This is the 23rd and last of the regularly scheduled legislative/policy updates for the 2026 New Hampshire legislative session as the 2026 New Hampshire legislative session concluded last Thursday (June 4). I plan to provide this update next year and if you wish to be removed from the distribution list, please let me know. If a bill of interest to the NHTOA is vetoed or is modified in a study commission, I will notify you with a “Special Edition” update.
General Comments
Thursday (June 4) was the last day of the 2026 New Hampshire legislative session. We did not have any surprises from the General Court (e.g., any last-minute amendments).
All the attention now turns to the Governor to consider bills the House and Senate passed. The Governor can sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow it to go into law without a signature. If a bill is vetoed, the House and Senate are obligated to convene a general session to vote on a veto override. These sessions have not been scheduled.
We have a couple of months during which there will be little legislative activity as representatives and senators take the summer off and prepare for the fall elections. As is tradition, there will be a bill filing period for incumbent Representatives seeking re-election to a seat in the 2027 General Court. In the House, the period for individuals running for re-election to file a bill for consideration in 2027 is September 1-11. Following the November 2026 election any elected representative can begin filing bills on November 4.
I am attaching the NHTOA’s bill tracker spreadsheet. It lists all the bills the NHTOA worked on that survived or were suspended (e.g., tabled) within the legislative process. Because I removed the bills that were killed, this spreadsheet does not reflect all the bills the NHTOA lobbied and tracked this year.
Overall, the NHTOA had a good legislative session. We were able to defeat, stall, or positively amend all the bills we didn’t like and passed several we did support. Below is a recap of the top 20 bills we worked on this session and their final disposition. This list includes the bills we killed earlier in the session and is a great illustration of the diversity of legislation NHTOA lobbies.
Again, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Jasen
Taxation
House Bill 1691 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1858&txtFormat=html
This bill proposed making Current Use assessment a local option and restricted management on property enrolled in Current Use. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
House Bill 1397 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=2428&txtFormat=html
This bill required abutter notification when the landowner/logger/forester filed the intent to cut. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
Business/Real Estate
Senate Bill 503 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1287&txtFormat=html
This bill promotes the use of local spruce/pine/fir within the NH building code. NHTOA supported – SIGNED INTO LAW
House Bill 1015 gc.nh.gov/lsr_search/billText.aspx?id=1526&type=4
This bill required landowners to disclose the presence of knotweed when selling property. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
House Bill 1204 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1795&txtFormat=html
Modifies the state building code to give preference to local spruce/pine/fir lumber. NHTOA supported – SIGNED INTO LAW
House Bill 1451 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=2040&txtFormat=html
Requires employers to provide additional accommodations for workers in warm or cold (above 80 and below 15 degrees F) environments. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS TABLED
House Bill 1752 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=2165&inflect=2
As introduced, it was forest practices act copying Maine’s law. While in committee it was modified to include a negative forest carbon language and expand the law governing timber scale slips. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS TABLED
House Bill 1135 and House Bill 1139 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1511&txtFormat=html gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1519&txtFormat=html
Both bills dealt with private roads and rights of way. They would have disrupted road and right-of-way use across the state. NHTOA opposed both – BOTH BILLS WERE KILLED
House Bill 1440 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1882&txtFormat=html
This bill proposed a forest practices act where the state of New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. and Division of Forest and Lands would approve all management plans for any property enrolled in a forest carbon sequestration program. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
House Bill 1303 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=2085&txtFormat=html
This bill proposed a forest practices act where local municipalities, through zoning, would dictate tree canopy cover. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
House Bill 1530 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1948&txtFormat=html
This bill required abutter notification and a public meeting prior to the removal of a beaver dam or draining a beaver impoundment. NHTOA opposed – BILL WAS KILLED
Energy
House Bills 224, 219, 1542
gc.nh.gov//bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=220&inflect=2 www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=269&inflect=2 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1974&txtFormat=html
All three bills sought to undermine the New Hampshire renewable power law and its provisions that support biomass electricity and heat generation. NHTOA opposed all – ALL WERE KILLED OR TABLED.
Wildlife and Recreation
Senate Bill 592 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1373&txtFormat=html
This bill sought to establish/define wildlife habitat strongholds and travel corridors for land use planning. NHTOA modified to ensure data will not be used for land use regulation – PASSED W/NHTOA AMENDMENT.
House Bill 1095 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1880&txtFormat=html
This bill proposed increasing OHRV weight limit to 3,000#. While in committee it was proposed that there be no weight limit. The bill passed with an NHTOA sponsored amendment to delay implementation for two years to allow for more funding to support landowners and implementation of better enforcement. NHTOA opposed introduced version, OK with passed version, and is WORKING WITH OHRV COMMUNITY
House Bill 1603 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=2404&txtFormat=html
This bill consumed a lot of time and effort. The version that passed the House and Senate requires the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to develop rules to ensure their endangered species database is accurate, and landowners are notified prior to the gathering of endangered species data from private property. By structuring the process in this manner, NH Fish and Game will have input into the final process and acknowledges that the ultimate goal is landowner notification/permission and database accuracy. NHTOA supported – PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE, GOING TO GOVERNOR
Government Administration
Senate Bill 529 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1325&txtFormat=html
This bill gives preference to locally grown timber (spruce/pine/fir) on state building projects. NHTOA supported – PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE, GOING TO GOVERNOR
House Bill 1205 gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=1797&txtFormat=html
Prohibits state and county lands from participating in forest carbon projects. NHTOA supported – SIGNED INTO LAW