HB 1296
relative to the conditions for, and procedures for the adoption of, the elderly tax exemption.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | SENATE |
|---|---|
| In the House | PASSED/ADOPTED WITH AMENDMENT |
| In the Senate | INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/5/2026 |
| LSR number | 2825 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H18 |
Where it stands
House: PASSED/ADOPTED WITH AMENDMENT · Senate: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
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
Kelly, Eileen(D) Merr 8, Almy, Susan(D) Graf 17, Ames, Dick(D) Ches 13, Caplan, Tony(D) Merr 8, Cloutier, John(D) Sull 6, Damon, Hope(D) Sull 8, Hakken-Phillips, Mary(D) Graf 12, Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R) Rock 17, Wallner, Mary Jane(D) Merr 19
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.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government
- January 16, 2026Public Hearing: 01/16/2026 10:45 am GP 154
- January 16, 2026Executive Session: 01/16/2026 10:45 am GP 154
- January 29, 2026Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0152h 01/20/2026 (Vote 17-1; CC)
- February 5, 2026Amendment # 2026-0152h: AA VV 02/05/2026
- February 5, 2026Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0152h: MA VV 02/05/2026
- February 5, 2026Introduced 02/05/2026 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs
- March 10, 2026Hearing: 03/10/2026, Room 122-123, SH, 09:45 am
- March 18, 2026Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate; Vote 5-0; CC; 03/26/2026
- March 26, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate, MA, VV = =; 03/26/2026
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 with Amendment 2026-0152h
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Inexpedient to Legislate
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 WITH AMENDMENT
This bill proposes to increase the minimum income and asset thresholds for eligibility under New Hampshire’s elderly property tax exemption law (RSA 72:39 a and b), which has not seen adjustments in its qualifying criteria since 2003 despite its enactment in 1996. At present, fewer than 8,400 low-income seniors benefit from these exemptions. The majority of the committee supports raising the base income limits from $13,400 to $23,300 for single applicants and from $20,400 to $35,000 for married couples, as well as increasing the total asset limit from $35,000 to $60,900. These changes are viewed as reasonable measures that could enhance the ability of seniors to remain residents of New Hampshire. Although the state stipulates the baseline requirements, local municipalities retain authority to adopt and set higher exemption limits as they see fit. Amendment 2026-0152h provided clarity that the increase in the threshold amount would “only” apply to increase, not to lower, a municipality’s exemptions under the statute. Based on these considerations, the committee voted to recommend passage of the bill. Vote 17-1.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 16, 2026 at 10:45Municipal and County Government public hearing recording 3:23:00–4:05:02, about 42 min (estimated)
- January 16, 2026 at 10:45Municipal and County Government executive session recording (start time not identified)
- February 5, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
- March 10, 2026 at 09:45Election Law and Municipal Affairs hearing recording (start time not identified)
- March 26, 2026Senate floor debate recording (start time not identified)
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]