This is the 19th legislative/policy update for the 2026 New Hampshire legislative session. I provide this update periodically (almost weekly) while the New Hampshire legislature is in session to keep NHTOA members informed about what is happening in Concord.
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General Comments
This week both the NH House and Senate had general sessions. A couple of policy committees did work on the bills that arrived from the other chamber, but the amount of activity is decreasing. The deadline for legislative action—public hearing, committee deliberation and recommendation, and final vote by the full chamber—is May 14. The last day of the 2026 legislative session is June 4.
Next week both the House and Senate will have general sessions. There is little policy committee work, and we are beginning to see committees of conference begin work to reconcile different versions (House and Senate) of the same bill.
A couple of priority bills are seeing action next week on the floor of the House and Senate.
I am attaching the NHTOA’s bill tracker spreadsheet. It lists all the bills the NHTOA is currently monitoring and working on. All the bills of interest to the NHTOA have been vetted and reviewed by the NHTOA Policy Committee. There are still several bills about which we are seeking information. Therefore, our positions are tentative, pending the additional information.
While reviewing the spreadsheet, there are three notes to consider:
- The legislative process is very fluid and moves quickly. The House and Senate Status/Actions are as they are on the day the report is printed. Please note these are subject to change.
- The link to the bill text should take you directly to the NH General Court website’s link to the bill. Note that during the heat of committee meetings and debate over amendments, this link will sometimes not take you to the most current amendments.
- The Priority/Action looks at the entire bill and weighs many factors. The NHTOA Executive Director analyzes each bill and makes a recommendation to the NHTOA Policy Committee.
If you have any questions about any of the bills on the spreadsheet, please contact me.
Lastly, given the diversity of the NHTOA’s membership (landowners, loggers, truckers, foresters, and wood processors), the diversity of bills we monitor and lobby is large. This also explains why we will be following bills that deal with small-business interests, trucking, and renewable energy along with land use, forest management, and real estate matters.
Again, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about any of the bills listed.
Jasen
House Bill 219 and 1542 (lines 28 and 36 on the spreadsheet) – Both bills seek to undermine the New Hampshire Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) law. Specifically, House Bill 219 seeks to modify the RPS law by limiting which renewable power qualifies and the amount of power that may qualify (e.g., lowers the amount of eligible biomass thermal energy). House Bill 1542 raids the renewable energy fund and diverts the money to state coffers and back to ratepayers. This modest fund was established when the RPS law was adopted to provide grants and assistance for the development of new renewable energy projects. It is instrumental in helping municipal, school, and private businesses build biomass heat and power units (e.g., lumber dry kilns, building heating projects). House Bill 1542 eliminates the fund.
NHTOA position: The NHTOA opposes both bills. This law is working and the renewable energy fund grants and support have helped many municipal, institutional, and businesses move to biomass heat and power, thereby saving money, using a local renewable fuel, and adding value to a low-grade forest product.
Action: On Thursday (May 7) the full Senate committed House Bill 219 to “Interim Study,” meaning it will not proceed any further and the chamber passed a “replaced all” amendment to House Bill 1542 converting it to a study commission.
Senate Bill 599 (line 32 on the spreadsheet) – This is a bill the NHTOA has been monitoring all session. Like House Bill 1542, it modifies the renewable energy fund. This bill was introduced to correct an unintended consequence of last year’s budget bill. Specifically, last year House Bill 2 raided the renewable energy fund on a one-time basis to help plug a hole in the state operating budget. It did not completely drain the fund and did retain some funding for renewable thermal projects. On the floor of the House last week an amendment was introduced that sought to “clean up” the bill’s language. Instead, it potentially harms thermal and other renewable power projects. The NHTOA and several other renewable energy advocates pointed this out to members of the Senate and House committees dealing with this and they agreed to fix it.
NHTOA position: The NHTOA seeks to remove the harmful floor amendment language.
Action: Yesterday (May 7), the House and Senate agreed to form a committee of conference to make the needed changes. Stay tuned.
Senate Bill 592 (line 43 on the spreadsheet) – This bill enables regional, conservation, and energy resource planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors. At the hearing in the Senate, the NHTOA expressed concerns that the designation of a “stronghold” or “corridor” could be used to impact natural resource management (e.g., timber harvesting). Working with the bill’s sponsor, the NHTOA helped move an amendment to clarify that inventoried habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors are only intended for informational purposes and shall not be utilized as a basis for municipal zoning or planning purposes. The full Senate approved the bill with the NHTOA language, and the House Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee also approved the bill with the NHTOA language. The House approved the bill and because it has a fiscal impact, it was referred to the House Finance Committee. It passed this committee.
NHTOA position: NHTOA supports the amended bill.
Action: On Thursday (May 7) the full House passed this bill with a benign amendment. The Senate now has the option of concurring with the change, non-concurring (bill dies), or seeking a committee of conference to negotiate the different versions. This decision will be made next Thursday (May 14). We anticipate the Senate will concur.
House Bill 1095 (line 47 on the spreadsheet) – This bill proposes to increase the weight limit for Off Highway Recreational Vehicles from 2,000 pounds to 3,499 pounds on any state trail in Coös County and the Ammonoosuc recreational trail from Haverhill to Bethlehem and the Warren recreational trail in the town of Warren in Grafton County. At the hearings in the House the bill sponsors attempted to completely remove any weight limit and dismissed the NHTOA’s concerns over damage to trails crossing private property. In the House, the NHTOA was the only organization/person to oppose this proposal. In the Senate, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests joined the NHTOA in opposing this bill. As a concession to the NHTOA’s concerns, the Senate Transportation Committee voted to pass this bill but postponed its enactment for two years to enable landowners, the OHRV community, and appropriate state agencies to make the necessary changes to the weight limit enforcement procedures and provide additional funds to landowners to repair trails.
NHTOA position: Because of the damage OHRVs have on private property and the inadequacy of enforcement,the NHTOA opposed the original House Bill 1095 but agreed to the two-year postponement to see what can be done to address landowner concerns. NHTOA continues to remind policymakers that landowners always reserve the right to control motorized access to their lands.
Action: On Thursday (May 7) the full Senate approved the amended bill. The House now has the option of concurring with the change, non-concurring (bill dies), or seeking a committee of conference to negotiate the different versions. This decision will be made next Thursday (May 14). We anticipate the House will concur.