Sen. Donna Soucy

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $450,000 from the state's General Fund to the Department of State for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The funds are designated to maintain the Statewide Voter Registration System and to develop new features, specifically an election information portal. The money is classified as nonlapsing, meaning it remains available for use until fully spent rather than reverting to the general treasury at the end of the fiscal year. This legislation directly impacts the state budget by increasing expenditures for the Department of State while aiming to improve voter registration services.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the sale, manufacture, or distribution of lithium-ion batteries and electric scooters in New Hampshire unless they are certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. The law requires that certified products display the laboratory's logo or name on the packaging, documentation, or the device itself, with specific exceptions for second-hand sales where such documentation is absent. Additionally, the legislation bans the assembly, reconditioning, or sale of second-use batteries intended for electric bicycles and scooters, while allowing these devices if they are registered with the state motor vehicle division. Violations of these safety standards can result in civil fines of up to $250 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Hampshire's drug laws to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for individuals convicted of trafficking specific quantities of fentanyl class drugs. It requires a minimum of three and a half years in prison for selling five grams or more of fentanyl, and raises that minimum to seven years for sales of 28 grams or more, while also increasing the maximum possible sentence to life imprisonment for repeat offenders. The law includes exceptions for minors, people with significant mental impairments, and those with minor roles in the crime, and it takes effect on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts how consumer reporting agencies can share credit reports for real estate loans with third parties. Under the new rules, these agencies cannot simply forward a report to another entity just because one was requested; instead, they must verify that the third party either has a direct relationship with the borrower or has received explicit consent to receive the information. This change directly impacts lenders, mortgage brokers, and other financial service providers involved in property-backed credit transactions. The legislation aims to tighten privacy protections by ensuring that sensitive credit data is not broadly redistributed without proper authorization or a legitimate connection to the consumer.

Maddy summaryThis bill outlines rules for how the state's Public Deposit Investment Pool must manage its money, specifically requiring an investment advisor to keep at least 30 percent of funds in insured or collateralized deposits and to maintain the highest possible credit rating for the pool. It grants the state treasurer and an advisory committee the authority to select an investment advisor through a competitive process and to create detailed rules regarding disclosure, investment limits, and administrative practices. The legislation also repeals previous investment advisor obligations and sets an effective date of December 30, 2030, for the repeal provision, while other parts of the bill take effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Hampshire law to criminalize the creation and sharing of fake, computer-generated sexual images of people without their permission. It directly affects individuals who produce or distribute these synthetic images by defining them as illegal when they are made to look real and intended to harass, threaten, or coerce the person depicted. The law specifically covers images that show intimate body parts or sexual acts that never actually happened, expanding current protections against nonconsensual image sharing to include digital manipulation. Effective January 1, 2025, anyone who creates or shares such false visualizations faces criminal penalties under the state's existing statutes on private sexual images.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires manufacturers and testing facilities in New Hampshire to publicly report their use of animals for product testing starting in 2026. The annual reports must be posted on company websites and include details such as the number and species of animals used, the specific products tested, and the number of times alternative testing methods were applied or waived. These disclosures apply only to testing done for commercial products rather than biomedical research, aiming to increase transparency without changing how the testing itself is conducted.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Hampshire laws to formally include harm reduction strategies in the state's plan for preventing and treating substance misuse. It defines "drug misuse" as using substances outside legal or medical guidelines and establishes a specific definition for harm reduction that focuses on preventing overdose and disease while connecting people to care. The legislation also requires physicians to complete specific continuing education on pain management or addiction disorders as part of their license renewal. These changes aim to broaden the scope of care available across the substance use continuum without limiting necessary medical treatments for chronic pain or hospice patients.