Budget & Taxes

HB 572 establishes the "Partners in Housing" program, a low-interest loan and grant program under the Housing Champions Fund to help municipalities, counties, and developers build workforce housing. The program prioritizes single-family starter homes, duplexes, small apartment buildings, and "missing middle housing" on municipally-owned land suitable for residential development, with $2 million of the $10 million total funding specifically allocated for this initiative. Municipalities can identify suitable public land for housing development, which would be added to a statewide list prioritized for program funding, and projects must include at least 20% affordable units for 20 years. The program also includes expedited review processes for qualifying projects to speed up development. The bill appropriates $10 million for the Housing Champions Fund, with $500,000 designated for program administration.

HB 624 creates a grant program to provide funding to existing local river management advisory committees in New Hampshire. These committees, established under state law, can apply for grants of up to $10,000 annually to support their work managing local river resources. The bill appropriates $40,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $40,000 for fiscal year 2027 from the General Fund, to be administered by the Department of Environmental Services. The program requires the department to develop application rules but does not include funding for administrative costs.