HB 1556-FN
relative to the commission of domestic violence offenses in the presence of a child.
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 | HOUSE |
|---|---|
| In the House | INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/5/2026 |
| LSR number | 2837 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H26 |
Where it stands
House: 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.
Sponsors
Korzen, Lori(R) Coos 7, Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2, Love, David(R) Rock 13, Murphy, Keith(R) Hills 16, Ouellet, Mike(R) Coos 3
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 Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- January 15, 2026Public Hearing: 01/15/2026 10:30 am GP 159
- January 23, 2026Executive Session: 01/23/2026 12:00 pm GP 159
- January 28, 2026Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 01/23/2026 (Vote 11-0; RC)
- February 5, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 02/05/2026
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.
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 — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
The committee opposes this bill because it creates enhanced penalties and mandatory minimum sentences for committing domestic violence in the presence of a child, even though New Hampshire law already allows judges to consider the presence and impact on children as an aggravating factor at sentencing. Courts currently have broad discretion to impose substantial sentences in serious domestic violence cases and routinely weigh the harm done to children who witness violence when determining appropriate penalties. By layering a separate penalty structure on top of existing law, this bill risks creating confusion, unequal outcomes, and unintended disparities between otherwise similar cases. There is no clear definition of what constitutes in the presence of a child. It attempts to define it, but it remains vague and actually imposes the harsher sentence even if the child was unaware that any domestic violence occurred. The bill complicates an already intricate set of domestic violence statutes by carving out a new category of offenses based on the presence of a child, which will require additional definitions, proof issues, and litigation, for example, what qualifies as “presence,” how proximity and awareness are measured, and how multiple children are treated. Instead of clarifying the law, it risks producing inconsistent results and technical challenges that do not meaningfully enhance protection for victims or children. Because existing statutes already give judges the tools to impose appropriately serious penalties and to recognize the special harm caused when children witness domestic violence, the committee finds this bill to be unnecessary, confusing, and potentially counterproductive. Vote 11-0.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 15, 2026 at 10:30Criminal Justice and Public Safety public hearing recording 2:48:22–2:55:58, about 8 min (estimated)
- January 23, 2026 at 12:00Criminal Justice and Public Safety executive session recording 4:26:19–4:29:25, about 3 min (estimated)
- February 5, 2026House 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]