Committee Summary for Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs (04/07/2026)

Member	Member	Member
Gray, James(Chairman)(R)[B-]2025	Lang, Timothy(V Chairman)(R)[B-]2025	Perkins Kwoka, Rebecca(D)[F]2025
Rochefort, David(R)[B-]2025	Long, Pat(D)[F]2025

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
HB1516 610	Public Hearing	(New Title) allowing municipalities to vote to require that pie charts, bar charts, and QR codes be placed on property tax bills depicting where and how tax dollars are being allocated.	Labrie, Brian(R)[A-]2025
N/ 1066	Executive Session	relative to leased equipment in municipal budgets	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
N/ 62	Executive Session	relative to secretary of state conducting voter citizenship audits	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
HB1581	Public Hearing	(New Title) allowing municipalities to adopt a requirement that property owners be given notice when the assessed value of their property changes by certain amounts.	Wherry, Robert(R)[A-]2025
HB1581	Executive Session	(New Title) allowing municipalities to adopt a requirement that property owners be given notice when the assessed value of their property changes by certain amounts.	Wherry, Robert(R)[A-]2025
HB1711 —	Public Hearing	relative to governmental land uses.	Fracht, David(D)[D-]2025
HB1711	Executive Session	relative to governmental land uses.	Fracht, David(D)[D-]2025
HB1756	Public Hearing	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.	Walker, David(R)[B+]2025
HB1756 change 'and' to 'or' on line 21	Executive Session	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.	Walker, David(R)[B+]2025
HB1807	Executive Session	(New Title) relative to mandatory reports to voters.	Peternel, Katy(R)[A]2025
HB1759 —	Public Hearing	relative to the disqualification of a member of a local land use board.	Fracht, David(D)[D-]2025
HB1759	Executive Session	relative to the disqualification of a member of a local land use board.	Fracht, David(D)[D-]2025
HB1306	Executive Session	relative to the counting of absentee ballots.	Burnham, Claudine(R)[A-]2025
HB1131	Executive Session	relative to the official ballot referendum form of town meetings.	Pauer, Diane(R)[A]2025

HB1516 610: Support 00:03:36.113 - 9:17:13 AM; The bill sponsor paraphrased his prepared statement, explaining that House Bill 1516 allows municipalities to place a question on the ballot or at town meeting for voters to decide on implementing greater transparency in tax bills through visual aids like pie charts, graphs, and QR codes that link directly to detailed budget information on the town website. He emphasized that it modernizes tax bills similar to utility bills showing usage trends, is a local option requiring majority voter approval at the annual meeting, and is not an unfunded mandate.
HB1516 610: Information Only 00:05:34.273 - 9:19:11 AM; The chief assessor stated he has no position on the bill but noted that the required information already exists and could be implemented statewide by the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA), with municipalities posting the QR code link on final tax bills. This approach would share costs between the state and municipalities, ensuring coverage across the state if desired.
N/ 1066: Information Only 00:07:41.843 - 9:21:18 AM; The chair discussed amendment 1066, noting that the prime sponsor approached him and, upon reviewing the bill's history, the previous change added language allowing consideration of items related to the leased item, such as lease equipment. He described the amendment as a compromise, not currently applicable since the bill is before the committee, but wanted members aware that it would come forward as part of the committee's decision process.
N/ 62: Information Only 00:09:23.660 - 9:23:00 AM; Rebecca proposed language for her amendment 62 on line 6, suggesting adding words to allow the secretary of state, in addition to using state records, to access DMV records for citizenship verification. She explained that existing statutes permit the secretary of state to check records against databases, including DMV, but wanted to ensure full database checks rather than random audits to verify citizenship for all with real IDs, reducing the number needing random audits and eliminating questions on citizenship status.
N/ 62: Information Only 00:10:38.460 - 9:24:15 AM; Senator Ling questioned if the proposed language was already covered under line 10, which mentions confirming citizenship through available state sources, including the DMV as a state source, suggesting no need to repeat it.
N/ 62: Information Only 00:10:38.460 - 9:24:15 AM; The chair agreed that available state sources cover it but understood the desire for explicit language to ensure comprehensive checks against the full DMV database, not just random, similar to jury selection or other data matching, to verify citizenship broadly before random audits. He had no issue with the suggested language and noted it would cut down the number of records for random audits.
N/ 62: Information Only 00:13:00.390 - 9:26:37 AM; Discussion clarified the technical language for the amendment: at the beginning of line 6 after Roman numeral one, add 'in addition to reviewing records contained in state databases,' followed by the existing language 'the secretary of state may conduct audits of the citizenship.'
N/ 62: Vote 00:13:00.390 - 9:26:37 AM; A motion was made for ought to pass the bill with the amendment.
N/ 62: Vote 00:13:52.308 - 9:27:29 AM; The chair confirms understanding of the committee amendment and proceeds to vote on ought to pass as amended. The ayes have it with no objection to consent. Assigns amendment writing to Senator Spoker. Motions to come out of executive session, which passes, leading to a recess until 9:30.
HB1581: Support 00:16:45.835 - 9:30:22 AM; The sponsor explains that the bill addresses the lack of notification when property assessments change outside of the regular municipal-wide cycles, which occur every five years or annually for larger communities. He notes instances where property owners were unaware of changes, leading to overpayment of taxes and delays in abatement processes. The bill proposes a simple postcard notification for significant changes to ensure transparency and prevent financial burdens on owners.
HB1581: Information Only 00:22:55.163 - 9:36:32 AM; The assessor provides detailed notes on the bill without taking a position. He points out that New Hampshire municipalities are already allowed to send such notices, as done in Durham, making the legislation redundant. He questions the annual warrant article requirement, suggests 14 business days instead of calendar days for smaller towns, notes notices for decreases in value like filled pools, critiques the $7,000 threshold, advocates for local option flexibility, highlights that the notice doesn't specify the change amount, applies to exempt properties unnecessarily, contrasts with recent changes reducing notices in reassessments, and warns that assessed value is only final after the warrant, potentially causing timing issues with tax bills. He suggests alternatives like website postings or including prior values on tax bills. During questioning, he agrees that implementation could add costs and labor for contract assessors in smaller towns, potentially raising taxes, and notes existing online access to historical values.
HB1581: Vote 00:36:24.762 - 9:50:01 AM; The committee discusses the bill's intentions for transparency but raises concerns about added burdens on municipalities, especially those using contract assessors, potential costs, and variations between towns. A motion for interim study is made and seconded, with comments suggesting simpler solutions like including prior year values on tax bills. The motion passes without objection to consent.
HB1711: Vote 00:38:58.736 - 9:52:35 AM; The committee notes concerns from assessors about limited space on tax bills for pie charts and other information, references the Voter Registration Act (VRA) already providing data, but questions accessibility for individuals without risking privacy. Discussion considers a centralized agency approach over individual towns. A motion for interim study is made and seconded, with support for further examination of comprehensive data solutions like multi-year values on bills. The motion passes without objection to consent.
HB1711: Information Only 00:41:00.041 - 9:54:37 AM; Sarah Burke Cohen from the New Hampshire Municipal Association provided brief testimony, noting that her associate would submit written testimony. The committee decided to put HB 1711 on hold.
HB1756: Support 00:46:51.643 - 10:00:28 AM; Representative David Walker introduced House Bill 1756, which aims to make the application for charitable exemptions permanent by requiring filings every five years instead of annually. He explained that in 2023 and 2024, many organizations like churches, educational institutions, and the Wright Museum lost exemptions due to late filings, leading to retroactive abatements last session. The bill ensures assessors conduct annual field reviews and aligns charitable exemptions with other personal exemptions. He offered to answer questions.
HB1756: Information Only 00:48:01.763 - 10:01:38 AM; Senator Berkshire questioned the sponsor on line 21 of the bill regarding whether 'and' should be 'or' for city or town assessors, boards of selectmen, and other assessor agents conducting field reviews annually to ensure properties still qualify for exemption. The sponsor clarified the intent is for any one of those entities to perform the review, agreeing it should be 'or'.
HB1756: Support 00:50:19.857 - 10:03:56 AM; Jim Misho expressed strong support for HB 1756, thanking the sponsors. He referenced past issues with charitable exemptions leading to tax bills and tied hands at BTLA and courts. He called it a fix for longstanding requirements like annual filings for 200-year-old churches while retaining guardrails for tenuous properties. The bill covers BTLA form A9, reduces forms for religious and charitable institutions, and requires annual field reviews, which he views as minimal labor and potentially a decrease overall due to fewer chases for late forms. He noted variations by community size but overall benefits local assessors.
HB1756 change 'and' to 'or' on line 21: Vote 00:53:20.717 - 10:06:57 AM; The committee moved to pass HB 1756 with an amendment changing 'and' to 'or' on line 21 for field reviews by assessors or other officials. Senator Lein moved to pass, seconded by Senator Roach. The committee unanimously voted in favor of the amended bill.
HB1807: Information Only 00:55:21.385 - 10:08:58 AM; The chair initiated discussion on HB 1807, the mandatory reports to voters bill from previous terms. He proposed amendments to remove inflation adjustments from annual statistics to show actual spending rather than adjusted numbers, emphasizing transparency for voters on real costs like average teacher salaries. He also suggested changing section 4 to report average superintendent/administrator salary like teacher salaries for apples-to-apples comparison, while keeping graph sizing changes.
HB1807: Support 00:57:28.443 - 10:11:05 AM; Committee members generally agreed with removing inflation adjustments to provide actual salary and spending data without distortion, avoiding misleading voters. One member noted it could confuse perceptions, especially with multi-year contracts, but consensus was to prioritize factual reporting over inflation indicators. They decided to draft an amendment for review rather than a quick committee change.
HB1759: Information Only 01:03:42.607 - 10:17:19 AM; The committee briefly noted no speakers testified, one signed up in opposition but did not speak, three online in support, zero opposed. They closed the hearing and entered executive session without further discussion on the bill.
HB1306: Information Only 01:05:41.662 - 10:19:18 AM; The vice chair discussed an amendment for HB 1306 to limit clerk reporting to pre-election items through section E, removing F through K, and modifying the moderator's certificate to include lines for regular and absentee ballots received from the clerk. This accounts for absentee ballots without requiring the clerk's presence for three days, addressing gaps in tracking mailed, returned, spoiled, and available ballots. The Secretary of State supports a separate pre-election form. No objections from the committee.
HB1306: Support 01:09:05.067 - 10:22:42 AM; A member emphasized the need to close gaps in absentee ballot accounting, particularly the differential between sent and received ballots, which is currently not well-tracked in clerk reports. The amendment focuses on moderator duties for better oversight without overburdening clerks.
HB1131: Information Only 01:10:06.987 - 10:23:43 AM; The chair discussed HB 1131, which seeks to revert adopting SP2 provisions to the November ballot from the town warrant, as pre-2019. He suggested options like allowing it at town meeting or ballot, or limiting to November for maximum voter input via petition warrant article. The Secretary of State has no major objections.
HB1131: Support 01:11:22.684 - 10:24:59 AM; A member expressed general support, noting higher turnout in November elections (70-80%) versus municipal (low turnout), maximizing involvement for changing town meeting formats. They discussed process challenges but agreed on potential for petition-driven ballot placement.
HB1131: Information Only 01:13:57.738 - 10:27:34 AM; The speaker discusses options for implementing changes to town meeting procedures, noting challenges in places like Manchester with state elections and SB2. Suggests working with the Secretary of State to develop appropriate language, with input from NHMA.
HB1131: Vote 01:15:19.487 - 10:28:56 AM; Acknowledges a member needing to leave for Senate education. Agrees to follow up on the issue. Calls for and seconds a motion to come out of executive session, which passes unanimously. Declares the session adjourned as business is complete.