Budget & Taxes

passed · New Hampshire · Senate Mar 5, 2026

SB 662: making an appropriation to the department of natural and cultural resources for renovations to the Northwood Meadows Lake Dam.

SB 662 appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for repairs and renovations to the Northwood Meadows Lake Dam. The funds are non-lapsing, meaning they can be used until June 30, 2029, and become available July 1, 2026. This bill directly affects the state agency responsible for managing the dam and its infrastructure. It makes no changes to laws or regulations but allocates specific funding for maintenance work.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $1M from General Fund for dam maintenance, directly funding infrastructure via state budget appropriation.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

Track

passed · New Hampshire · Senate Mar 5, 2026

SB 654: creating tax credits for businesses that have on-site child care services and for businesses that provide health care coverage for certain employees.

SB 654 creates two new tax credits for businesses in New Hampshire. First, it offers a 20% credit on costs for on-site or nearby childcare services, up to $100,000 per year, for businesses housing childcare in their main building, shared facility, or adjacent buildings in the same park. Second, it provides a 20% credit on health insurance costs up to $10,000 per year per employee for workers with dependents whose work hours fall entirely between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. Businesses must maintain childcare facilities for three years to keep the credit, with repayment required if they close the facility early, and credits can roll over for up to four years. The bill takes effect July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates tax credits (20% on childcare/healthcare costs) to reduce business expenses, aligning with tax relief for middle-income support through employer benefits.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill provides 20% tax credit for businesses offering health insurance coverage to employees with dependents, directly expanding access to healthcare benefits.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentTax credits incentivize childcare access and health coverage for employees with dependents, expanding workplace benefits and supporting work-life balance for caregivers.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Tax Credits Insurance

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in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Mar 26, 2026

SB 659: relative to education financing.

SB 659 defines what constitutes an "adequate education" for New Hampshire public schools by listing 11 required subject areas, including English, math, science, civics, arts, health, physical education, and computer science. It establishes that the state must determine the cost of this defined education for each municipality based on student enrollment. The bill directly affects all public elementary and secondary schools in New Hampshire by setting mandatory curriculum standards for funding and accountability. It replaces previous definitions with specific, measurable learning areas that school districts must provide.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill mandates state funding based on defined educational standards, requiring cost determination per municipality for public school funding, directly advancing budget allocation for education services.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationDefines mandatory curriculum standards for funding, requiring 11 core subjects and tying state funding to cost of defined 'adequate education' for all public schools.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates computer science as a required subject in K-12 curriculum, advancing technology education standards90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education School Funding

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signed · New Hampshire · Senate Jul 9, 2026

SB 663: creating a Medicaid methodology working group within the department of health and human services.

SB 663 creates a working group within New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services to study Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes. The group, including state officials and healthcare associations, will examine issues like access to care, staffing needs, infrastructure costs, and fair rate adjustments during ownership changes. It also allocates $5 million for a one-time payment to licensed nursing facilities serving Medicaid patients that saw their daily reimbursement rates drop below 95% of 2025 rates as of January 1, 2026. The working group must submit recommendations by December 2026, with the department having sole discretion over distributing the funds.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $5 million for nursing facilities serving Medicaid patients, increasing direct funding for public healthcare services under state budget appropriations.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllocates $5M to nursing facilities with reduced Medicaid reimbursement rates and creates working group to study fair rate adjustments, directly supporting healthcare funding stability for providers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care Medicaid

signed · New Hampshire · House Jun 9, 2026

HB 1093: relative to public charter schools and governmental land use exemptions.

HB 1093 modifies New Hampshire's building code and school construction funding to treat public charter schools equally with traditional public schools. The bill extends full compliance with state building and fire codes to charter schools (as defined under RSA 194-B) and makes them eligible for the same state construction aid grants as school districts. Specifically, it revises building code language to include charter school facilities and updates funding rules to calculate grants for charters using the same formulas applied to school districts. This change ensures charter schools can access state construction funding and meet the same safety standards as other public schools.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExtends state construction aid grants to charter schools, increasing public school funding eligibility under budget appropriations for facility compliance.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationExtends state construction aid grants and building code compliance to charter schools, equalizing funding access for school infrastructure and facilities.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice

in committee · New Hampshire · House Feb 19, 2026

HB 1198: establishing the paint product stewardship program.

HB 1198 establishes a program to manage paint consumers no longer want (postconsumer paint) by requiring paint manufacturers to create and fund a stewardship plan. The plan must detail how to collect, recycle, or responsibly dispose of unused paint, include a fee added to each paint purchase, and cover consumer education. Manufacturers must submit their approved plans to the state environmental agency within 12 months, and retailers can only sell paint if the manufacturer has an approved plan. This directly affects paint manufacturers, retailers, and voluntary collection sites that participate.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImposes mandatory fee on paint sales to fund environmental stewardship program, creating dedicated tax revenue for public service.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentRequires manufacturers to manage paint waste via recycling/disposal, reducing pollution and aligning with environmental protection through waste stewardship.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Recycling

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failed · New Hampshire · House Mar 5, 2026

HB 1181: relative to public hearing notice requirements for zoning board of adjustment appeals.

HB 1181 changes how municipalities must notify the public about zoning board appeals. It replaces the current requirement to publish hearing notices in newspapers with a new rule: notices must be posted on the municipality’s public website for at least 5 days before the hearing. This applies to all towns and cities with zoning boards of adjustment. The change aims to reduce costs for municipalities, as they will no longer need to pay for newspaper advertising - estimated savings are under $10,000 per municipality annually.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill reduces municipal costs by eliminating newspaper ad expenses, promoting fiscal responsibility in budget management.90% confidence

Track

signed · New Hampshire · Senate Jul 9, 2026

SB 524: relative to the sale of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, devices, e-liquids, or alternative nicotine products and relative to the licensure and sale of certain liquor products.

SB 524 allows restaurants with liquor licenses to deliver alcohol to customers only when the customer has ordered a meal for home delivery. It requires restaurants to obtain a $250 annual "restaurant delivery license" and mandates that all alcohol deliveries must include food ordered by the customer, be made during business hours by employees over 21, and use sealed containers labeled with the restaurant's name. Deliveries cannot occur at schools, parks, or libraries, and must include a signed receipt from the customer. This bill directly affects restaurants seeking to expand delivery services while adding specific safety and operational requirements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImposes $250 annual license fee for alcohol delivery, generating state revenue through a new administrative fee.85% confidence

died · New Hampshire · House Feb 11, 2026

HB 1145: relative to affordable housing investment fees.

HB 1145 allows New Hampshire municipalities to impose fees on new developments (like housing projects or subdivisions) that don’t meet local affordable housing requirements. These fees must be kept separate from general city funds and spent *only* on affordable housing - through state housing authorities, community development programs, or local housing agencies. Fees are collected at key development stages (e.g., when a building permit is issued) and must be reported annually on how they’re used. The bill gives municipalities flexibility to set fee amounts based on local needs but requires strict transparency in spending.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates dedicated municipal fees exclusively for affordable housing funding, directly advancing public service investment through targeted fiscal allocation.92% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingMandates fees on non-compliant developments to fund affordable housing exclusively through designated housing programs, directly advancing affordable housing investment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Affordable Housing Building Codes Community Development

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signed · New Hampshire · House Jul 10, 2026

HB 1563: relative to the special education aid formula and the administration and monitoring of state special education aid.

HB 1563 adjusts New Hampshire's special education funding formula to better support school districts serving students with high-cost special education needs. It sets a new $60,000 threshold for aid eligibility (replacing the previous 3.5x average per-pupil cost formula), requiring districts to cover the first $60,000 plus 20% of costs up to $200,000 per student, while the state covers 80% of costs between $60,000-$200,000 and 90% above $200,000 - capping total state aid at $160,000 per student. The bill also creates emergency assistance funds ($250,000 annually for districts under 1,000 residents) to address sudden financial strain from special education costs. This directly affects school districts with students requiring costly specialized services, altering how costs are shared between districts and the state.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill restructures state funding formula to increase state coverage (80-90%) for high-cost special education, boosting public education budget allocation without defunding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdjusts special education funding to increase state coverage for high-cost cases (80% between $60k-$200k, 90% above $200k), replacing a less supportive formula to better fund districts serving students with special needs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding Special Education