HB 1634
establishing state court remedies for violations of state and federal law by federal employees.
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 | 3/5/2026 |
| LSR number | 3014 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H10 |
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.
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
Read, Ellen(D) Rock 10, Ankarberg, Aidan(I) Straf 7, Beaulier, Calvin(R) Graf 1, Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1, Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R) Rock 17, Wheeler, Jonah(D) Hills 33
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 Judiciary
- February 9, 2026Public Hearing: 02/09/2026 10:30 am GP 158
- February 13, 2026Executive Session: 02/13/2026 10:00 am GP 158
- February 26, 2026Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/13/2026 (Vote 18-0; CC)
- March 5, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/05/2026
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
This bill would allow federal employees to be sued in state court for claims that they violated federal or state law. It raises serious constitutional and practical concerns. Under the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, federal officials acting within the scope of their federal duties are generally governed by federal law, not state law. The Supreme Court has long held that states may not interfere with federal operations. The federal government itself is immune from suit absent an express waiver, such as under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). Congress has also provided for substitution of the United States as the defendant in many cases involving federal employees through the Westfall Act. Most such state-court cases would be removed to federal court under the federal officer removal statute, creating duplication, delay, and increased litigation costs without improving accountability. The Supreme Court has emphasized that federal officers must be able to perform their duties without undue interference from state courts. Existing accountability mechanisms already exist, including Inspector General investigations, federal criminal prosecution, civil rights actions under Bivens, and suits against the United States under the FTCA. State-court liability regimes would add confusion and risk without materially improving oversight. For these reasons, the bill presents significant federalism, constitutional, and practical governance concerns. 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.
- February 9, 2026 at 10:30Judiciary public hearing recording 1:23:00–1:42:37, about 20 min (estimated)
- February 13, 2026 at 10:00Judiciary executive session recording 2:02:29–2:05:30, about 3 min (estimated)
- March 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]