Governor Signs 74 Bills into Law

CONCORD, NH - This week, Governor Kelly Ayotte signed the following bills into law:

• HB 131 - Relative to bullying and cyberbullying prevention.
• HB 164 - Relative to local records retention.
• HB 1021 - Amending the date to provide written notice to a municipality of a taxpayer's election to be assessed under the low-income housing tax credit program.
• HB 1031 - Enabling candidates for state office to use campaign funds to pay for security measures.
• HB 1040 - Establishing a committee to study the laws and procedures governing the filing and registering of quitclaim deeds in the state.
• HB 1079 - Allowing accessory dwelling units to be built within or attached to certain non-conforming structures.
• HB 1095 - Relative to the maximum weight of utility terrain vehicles.
• HB 1103 - Allowing municipalities to utilize community revitalization tax relief credits on a wider variety of properties and structures.
• HB 1112 - Relative to snow removal responsibilities in lease agreements.
• HB 1115 - Expanding the number of persons eligible for the New Hampshire medal of honor.
• HB 1127 - Relative to the uniform voidable transactions act.
• HB 1193 - Naming a 911 call service center in Laconia in honor of Bruce G. Cheney.
• HB 1195 - Relative to municipal zoning requirements for child day care providers.
• HB 1197 - Making technical corrections to certain insurance laws.
• HB 1236 - Relative to the use of body-worn cameras in county departments of corrections.
• HB 1245 - Relative to voluntary portable benefits plans for independent contractors.
• HB 1252 - Requiring the department of safety to only administer tests for commercial driver's licenses in English and prohibiting the assistance of an interpreter during such tests.
• HB 1262 - Relative to home heating oil and propane contracts and sales.
• HB 1269 - Relative to qualifications to practice acupuncture.
• HB 1328 - Relative to alcohol and other drug use professionals and relative to the qualifications to obtain certain occupational licenses.
• HB 1332 - Relative to the authorized display of flags on state house grounds.
• HB 1384 - Relative to prohibiting foreign adversary persons or foreign entities of concern from financing lawsuits, prohibiting foreign principals from registering as lobbyists, and requires certain disclosures for persons acting on behalf of foreign principals.
• HB 1433 - Creating a child care tax credit for qualifying businesses.
• HB 1502 - Governing special bank and credit union deposits.
• HB 1511 - Relative to the membership of the agriculture in the classroom committee, the annual proclamation of "New Hampshire Day at the Big E," and repealing the repeal of the produce safety chapter.
• HB 1522 - Relative to amending and adding definitions related to the protection of persons from domestic violence and relative to the domestic violence fatality review committee.
• HB 1555 - Relative to the administration and enforcement of the state fire code.
• HB 1563 - Relative to the special education aid formula and the administration and monitoring of state special education aid.
• HB 1576 - Relative to the enforcement of criminal restitution obligations.
• HB 1577 - Relative to the disclosure of utility customer data to municipalities for emergency response planning.
• HB 1594 - Establishing a weight-based tiered registration fee schedule for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• HB 1603 - Requiring the executive director of the department of fish and game to adopt rules relative to procedures for verifying accuracy of records collected relative to threatened and endangered wildlife and ensuring landowner permission is granted for the gathering of such record.
• HB 1637 - Relative to the scheduling of hearings on certain motions to modify or revoke bail.
• HB 1651 - Establishing sexual assault orders of protection and relative to sexual assault survivors' rights.
• HB 1705 - Establishing an employee assistance program for small town and volunteer first responders.
• HB 1756 - Allowing organizations to file for property tax exemptions once and receive those exemptions unless and until a town assessor finds the organization ineligible for an exemption.
• HB 1765 - Enabling wine and beverage manufacturers to offer tastings of and sell products of certain New Hampshire wine and beverage manufacturers and relative to defacing of controlled products.
• HB 1774 - Relative to qualifying scholarship granting organizations and federal workforce Pell grants.
• SB 223 - Relative valid photo identification for purposes of obtaining a ballot and relative to the production of lists of certain schools of higher education.
• SB 408 - Relative to health insurance coverage for prosthetics.
• SB 415 - Relative to a certain exemption in interest in condominium units and abbreviated registrations.
• SB 418 - Prohibiting municipalities from requiring licenses, restrictions, or exclusions for the production and sale of homestead food products.
• SB 423 - Reestablishing the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders.
• SB 430 - Relative to mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents and legal guardians.
• SB 438 - Relative to access to the centralized voter registration database on election days.
• SB 440 - Relative to the adoption of energy efficient and clean energy districts by municipalities.
• SB 442 - Relative to pet transfers.
• SB 448 - Modifying the definition of veteran.
• SB 453 - Authorizing advanced practice registered nurses and physician associates to make certain certifications.
• SB 486 - Relative to the administrative procedure act.
• SB 490 - Establishing a task force to assess the development of housing at Great Bay Community College and authorizing the college the right to use vacant property for the purpose of developing housing.
• SB 491 - Enabling students to utilize education freedom account funds to pay for certain career and technical education funding and removing references to "curriculum frameworks" as they relate to the substantive educational content of an adequate education.
• SB 492 - Authorizing the department of military affairs and veterans services to license and lease property in which the de
• partment holds a property interest.
• SB 523 - Establishing a committee to study the implementation of a residential builder registration system.
• SB 524 - Relative to the sale of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, devices, e-liquids, or alternative nicotine products and relative to the licensure and sale of certain liquor products.
• SB 530 - Relative to fetal death reporting to the Centers for Disease Control.
• SB 531 - Establishing a task force to study the feasibility of the creation of cosmetology related programming in Coos County and requiring the reporting of student meal debt by school districts and public chartered schools to the department of education.
• SB 540 - Relative to plug-in solar generation systems.
• SB 544 - Relative to managed care laws.
• SB 550 - Relative to insurance coverage for services provided by naturopathy providers.
• SB 562 - Relative to a home damage mitigation and resiliency program.
• SB 569 - Relative to the qualifications for hearings officers within the department of labor.
• SB 573 - Establishing certification standards for certified public safety comfort dogs.
• SB 574 - Establishing a commission to study the efficiency and structure of school administrative units.
• SB 575 - Establishing a committee to study the issue of school bullying and modifying both the exemption of teacher certification records from the right-to-know law and the assignment of superintendent services for school administrative units.
• SB 577 - Prohibiting the use and recommending avoidance of specific color additives in meals offered or made available by public schools as a part of school breakfast and lunch meal programs.
• SB 585 - Relative to audits for communications districts.
• SB 586 - Requiring chartered public schools, school administrative units, and cities or school districts not audited under RSA 671:5 to be audited by an independent public accountant after the end of the fiscal year and requiring the results of such audits to be made available to the public.
• SB 614 - Establishing multiple-caregiver self-insured risk coverage arrangements for nonprofit and for-profit providers and servicers.
• SB 617 - Relative to the regulation and appeal of motor vehicle towing from public highways and relative to the removal of abandoned vehicles by law enforcement.
• SB 624 - Restricting access to certain hemp-derived products and establishing the offenses of criminal adulteration and distribution of adulterated controlled substances.
• SB 663 - Creating a Medicaid methodology working group within the department of health and human services.
• SB 667 - Relative to the assault of emergency room personnel.
• SB 670 - Establishing a developmental services oversight commission; relative to reporting requirements regarding the death of a child in residential care; and relative to the registry of founded reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults.

The Governor also vetoed the following bills:

• HB 232 - Relative to the rights of conscience for medical professionals.
• HB 1336 - Relative to regulated conditional deposits.
• HB 1337 - Repealing the New Hampshire council on autism spectrum disorders.
• HB 1358 - Establishing a commission to study transitioning all public schools to public charter schools.
• HB 1422 - Relative to the time to petition for a new trial.
• HB 1610 - Allowing school districts to annually retain year-end unassigned general funds.
• SB 434 - Relative to regulation of public school materials.
• SB 535 - Defining residential breeder and imported animal for the purposes of animal transfers and removing references to commercial kennels.
• SB 627 - Relative to toll rate adjustments and periodic inflation-based toll reviews for the New Hampshire turnpike system to support the 2027-2036 ten-year transportation plan.

The Governor's veto statement for HB 232 is below:

"Federal law has long protected the religious beliefs or moral convictions of medical professionals and the right to decline to perform or assist an abortion. This federal right of conscience protects those in New Hampshire who work for abortion providers. Therefore, this bill is unnecessary and does not create any greater protections for New Hampshire medical professionals. For these reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 232."

The Governor's veto statement for HB 1336 is below:

"This bill seeks to address the housing access problem of renters who do not meet existing landlord-defined renter criteria such as credit history, income, prior evictions, or references. While improving housing access is essential, requiring these prospective renters to provide potentially thousands of dollars more than current law upfront would impede access to housing. Moreover, the bill's language is not clear on how long a landlord can keep those funds and allows landlords discretion to unfairly withhold tenants' deposits. For these reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 1336."

The Governor's veto statement for HB 1337 is below:

"The New Hampshire Council on Autism Spectrum Disorders remains an active group providing valuable feedback to the Department of Motor Vehicles from parents, service providers, and advocates about issues affecting individuals with autism spectrum disorder. As it is a volunteer board, it is done at little to no cost to taxpayers. The Department of Motor Vehicles appreciates the feedback and work it has done and continues to do with this Council; therefore, I am vetoing House Bill 1337."

The Governor's veto statement for HB 1358 is below:

"As a proud product of New Hampshire public schools, I believe providing every child the opportunity and choice to attend a public school is important and necessary. While I fully support education freedom allowing every child to be in the learning environment best for them, including innovative public charter schools, I cannot envision a future that does not include public schools. Therefore, I believe this study committee is unnecessary. For these reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 1385."

The Governor's veto statement for HB 1422 is below:

"As a murder prosecutor and former Attorney General, I understand the need to pursue and deliver justice. We do not need to create a novel approach to allow defendants to seek a new trial. Those seeking a new trial already have a statutory pathway to seek a new trial as well as the ability to file a writ of habeas corpus or a writ of coram nobis, options that are well established in New Hampshire case law. For these reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 1422."

The Governor's veto statement for HB 1610 is below:

"Unfortunately, this bill goes into effect immediately and as a result, will disrupt the will of voters in 95 school districts in New Hampshire who have already decided under current law how to utilize their year-end unassigned funds. For this reason, I have vetoed House Bill 1610."

The Governor's veto statement for SB 434 is below:

"This bill is similar to the bill I vetoed last year. As a parent, I understand and appreciate the concerns parents have about their children being exposed to age-inappropriate or objectionable materials in schools. At the same time, existing New Hampshire law already requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent's determination that the material is objectionable. See RSA 186:11:IX-c. Parents must be notified at least two weeks in advance of course materials that involve human sexuality, sexual education, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression. If a parent objects in writing, New Hampshire law further requires an alternative agreed upon between the school district and the parent.

"As current law provides a mechanism for parents through their local school district to exercise their rights to ensure their children are not exposed to inappropriate materials, I have vetoed Senate Bill 434."

The Governor's veto statement for SB 535 is below:

"Senate Bill 535 weakens existing law by creating a new category of residential breeder and exempts these breeders from any meaningful oversight and regulation. By exempting residential breeders (who transfer up to 50 animals in a calendar year) from the successful pet vendor program, the State risks an increase in animal abuse, neglect and disease. New Hampshire has a strong history of protecting animal rights and continues to work toward ending the abuse of puppies, kittens and other animals. This bill is a step in the wrong direction. For these reasons, I have vetoed Senate Bill 535."

The Governor's veto statement for SB 627 is below:

"I have clearly said that I do not support raising the tolls. I will continue to focus on making New Hampshire more affordable for all and a destination for tourists in the region. For this reason, I have vetoed Senate Bill 627."