Criminal Justice

passed both · New Hampshire · Senate Jun 24, 2026

SB 464: relative to civil rights enforcement.

SB 464 changes New Hampshire's civil rights enforcement standard by requiring that prohibited conduct (like threats or violence) be "substantially motivated by hostility" toward a victim's protected characteristic - such as race, gender identity, or disability - to be considered a civil rights violation. This applies directly to enforcement agencies and courts when investigating or prosecuting civil rights cases. The bill modifies RSA 354-B:1 to clarify that conduct must be clearly driven by bias, not just coincidental, to trigger civil rights protections. It takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local cost impact.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill raises civil rights enforcement standard to require 'substantially motivated' hostility, making prosecutions harder and weakening protections against bias-based violations in law enforcement/courts.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights

Track

passed both · New Hampshire · Senate May 21, 2026

SB 409: relative to the penalties for the offense of disobeying an officer and relative to liability of governmental units.

SB 409 amends penalties for disobeying law enforcement officers during traffic stops or pursuits. It increases penalties for specific violations: disobeying orders to stop (subparagraph I(c)) now carries a class B felony if a motor vehicle accident causes serious injury, and a class A felony if the accident causes death or injury to another person. The bill directly affects drivers who refuse to comply with officers during traffic enforcement, particularly in situations involving collisions. These changes enhance criminal penalties for dangerous disobedience during pursuits, without adding new financial costs to state or local governments.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases felony penalties for traffic stop disobedience, expanding criminalization and harsher sentencing per bill's amended penalties for collisions.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationIncreases penalties for traffic disobedience causing accidents, directly enhancing road safety during traffic enforcement per bill's focus on collision-related violations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Traffic Safety

Track

failed · New Hampshire · House Mar 5, 2026

HB 1564: removing all references of gender identity in New Hampshire statutes.

HB 1564 removes the phrase "gender identity" from multiple New Hampshire statutes that currently include it as a protected characteristic in discrimination laws. This affects provisions related to equal employment (RSA 21-I:42), classified employment protections (RSA 21-I:52), cable TV service access (RSA 53-C:3-g), hate crime reporting (RSA 106-B:14-c), police training (RSA 106-L:2), racial profiling definitions (RSA 106-O:1), and mental health services (RSA 135-C:13). The bill deletes all instances of "gender identity" except in RSA 332-M:2, III-a. It does not create new policies but eliminates existing language from these statutes. The direct effect is removing gender identity as a specified protected category in these legal provisions.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRemoves gender identity as protected characteristic from hate crime reporting (RSA 106-B:14-c) and police training (RSA 106-L:2), weakening criminal justice protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.90% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRemoves gender identity protections from mental health services statute (RSA 135-C:13), limiting access for transgender patients.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentRemoves 'gender identity' as a protected characteristic in employment discrimination laws (RSA 21-I:42), weakening workplace protections for LGBTQ+ workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights Policing Mental Health

Track

failed · New Hampshire · House Mar 13, 2026

HB 1609: limiting the use of state, county, and municipal funds and property for construction and operation of certain immigrant detention facilities.

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.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill restricts public funds for detention facilities, defunding a specific government spending area per its prohibition on using state/municipal funds for such operations.90% confidence ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeDefunds immigrant detention facilities, restricting public funding for correctional facilities under criminal justice system.90% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationProhibits state funds for immigrant detention facilities, restricting state-level immigration enforcement. Explicitly limits public funding for detention operations, aligning with 'defund' indicator.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Detention Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

Track

failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 19, 2026

HB 1737: relative to reinstating the death penalty for certain offenses against minors under 13 years of age.

HB 1737 would reinstate the death penalty for specific crimes against children under 13 years old in New Hampshire. It defines "capital offenses against a child" as first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or aggravated sexual assault involving a minor under 13, mandating a death sentence for anyone convicted of these crimes who was at least 18 at the time of the offense. The bill requires courts to impose the death penalty without considering mitigating factors and limits appeals to only evidentiary or constitutional errors related to guilt, with the Supreme Court required to resolve all appeals within one year of conviction. This law would apply only to offenses committed after its effective date, not retroactively.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill mandates death penalty without mitigating factors for crimes against minors, increasing mandatory sentences and reducing defendant rights. This opposes criminal justice reform efforts.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Violent Crime

Track

failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 12, 2026

HB 1570: relative to governmental budget authority for agreements for law enforcement agencies to participate in federal immigration enforcement.

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.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRestricts local law enforcement from entering federal immigration agreements without budget approval and reporting, limiting their participation in federal enforcement activities.85% confidence ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationRequires written approval and cost review for law enforcement to enter federal immigration agreements, limiting state cooperation with federal enforcement, an indicator of support.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Detention Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

Track

failed · New Hampshire · House Mar 11, 2026

HB 1248: relative to the penalties for intoxication or under the influence of drug offenses.

HB 1248 modifies New Hampshire's penalties for driving under the influence (DWI) offenses by expanding the definition of qualifying prior convictions. It adds that a prior conviction for a DWI-related offense - where the defendant was sentenced to an alcohol or substance treatment program within 10 years before a subsequent offense - counts as a prior conviction for enhanced penalties. This change directly affects individuals with prior DWI convictions who completed mandated treatment programs, as these will now trigger stricter penalties for repeat offenses. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, and has no estimated state or local fiscal impact.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands prior DWI convictions to include treatment completion, increasing mandatory penalties. Aligns with 'oppose' indicators of expanding criminalization and harsher sentencing.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

Track

in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 466: relative to the possession of a firearm without a serial number.

SB 466 makes it a class A felony to alter, remove, or destroy identifying marks (such as the maker's name, model, or serial number) on any firearm. Possessing a firearm with such altered marks is considered evidence that the possessor made the changes. This law directly affects individuals who modify firearm markings or possess firearms with altered identification, raising penalties from a misdemeanor to a felony. The bill takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties from misdemeanor to felony for firearm marking alterations, expanding criminalization and raising offense severity in firearm regulation.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Drug Policy Firearms

Track

signed · New Hampshire · House Jun 2, 2026

HB 1499: relative to additional grounds for eviction under the landlord and tenant statute, relative to the responsibility of local school districts to provide meals to students during school hours, and reimbursing schools for meals provided to students at no cost and making an appropriation therefor.

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.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands eviction grounds based on criminal history (convictions, sexual offender status), directly aligning with 'expands criminalization' indicator for oppose stance.85% confidence ✗ HousingOpposes HousingExpands eviction grounds for vulnerable tenants (immigrants, convicted individuals), directly weakening tenant protections under housing law.95% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationExpands eviction grounds for tenants unlawfully present in U.S., restricting housing access for undocumented immigrants.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Landlords Tenant Rights

passed · New Hampshire · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 1240: relative to the apparent use of a deadly weapon during the offense of criminal threatening.

HB 1240 upgrades the penalty for criminal threatening when a victim reasonably believes a deadly weapon is being used. It makes this offense a class B felony under New Hampshire law, directly affecting individuals who threaten others while displaying or using something that appears to be a deadly weapon (as defined in RSA 625:11). The bill amends RSA 631:4 to include the "apparent use" of a deadly weapon as a factor elevating the crime. This change takes effect January 1, 2027, and has no estimated fiscal impact on state or local governments.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeUpgrades criminal threatening penalty to class B felony for apparent deadly weapon use, increasing sentencing severity per RSA 631:4.90% confidence

Track