HB 1749-FN
reinstating the death penalty for murder offenses.
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 | 2/19/2026 |
| LSR number | 2419 |
| 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.
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
King, Seth(R) Coos 4, Aron, Judy(R) Sull 4, Bernardy, JD(R) Rock 36, Dolan, Tom(R) Rock 16, Kesselring, Steven(R) Hills 18, MacDonald, Wayne(R) Rock 16, McGuire, Dan(R) Merr 14, Miner, Laurence(R) Rock 7, Potucek, John(R) Rock 13, Thackston, Dick(R) Ches 12
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 14, 2026Public Hearing: 01/14/2026 02:30 pm GP 159
- January 23, 2026Public Hearing: 01/23/2026 10:00 am GP 159
- February 4, 2026Executive Session: 02/04/2026 10:00 am GP 159
- February 9, 2026Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/04/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC)
- February 19, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 02/19/2026
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
If enacted, this bill would allow the death penalty for capital murder and first and second degree murder, and further authorize the court in cases where the death penalty is not imposed to sentence the defendant to life in prison or any other term the court orders. The death penalty, for many victims’ families, is a never ending reminder of the crime committed against their loved one. Because a defendant has what feels like countless appeals, the act of being put to death is likely to never come to fruition. The committee had several bills of this content and each bill led to the same conclusion. Over time, the families begin to heal and each time the defendant has an appeal heard the families are reminded and made to relive the horrific event over and over again to no end. Death penalty cases require intensive judicial resources throughout pretrial proceedings, jury selection, and post-conviction litigation. The NH public defenders’ contracts exclude capital representations. These cases would be handled by assigned counsel resulting in an exorbitant financial obligation to the state. Additionally, NH has life without the possibility for parole as an alternative to the death penalty so having that be an option in this bill is irrelevant. Vote 13-0.
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 14, 2026 at 14:30Criminal Justice and Public Safety public hearing recording 7:13:32–7:22:00, about 8 min (estimated)
- January 23, 2026 at 10:00Criminal Justice and Public Safety public hearing recording 0:23:53–0:33:37, about 10 min (estimated)
- February 4, 2026 at 10:00Criminal Justice and Public Safety executive session recording 2:36:30–2:42:00, about 6 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]