Criminal Justice

HB 1499 would expand eviction grounds under New Hampshire's landlord and tenant law by adding three specific conditions: (1) a tenant or occupant being unlawfully present in the U.S., (2) a recent conviction (within 3 years) for certain violent crimes or drug offenses, or (3) being a registered sexual offender under state law. This bill directly affects tenants who meet these criteria, allowing landlords to seek eviction based on these new grounds. The key provision modifies the existing statute to include these three categories as valid reasons for termination of tenancy. The bill takes effect 60 days after passage and does not require new state funding.

HB 1609 prohibits New Hampshire state, county, and municipal governments from using public funds or property to build, operate, or pay for immigrant detention facilities, particularly those managed by private companies. It bans spending on construction, renovation, repurposing public property for detention, selling public property for such use, and making payments to private detention operators. The bill does not affect existing 287(g) agreements between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities or the provision of health and safety services to detained individuals. Counties may face potential revenue losses if they stop cooperating with federal immigration programs, but municipalities are not expected to have financial impacts.

HB 1570 requires New Hampshire law enforcement agencies to obtain written approval from their local budget authority before entering federal immigration enforcement agreements (Section 287(g) agreements with ICE). The budget authority must review the agreement, consider the estimated yearly cost to the agency (including employee hours), and notify residents before authorizing participation. Agencies must submit quarterly reports detailing costs, officer activities, and federal reimbursements, and the budget authority can terminate the agreement at any time due to cost concerns. Failure to comply results in the state withholding all state funding from the agency.

This bill establishes a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment for anyone who distributes certain controlled drugs (including methamphetamine, PCP, and other Schedule I or II drugs) when death results from the person's use of those substances. It requires that the death must be directly caused by the injection, inhalation, or ingestion of the distributed drug, and prohibits using the decedent's own drug use as a defense. The bill amends the Controlled Drug Act to create this mandatory sentence, clarifying it applies when the distributor's actions are a direct cause of death. It does not prevent other prosecutions for homicide or related drug offenses. The bill would take effect on January 1, 2026.