Criminal Justice

passed both · New Hampshire · Senate Feb 5, 2026

SB 15: relative to incorporating hard labor as a sentencing option for capital murder and serious sexual assaults on children, defining hard labor, establishing medical exemptions and penalties for abuse thereof, providing alternative punitive measures for legitimate medical exemptions, and authorizing jury determination of hard labor in qualifying cases.

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.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill imposes mandatory minimum 10 years to life for drug distribution causing death, increasing sentencing severity and opposing reform trends.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Drug Policy Sentencing Violent Crime

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failed · New Hampshire · House Apr 3, 2026

HB 206: relative to government agent entries into secured premises.

HB 206 requires government agents (like police or local officials) to obtain a warrant before entering privately-owned property marked as "secured" (e.g., fenced, posted with notices). Exceptions allow entry without a warrant if the property owner consents or if there’s an immediate life-threatening emergency. Agents must notify property owners upon entry and show a warrant if not entering under consent or emergency. Evidence or arrests obtained in violation of this law would be invalid in court, though conservation officers enforcing wildlife laws are exempt. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires warrants for property entry, protecting privacy rights and enhancing law enforcement accountability per Fourth Amendment principles.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Policing

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in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Jan 7, 2026

SB 289: relative to use and preservation of body-worn camera recordings in certain matters.

SB 289 establishes rules for how police body-worn camera footage can be used in criminal, juvenile, and administrative court cases. It allows law enforcement and prosecutors to copy footage for discovery but prohibits further sharing without a court order, requires destruction of copies after case resolution, and mandates law enforcement to preserve original recordings until a defendant completes all sentencing terms. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defendants, and courts by standardizing access to body camera evidence while preventing unauthorized distribution. Violations of these rules are classified as misdemeanors. The law applies to all body-worn camera recordings used in qualifying legal proceedings.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates police accountability via controlled bodycam footage use, prohibits unauthorized sharing, and requires preservation until sentencing completion, aligning with transparency and oversight reforms.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill mandates court orders for sharing bodycam footage and requires destruction of copies, strengthening data privacy protections for law enforcement recordings.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Law Enforcement Policing

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failed · New Hampshire · House Jan 7, 2026

HB 253: relative to interest-bearing pooled trust accounts maintained by lawyers.

HB 253 requires New Hampshire lawyers managing interest-bearing pooled trust accounts to remit quarterly interest or dividends to the New Hampshire public defender's office. The public defender must not have contributed to nonprofits or political campaigns during that quarter and must publish its full annual budget. If the public defender fails these requirements, the funds instead go to the state general fund. The law establishes this funding mechanism while allowing the Supreme Court and bar association to create implementing rules that align with these core provisions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates interest from lawyer trust accounts to public defender's office, funding essential legal services per fiscal management criteria.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeFunds public defender's office for indigent defense, directly supporting fair representation and access to counsel in criminal justice system.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Courts

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in committee · New Hampshire · House Jan 7, 2026

HB 580: relative to retaliatory defamation in domestic violence and sexual violence cases.

HB 580 prohibits accused individuals from filing defamation lawsuits against victims who report sexual misconduct, domestic abuse, or related incidents. It protects victims who disclose these incidents to authorities, employers, social media, or others, making such lawsuits generally invalid unless the victim retracted the report or the accusation was factually impossible. The law allows defamation claims only if the accused proves the report was impossible or the victim publicly denied the incident. Victims who win such cases can recover court costs, legal fees, and additional damages. This applies to reports made under New Hampshire's domestic violence laws (RSA 173-B).

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProtects victims from defamation lawsuits for reporting abuse, reducing barriers to reporting and supporting victim-centered justice in criminal cases.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Domestic Violence

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failed · New Hampshire · House Jan 7, 2026

HB 439: relative to non-driving related violations and driver's license suspension.

HB 439 eliminates driver's license suspensions for non-driving violations, such as unpaid fines for non-traffic offenses (e.g., parking tickets or civil citations). It directly affects individuals who face license suspension solely due to unpaid court fines unrelated to motor vehicle safety. The bill amends state law to restrict license suspensions only to moving violations (like speeding) or cases where a court has specifically authorized suspension. Effective January 1, 2026, this change removes the ability to suspend licenses for non-driving-related defaults, aligning suspension criteria with driving offenses only.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEliminates license suspensions for non-driving violations (e.g., parking tickets), reducing punitive measures that disproportionately impact low-income individuals and aligns with criminal justice reform goals.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts

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failed · New Hampshire · Senate Jan 7, 2026

SB 149: relative to the crime of aggravated driving while intoxicated.

SB 149 adds "wrong-way driving" as an aggravating factor that elevates a standard driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense to an aggravated DWI. This means drivers convicted of DWI who also drive the wrong way on a road (violating RSA 265:26, I) will face harsher penalties. The bill amends New Hampshire's aggravated DWI statute (RSA 265-A:3) to include this specific violation as a new factor for sentencing. It takes effect January 1, 2026, and directly affects individuals convicted of DWI who engage in wrong-way driving. The change was requested by the Department of Safety to address a specific high-risk behavior.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeAdds wrong-way driving as aggravating factor for DWI, increasing penalties - aligns with 'oppose' indicators of harsher sentencing.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAdds stricter penalties for wrong-way driving during DWI, enhancing road safety under transportation policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Sentencing Roads & Highways

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passed · New Hampshire · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 767: expanding requirements for reports to law enforcement by the department of health and human services.

HB 767 requires New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to immediately verbally report suspected child abuse or neglect to local law enforcement upon receiving a complaint, and to submit a written report within 24 hours (instead of 48 hours under current law). This applies to cases involving sexual contact, intentional physical injury, or injuries by caregivers inconsistent with reasonable discipline. The bill also clarifies that trained DHHS staff and law enforcement may enter public places like schools to interview children without parental consent if there's suspicion of abuse. The policy directly affects DHHS, law enforcement agencies, and child welfare cases, with no funding provided for the required staffing changes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires faster child abuse reporting to law enforcement, strengthening response to crimes and directly affecting criminal justice operations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement

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failed · New Hampshire · House May 7, 2026

HB 191: providing criminal penalties for the transporting of an unemancipated minor in order to obtain a surgical procedure or a termination of the minor's pregnancy without parental permission.

HB 191 prohibits transporting, recruiting, or harboring a pregnant minor under 18 (unemancipated) within New Hampshire to obtain an abortion without parental permission, imposing criminal penalties. It classifies first offenses as class A misdemeanors and repeat offenses (two prior violations) as class B felonies. Exemptions include parents/guardians, those with written parental consent, common carriers, and emergency medical personnel. The bill also allows civil lawsuits for wrongful death if a violation leads to an abortion, with damages covering economic, noneconomic, and punitive costs. This directly affects individuals assisting minors in accessing abortion services without parental involvement.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by imposing new penalties (misdemeanors/felony) for transporting minors for abortion without consent, increasing criminal penalties under criminal justice framework.90% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRestricts minor abortion access without parental consent, imposing criminal penalties for transportation to obtain the procedure, directly limiting healthcare access for minors.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Women's Health

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in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Jan 7, 2026

SB 261: requiring that custodial interrogations be recorded, establishing a fund to make grants to state law enforcement agencies to purchase equipment to enable such recordings, and making an appropriation therefor.

SB 261 requires that all custodial interrogations (questioning of individuals in police custody) be electronically recorded with audio and/or video, with exceptions for equipment failure or specific requests by the person being questioned. The bill establishes a $50,000 fund to help state law enforcement agencies purchase recording equipment, prioritizing departments without any recording capability. It creates a presumption that unrecorded statements cannot be used as evidence in court, though this can be overcome with reasonable justification. The law applies to all state law enforcement agencies conducting interrogations at police stations, jails, or other detention facilities and would take effect 9 months after passage.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly appropriates $50,000 for law enforcement recording equipment grants, directly funding a state program per budget allocation language.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires recording custodial interrogations to enhance police accountability, protects defendant rights by presuming unrecorded statements inadmissible, and funds equipment for compliance.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Courts Law Enforcement Policing

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