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HB 1161

removing the requirement for municipalities to have an advisory board for development districts.

Filed 2026 · Signed into law · Municipal and County Government · Municipalities

Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗

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On the record

Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.

StatusSIGNED BY GOVERNOR
In the HousePASSED/ADOPTED
In the SenatePASSED/ADOPTED
Introduced1/7/2026
Floor date2/19/2026
LSR number2653
Chapter0083
Local government impactno
Committee codeH18

Bill text (PDF) ↗

Where it stands

House: PASSED/ADOPTED · Senate: PASSED/ADOPTED

Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.

A bill goes on the consent calendar when the committee vote was unanimous or nearly so, and any members who dissented did not object to placing it there. It then passes without floor debate. Ten members may file a petition to pull a bill off the consent calendar and have it debated and voted on separately.

Sponsors

Hicks, Matthew(D) Merr 24, Colby, Eleana(D) Merr 9, Fracht, David(D) Graf 16, Girard, Dale(R) Sull 6
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.

What happened

Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.

Votes

Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.

Ought to Pass

February 19, 2026 · House · None–None, adopted

Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.

Ought to Pass

April 9, 2026 · Senate · None–None, adopted

Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.

Committee reports

Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.

Committee — OUGHT TO PASS

Rep. Jim Maggiore

This bill proposes to eliminate the mandate in RSA 162-K:14 requiring legislative bodies to establish an advisory board for each development district within their municipality. Development districts are designed to ensure equitable representation of both business and community interests and remain active until all associated debts are repaid or the district’s purpose is achieved—a process that can often span decades. Currently, 35 New Hampshire communities maintain development districts, with some overseeing multiple districts. Recruiting and retaining advisory board members for such a large number of districts is challenging, especially given the potential for multi-year or even decadeslong commitments. Additionally, the statute does not define specific roles or standardized responsibilities for advisory boards. Therefore, allowing municipalities the flexibility to form advisory boards—and to determine their unique rules and responsibilities as needed—makes sense. For these reasons, the committee believes that making advisory boards optional rather than mandatory for development districts is a prudent course of action. Vote 18-0.

Hearings and recordings

Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.

Page generated 2026-09-03 from data published by the New Hampshire General Court. Granite Record is an independent project, not affiliated with the General Court. The official record always takes precedence. Corrections: [email protected]