9 P. 54

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1274s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/26/2026; SJ 7

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Introduced

Sen. Lang Floor Amendment # 2026-1274s, AA, VV; 03/26/2026; SJ 7

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Amendment # 2026-1223s, AF, VV; 03/26/2026; SJ 7

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1223s, 03/26/2026; Vote 7-0; CC; SC 11

upper

Nov 24, 2025

Introduced

Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Finance; SJ 1

upper

1 primary · 8 co-sponsors