HB 1587-FN
requiring police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law.
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 | INTERIM STUDY |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/19/2026 |
| LSR number | 2897 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H26 |
Where it stands
House: INTERIM STUDY
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.
In practice this often ends a bill's progress for the term.
Sponsors
Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30, Corcoran, Travis(R) Hills 28, Giasson, Henry(R) Hills 29, Granger, Michael(R) Straf 2, Mannion, Tim(R) Hills 1, Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1, Slottje, Jeremy(R) Hills 13, Spillane, James(R) Rock 2
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 21, 2026Public Hearing: 01/21/2026 11:00 am GP 159
- February 4, 2026Executive Session: 02/04/2026 10:00 am GP 159
- February 9, 2026Committee Report: Refer for Interim Study 02/06/2026 (Vote 12-0; CC)
- February 19, 2026Refer for Interim Study: MA VV 02/19/2026
- September 2, 2026Full Committee Work Session: 09/02/2026 10:00 am GP 232
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.
Refer for Interim Study
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 — REFER FOR INTERIM STUDY
The committee heard from many different stake holders regarding the issue of body cameras and the one thing they all agreed on, is that they could not agree. It can be argued that the existing law on its face prohibits the sharing of body camera video with the defense during discovery. The courts have not read it that way and defense has had access to the videos. So, while the existing law could have been better written, it is accomplishing its goals. Proposed changes to clarify the existing law all seemed to create new ones. Law enforcement made the justifiable argument that loosening the law to allow greater access to body camera footage, would come with an enormous expense to law enforcement agencies in the form of officer hours required to view every video released and redacting anything from the video that would be exempt from public disclosure. This would include everything from the inside of people’s private homes, to a random person in the background who might be a minor. Without state funding for these requirements, many departments would simply discontinue the use of body cameras before bearing this cost. The issue of public access to camera footage, particularly for individuals involved in civil complaints about, or litigation with a law enforcement officer or agency will need to be addressed, but it must be done carefully with the input of everyone involved. It will also require more time than the committee has available this session. The committee will discuss the matter with stake holders and formulate language for a commission to study the matter and recommend legislation if it is determined to be necessary. Vote 12-0.
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 21, 2026 at 11:00Criminal Justice and Public Safety public hearing recording 1:44:30–3:19:42, about 95 min (estimated)
- February 4, 2026 at 10:00Criminal Justice and Public Safety executive session recording 1:32:48–1:34:30, about 2 min (estimated)
- February 19, 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]