This bill establishes a new beverage container recycling program in New Hampshire that requires producers and importers to pay a deposit on containers, which consumers can redeem for cash when returning empty bottles and cans. The refund amount is set at ten cents for containers of 24 fluid ounces or less and fifteen cents for larger containers, with the state Department of Environmental Services authorized to adjust these rates based on recycling performance. Large retail stores must provide space and equipment to process these returns, while the collected containers are owned by the responsible organization and can be sold for recycling or reused. The legislation defines specific rules for what counts as a recyclable container and outlines how facilities must handle materials to ensure they are recycled rather than burned or landfilled.
HB 1507 would create a state program called a "financial services regulatory sandbox" that allows companies to test new financial products without needing a full state license. Under this plan, the banking department would review applications from businesses using new technologies, such as blockchain, to ensure they have the expertise and resources to protect consumers during the testing period. The bill requires applicants to pay a fee and provide detailed plans explaining how their innovations work, what risks they pose, and how they will handle failures. If approved, a company could operate under limited supervision for a set time, but the bill also includes a provision where an interim study committee reviewed the proposal and ultimately did not recommend it for future legislation.
This bill, known as the Consumer Tax Relief Act, proposes reducing several state taxes on businesses and communications services over a multi-year period. It lowers the business profits tax rate from 7.4 percent to 7.0 percent by 2029 and reduces the business enterprise tax rate from 0.45 percent to 0.25 percent by 2027. Additionally, the legislation phases down the communications services tax from 7 percent to 1.75 percent starting in 2024 and completely repeals the tax by 2027. The bill also updates administrative rules regarding tax understatements, tax expenditure reporting, and property taxation for public utilities.
This bill requires high school students in New Hampshire to pass a specific civics test to receive their graduation certificate. The law mandates that students achieve a score of at least 70 percent on a digital assessment based on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam. Schools must administer this test as part of their required history and government courses and report the results to the state department of education. The legislation also allows for accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with their individualized education plans.
This New Hampshire bill requires employers of licensed physicians, advance practice nurses, and physician assistants to provide mandatory training on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect to those staff members who care for people under 18. The training must consist of at least two hours of accredited instruction, which can be completed online or in person, and must be finished within 90 days of employment. Additionally, the training must be renewed every two years to ensure healthcare providers stay updated on their reporting obligations. The law aims to improve the identification of abused or neglected children by healthcare professionals and takes effect on January 1, 2025.
This legislative resolution declares that New Hampshire's government operates under an express trust defined by the state constitution, arguing that only powers explicitly written in the document are granted to officials. The bill seeks to restrict absentee voting to only those physically absent from their town or suffering from a physical disability, while also mandating that absentee ballots be marked in the presence of an authorized official to ensure witness standards match those for in-person voting. Additionally, the measure aims to eliminate electronic voting machines and requires that ballot counting be supervised by selectmen to guarantee human eyewitnesses are present during the process. Although the House passed this resolution, an interim study committee reviewed it and ultimately did not recommend it for future legislation.
Interim Study Report: Without Recomendation (Vote 10-10)
This bill requires all properly noticed meetings and hearings of municipal agencies to be livestreamed for public viewing or, if technology fails, video recorded and made accessible online. Local governments must post these recordings on their websites within 72 hours and keep them archived for at least five years. To fund this requirement, municipalities must vote to raise money at their annual town meetings, except those already livestreaming their meetings. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025, and explicitly states that it does not change existing rules about emergency meetings or allow officials to attend meetings remotely.
This bill requires state agencies to respond to all citizen inquiries, complaints, and requests for assistance within three business days. It mandates that these responses come directly from a human employee rather than an automated system and must be delivered via email, phone, or in person. The law applies to all divisions, bureaus, and sections within state agencies to ensure prompt communication with the public. Although the bill was referred for an interim study, the committee ultimately did not recommend it for future legislation.
This bill prohibits the state treasurer and all state agencies, departments, and local political subdivisions from accepting payments made with central bank digital currency. It also forbids these entities from participating in any tests of such currency conducted by Federal Reserve branches. The law defines central bank digital currency as a digital form of money issued by a central bank for public use, noting that the Federal Reserve does not currently operate one. If passed, the restrictions would take effect 60 days after the bill becomes law.
HB 1563 restructures how the state calculates education grants for municipalities by defining a specific "local property tax contribution" based on warrants issued for the tax year beginning April 1, 2024. Under the new formula, the state will determine a municipality's total education grant by adding the per-pupil cost of an adequate education and extraordinary need funds, then subtracting this defined local property tax contribution. The bill repeals several existing statutes related to the education tax and low and moderate income homeowners property tax relief, with most changes taking effect on July 1, 2025. This legislation directly affects local governments and school districts by altering the method used to distribute state education funding.
This bill establishes a commission to examine how New Hampshire funds special education and to explore ways to reduce the reliance on local property taxes. The commission will be composed of representatives from the state legislature, school administrators, educators, and business officials, who will meet to analyze current costs and study alternative revenue sources. Their work includes reviewing student referral rates, estimating the expenses for various support services like therapy and tutoring, and comparing funding methods used by other states. The group is required to submit an initial report by January 31, 2025, and a final report by January 31, 2026, which will include specific cost estimates and draft legislation for any recommended funding changes.
