Budget & Taxes

failed · New Hampshire · House Jan 7, 2026

HB 619: making an appropriation to the solid waste management fund.

HB 619 allocates $1,000,000 from the General Fund to New Hampshire's Solid Waste Management Fund for the 2025-2027 biennium. This non-lapsing appropriation means the funds remain available until spent, with 50% specifically designated to prioritize projects reducing food waste and other organic waste diversion through June 2028. The bill directly affects state waste management programs and local projects focused on organic waste reduction. It does not change existing laws or create new requirements, solely providing funding for established waste management efforts. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $1M from General Fund to Solid Waste Management Fund for organic waste reduction, directly funding a public service program under state budget appropriations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

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failed · New Hampshire · House Jan 7, 2026

HB 728: authorizing video lottery terminals at charity gaming facilities and repealing historic horse racing licensing.

The bill authorizes video lottery terminals (VLTs) at charity gaming facilities and repeals historic horse racing licensing. It requires existing licensed operators to run VLTs, with 30% of revenue distributed to charities (35%), problem gaming services (0.25%), retirement system (4.75%), and the lottery commission. The bill also mandates responsible gaming plans and establishes procedures for handling unclaimed tickets. It will take effect January 1, 2028, replacing historic horse racing with VLTs at charity gaming facilities.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates new revenue via VLTs and mandates 30% to charities, 0.25% to problem gaming, 4.75% to retirement system, funding public programs through fiscal management.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Pensions

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failed · New Hampshire · Senate Jan 29, 2026

SB 638: relative to establishing a small business tariff stabilization fund.

SB 638 establishes a small business tariff stabilization fund to provide financial assistance to New Hampshire small businesses affected by reduced revenue from tariffs and trade disruptions. The fund, initially funded with $2.5 million from the General Fund, will distribute grants to support businesses facing supply chain issues or increased costs due to tariffs, specifically targeting those committed to avoiding layoffs. It directly benefits small businesses (defined per U.S. Small Business Administration standards) operating primarily in New Hampshire that have experienced revenue declines linked to lower exports to Canada and tourism impacts. The fund is separate from other state funds, non-lapsing, and will be managed by the Department of Business and Economic Affairs starting January 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $2.5M from General Fund to establish a small business stabilization fund, directly funding a program through state budget appropriations.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill requires grant recipients to avoid layoffs, directly preventing job losses and supporting employment outcomes for workers.80% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Tags Small Business

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in committee · New Hampshire · House Mar 12, 2026

HB 1288: relative to enabling school administrative units to adopt budget caps.

HB 1288 allows New Hampshire school administrative units to set annual budget caps for their operations. The cap is calculated using the previous year's overhead cost per student (adjusted for inflation via a standard index) multiplied by average daily student enrollment across all member districts. If a school district's proposed budget exceeds this cap, voters must approve an override with a 3/5 majority vote; otherwise, the cap amount automatically becomes the adopted budget. This applies to any school administrative unit that chooses to adopt the cap, directly affecting how school budgets are set and approved within those units.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill imposes school budget caps requiring voter approval for overages, restricting government spending without additional funding.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill imposes budget caps requiring voter approval for increases, limiting school funding flexibility and preventing automatic budget growth without override votes.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget School Funding

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failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 19, 2026

HB 1677: requiring a recommendation by a local budget committee or governing body when including warrant articles with a tax impact in an estimate for raising taxes under a local tax cap.

HB 1677 requires towns and cities with a local tax cap to get a recommendation from their budget committee or governing body before including any budget items that raise taxes in their annual tax estimate. This applies specifically to "warrant articles" (budget items) with a tax impact, ensuring they are formally endorsed before being counted toward the tax cap limit. The bill amends RSA 32:5-b to mandate this recommendation step, certification, and posting on the warrant, without changing the tax cap amount itself.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRequires formal committee endorsement for tax-raising warrant articles under local tax caps, strengthening fiscal accountability and cap compliance without changing tax rates.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget

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in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SB 604: making an appropriation to the university system of New Hampshire.

SB 604 appropriates $14 million to New Hampshire's University System for fiscal year 2027 to restore funding reduced in 2025, and $3.5 million to the Community College System to maintain a freeze on credit-hour tuition rates. The bill directly affects public universities and community colleges in the state, providing concrete funding for operations and tuition stability. It authorizes the governor to draw these funds from the General Fund, effective July 1, 2026, with no additional revenue impact.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRestores $14M university funding and maintains $3.5M for tuition freeze, directly increasing public education appropriations and stabilizing costs.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRestores $14M university funding and freezes community college tuition, directly advancing higher education financial stability and access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget Higher Education

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in committee · New Hampshire · House Mar 5, 2026

HB 1579: establishing a committee to study methods for increasing revenues to enable additional spending on education.

HB 1579 establishes a legislative committee to study potential revenue sources for increasing education funding in New Hampshire. The committee, composed of 10 members (four from each legislative party with revenue expertise, plus two Senate appointees), will analyze options like new taxes or modified existing ones to boost education aid while reducing property taxes. It must examine factors including revenue reliability, implementation costs, economic impacts on businesses, and effects on different income groups and housing types. The committee is prohibited from recommending specific options and must report findings by November 1, 2026, to state leaders. This bill creates a study process only, with no immediate policy changes or funding allocations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes committee to study revenue sources for increasing education funding, aiming to boost public education spending through fiscal measures.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly establishes committee to study revenue sources for increasing education funding, aiming to enable additional spending on education per title and summary.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue School Funding

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failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 19, 2026

HB 1799: relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.

HB 1799 defines what constitutes a "constitutionally adequate education" in New Hampshire, requiring the state to fund specific resources to ensure all students have access to quality education regardless of location. The bill mandates funding for key staff (teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses), instructional materials, technology, facilities maintenance, and transportation starting in 2026. It directs school districts and the state to develop plans addressing educational outcome disparities between districts. This directly affects public school districts and the state's education budget, shifting responsibility to cover these defined costs rather than relying solely on local property taxes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates state funding for education resources (staff, materials, facilities) starting 2026, directly increasing public service appropriations per budget & taxes topic definition.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates state funding for staff, materials, technology, and infrastructure to ensure constitutionally adequate education access and address disparities.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates state funding for technology resources in schools to ensure educational access, directly advancing technology access for students.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Curriculum School Funding

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signed · New Hampshire · Senate Jun 24, 2026

SB 590: relative to electric aggregation plans.

SB 590 allows municipalities to use revolving funds to support energy services under approved electric aggregation plans. It specifically authorizes the use of non-tax revenues (like fees from participating customers) to supplement these programs, while prohibiting the use of local tax funds for this purpose. This bill directly affects towns and cities operating aggregation plans, which let residents and businesses collectively choose electricity providers. The key change is enabling municipalities to establish revolving funds for these services, with potential local expenditure increases estimated between $10,000 and $100,000 per municipality that adopts the provision. Participation in aggregation plans remains voluntary for residents and businesses.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill prohibits use of tax funds for aggregation plans, promoting fiscal responsibility by mandating non-tax revenue (customer fees) use instead.92% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyEnables municipalities to use non-tax revenues for electric aggregation plans, facilitating consumer choice in electricity providers which often includes renewable options, thus supporting community energy initiatives.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Government Spending

passed both · New Hampshire · House May 21, 2026

HB 1542: establishing a committee to study New Hampshire's electric renewable portfolio standard and the renewable energy fund.

HB 1542 sets all renewable energy fund compliance payments (the fees electric providers pay if they can't meet renewable energy requirements) to $0, effective January 1, 2027. This eliminates the primary revenue source for New Hampshire's Renewable Energy Fund (REF), which currently funds programs like low-income solar initiatives, non-residential renewable grants, and community solar projects. The fiscal note states this change would reduce annual REF revenue by approximately $6.7 million starting in 2028, causing all REF-funded programs and nine state positions supporting renewable energy compliance to cease without new legislative funding. The bill directly affects electric service providers (by removing compliance penalties), state programs, and low-income communities relying on REF-funded solar projects.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesEliminates primary revenue source for Renewable Energy Fund, defunding essential programs like low-income solar initiatives and community solar projects.95% confidence ✗ EnergyOpposes EnergyEliminates primary revenue for renewable energy fund, defunding low-income solar, non-residential grants, and community solar projects.95% confidence ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentDefunds renewable energy programs by eliminating REF revenue source, removing $6.7M annual funding for solar initiatives and grants per fiscal note.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Renewable Energy Solar

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