Criminal Justice (Violent Crime)

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.

HB 59 creates felony-level assault charges for intentionally or recklessly causing serious injury to firefighters (including volunteer and on-call staff), emergency medical care providers, or law enforcement officers while they are performing their duties. It also establishes felony charges for assaults on law enforcement officers due to their employment, even when off-duty. The bill amends criminal code provisions to require warrantless arrests for these offenses and treats such violations as evidence of dangerousness. The law will take effect January 1, 2026, directly affecting these public safety professionals and their legal protections.

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.

HB 1730 would make all sexual penetration or contact offenses against minors under age 16 punishable by death, raising the age threshold from 13 to 16 in existing law. It amends New Hampshire statutes to classify these crimes as aggravated felonious sexual assault, adding a death penalty option (RSA 632-A:10-a I-a) and updating legal procedures for capital cases. The bill directly affects individuals convicted of sexual offenses against minors under 16, including those with authority over the victim or with significant age differences. Key mechanisms include changing age thresholds in multiple statutes, inserting death penalty provisions, and revising the chapter heading to "HOMICIDE AND CAPITAL OFFENSES." This proposal would significantly increase penalties for these offenses compared to current law.

This bill creates a first-degree murder charge for anyone who administers medication intended to terminate a pregnancy without the pregnant woman's knowledge or consent. It also changes when a fetus can be considered a homicide victim, removing the previous 20-week gestation limit and instead defining a "fetus" from conception (or implantation for IVF) until birth. These changes mean that nonconsensual administration of pregnancy-termination medication could now be prosecuted as murder, and killing a fetus at any stage would be treated as homicide under the new definition. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.