Rep. Bob Lynn

Maddy summaryHB 1067 establishes a state grant program to fund new mental health courts in New Hampshire, requiring counties, districts, or non-profits to apply through a standardized process managed by the judicial branch's Office of the Statewide Treatment Courts. The bill revises mental health court procedures to allow judges to dismiss charges or withhold prosecution upon successful completion of treatment programs, while mandating risk and clinical assessments for participants. It requires the judicial branch to develop application standards, track outcomes like recidivism, and provide training to ensure program effectiveness. The goal is to reduce incarceration costs and improve treatment access for individuals with mental illness through structured court interventions.

Maddy summaryHB 1454 makes it a crime to possess a firearm after a court orders you to surrender all firearms and ammunition you owned or controlled. For a first offense, this is a class A misdemeanor; repeat violations are class B felonies. The bill also specifies that violating this court order counts as a qualifying offense for bail denial if the original court order was a domestic violence protection order (under RSA 173-B) or if the person faces separate domestic violence charges. It directly affects individuals subject to such court orders, particularly in domestic violence cases. The law applies to all firearms and ammunition subject to the court’s surrender requirement.

Maddy summarySB 431 amends New Hampshire law to require that a public school teacher must have intentionally or knowingly taught discriminatory content for it to violate the prohibition on teaching discrimination. This change adds a mental state requirement, meaning accidental or unintentional teaching of discriminatory material would not be considered a violation. The bill applies to all public schools in New Hampshire and directly affects teachers and students by clarifying when the prohibition triggers. The key mechanism is modifying the existing law to specify that the teaching must be done with intent or knowledge of its discriminatory nature.

Maddy summaryHB 1062 authorizes New Hampshire's Secretary of State to randomly audit the citizenship status of registered voters who provided a "qualified voter affidavit" as proof of citizenship. The bill requires using government and private databases to verify citizenship, with confirmed citizens marked in the voter database to avoid future audits. If audits suggest non-citizenship, the findings are sent to the Attorney General for review. This directly affects registered voters who used the affidavit method during registration, adding a verification step to the voter registration process. The law does not change voting eligibility but adds a new administrative check for citizenship.

Maddy summaryHB 1127 replaces New Hampshire’s current "Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act" with the "Uniform Voidable Transactions Act" to align state law with a national model. This bill updates terminology and definitions (such as "debtor," "creditor," and "insider") used in bankruptcy and debt collection cases, directly affecting creditors, debtors, and courts handling asset transfers. The key change is procedural - it doesn’t create new rules but standardizes existing legal language to match the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act used in other states. This simplifies legal processes for creditors seeking to recover assets transferred before bankruptcy.

Maddy summarySB 530 modifies how New Hampshire's vital records office reports fetal deaths to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It prohibits sharing specific personal details - including the mother's or father's full name, address, medical record numbers, and birth dates - with the CDC. The bill allows the office to share only the parents' birth year and the fetal delivery date. This change affects the state's reporting process for fetal deaths, updating terminology and limiting sensitive data released to federal health agencies. The policy directly impacts the state vital records office and CDC data collection procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 1537 allows school bus operators to install high-resolution cameras on stop bars (the flashing arms extending from school buses) to capture drivers who run school bus stop lights. The cameras must clearly identify faces, include digital timestamps and tamper-proof video markers, and only activate when stop bars are extended during student loading/unloading. Videos must be preserved for up to 4 years if injuries occur, but deleted after 7 days if unused for investigations. School bus operators may choose to install the cameras but are not required to do so.

Maddy summaryHB 1489 updates New Hampshire's legal procedures for handling depositions and discovery across state lines. It replaces the existing "Uniform Foreign Depositions Law" with a new "Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act" (RSA 517-A), clarifying how courts process subpoenas from other states. The bill requires parties seeking discovery in New Hampshire to submit foreign subpoenas to a local court clerk, who then issues a standardized subpoena incorporating the original terms. This affects lawyers, courts, and parties in multi-state legal cases by streamlining cross-jurisdictional discovery while aligning with similar laws in other states.

Maddy summaryHB 1003 prohibits Grafton County Attorney from engaging in private legal practice for compensation, except when providing free legal services to family members without conflicts of interest. The bill adds a new section (7:34-h) to New Hampshire law, explicitly banning the county attorney from accepting fees for private legal work beyond their official salary. This directly affects the Grafton County Attorney position, requiring them to focus solely on public duties without outside legal engagements. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summarySB 594 prohibits the use of devices that prevent natural ice formation (commonly called "agitators") when temporary docks are removed from water bodies. It directly affects property owners and dock managers who previously could use these devices during temporary dock removals. The bill amends state law to remove an exception that allowed such devices for temporary structures, requiring all ice-prevention devices to now comply with restrictions only for permanent structures. The law takes effect 60 days after passage.