HR 45
urging Congress to find that the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor lie within the state of New Hampshire.
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 | PASSED |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/5/2026 |
| LSR number | 2485 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H25 |
Where it stands
In progress
Sponsors
Barton, Joseph(R) Graf 1, Alexander, Joe(R) Hills 29, Granger, Michael(R) Straf 2, Innis, Daniel(R) Belk 7, Kofalt, Jim(R) Hills 32, Mandelbaum, Jennifer(D) Rock 21, Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1
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 State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs
- January 16, 2026Public Hearing: 01/16/2026 01:30 pm GP 228
- January 16, 2026Executive Session: 01/16/2026 02:00 pm GP 228
- January 22, 2026Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass 01/16/2026 (Vote 8-6; RC)
- January 22, 2026Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
- February 5, 2026Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0389h: MA RC 205-129 02/05/2026
- February 5, 2026FLAM # 2026-0389h (Rep. Barton): AA 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.
Ought to Pass with Amendment
| Party | Yes | No | Presiding | Excused | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 172 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 14 |
| Democrat | 33 | 124 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 205 | 129 | 1 | 35 | 24 |
Yes — 205
- Aldrich, Glen(R) Belk 6
- Alexander, Joe(R) Hills 29
- Ammon, Keith(R) Hills 42
- Andrus, Louise(R) Merr 5
- Aron, Judy(R) Sull 4
- Aron, Michael(R) Sull 8
- Aures, Cyril(R) Merr 13
- Avellani, Lino(R) Carr 4
- Ball, Lorie(R) Rock 25
- Barbour, Liz(R) Hills 35
- Barton, Joseph(R) Graf 1
- Beaulier, Calvin(R) Graf 1
- Belcher, Mike(R) Carr 4
- Bennett, Cindy(R) Rock 4
- Berezhny, Lex(R) Graf 11
- Bernardy, JD(R) Rock 36
- Bjelobrk, Marie Louise(R) Graf 5
- Boehm, Ralph(R) Hills 38
- Bogert, Steven(R) Belk 5
- Bolton, Bill(D) Graf 8
- Boyd, Bill(R) Hills 12
- Boyd, Stephen(R) Merr 10
- Bridle, Nicholas(R) Rock 29
- Brown, Pam(R) Rock 14
- Brown, Richard(R) Carr 8
- Bryer, Scott(R) Rock 1
- Burnham, Claudine(R) Straf 2
- Burton, Wayne(D) Straf 10
- Cahill, Michael(D) Rock 10
- Cambrils, Jose(R) Merr 4
- Chourasia, Manoj(D) Hills 11
- Cloutier, John(D) Sull 6
- Colcombe, Riché(R) Hills 30
- Comtois, Barbara(R) Belk 7
- Corcoran, Travis(R) Hills 28
- Creighton, James(R) Hills 30
- Daniels, Gary(R) Hills 43
- DeDe-Poulin, Denise(R) Straf 6
- DeLemus, Susan(R) Straf 1
- DeRoy, Susan(R) Straf 3
- DeSimone, Debra(R) Rock 18
- Devoid, Ricky(R) Merr 1
- Dolan, Tom(R) Rock 16
- Donnelly, Tanya(R) Rock 25
- Drago, Mike(R) Rock 4
- Drew, Matt(R) Hills 19
- Drye, Margaret(R) Sull 7
- Dumont, Dillon(R) Hills 13
- Dunn, Ron(R) Rock 16
- Dupont, Pierre(R) Hills 20
- Durkin, Sean(R) Coos 1
- Edgar, Michael(D) Rock 29
- Edwards, Jess(R) Rock 31
- Erf, Keith(R) Hills 28
- Farrington, Samuel(R) Straf 8
- Foote, Charles(R) Rock 13
- Franz, Linda(R) Graf 6
- Freeman, Lisa(R) Belk 8
- Gagne, Larry(R) Hills 16
- Georges, Mary(D) Hills 23
- Giasson, Henry(R) Hills 29
- Gilman, Julie(D) Rock 11
- Gilmore, Gary(D) Straf 16
- Girard, Dale(R) Sull 6
- Granger, Michael(R) Straf 2
- Grant, George(R) Sull 5
- Griffin, Gerald(R) Hills 42
- Guzofski, James(R) Rock 1
- Hamblen, Joseph(R) Carr 3
- Harb, Robert(R) Rock 20
- Harrington, Michael(R) Straf 18
- Harvey, Cathryn(D) Ches 6
- Hemingway, Wayne(R) Sull 6
- Herbert, Christopher(D) Hills 24
- Howard, Heath(D) Straf 4
- Janigian, John(R) Rock 25
- Jeudy, Jean(D) Hills 23
- Johnson, Erik(D) Straf 11
- Kaczynski, Thomas(R) Straf 5
- Karasinski, Sly(R) Ches 10
- Kelley, Diane(R) Hills 32
- Kesselring, Steven(R) Hills 18
- Khan, Aboul(R) Rock 30
- King, Seth(R) Coos 4
- Kofalt, Jim(R) Hills 32
- Korzen, Lori(R) Coos 7
- Kuttab, Katelyn(R) Rock 17
- Labrie, Brian(R) Hills 2
- Ladd, Rick(R) Graf 5
- Larochelle, John(D) Straf 19
- Lascelles, Richard(R) Hills 14
- Layon, Erica(R) Rock 13
- Leavitt, John(R) Merr 10
- Leishman, Peter(D) Hills 33
- Litchfield, Melissa(R) Rock 32
- Louis, Darrell(R) Graf 1
- Love, David(R) Rock 13
- MacDonald, John(R) Carr 6
- MacDonald, Wayne(R) Rock 16
- Malloy, Dennis(D) Rock 24
- Mandelbaum, Jennifer(D) Rock 21
- Mannion, Dennis(R) Rock 25
- Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1
- Manohar, Sanjeev(D) Hills 9
- Markell, Jay(R) Rock 18
- Mattson, Rita(R) Ches 18
- Mazur, Lisa(R) Hills 44
- McDonnell, Valerie(R) Rock 25
- McFarlane, Donald(R) Graf 18
- McGrath, Linda(R) Rock 40
- McGuire, Carol(R) Merr 27
- McGuire, Dan(R) Merr 14
- McLean, Mark(R) Hills 15
- McMahon, Charles(R) Rock 17
- Mehegan, Peter(R) Merr 12
- Melvin, Charles(R) Rock 20
- Miles, Julie(R) Hills 12
- Milz, David(R) Rock 13
- Miner, Laurence(R) Rock 7
- Minor, Sheri(R) Belk 5
- Moffett, Michael(R) Merr 4
- Mooney, Maureen(R) Hills 12
- Morency, Pete(R) Coos 5
- Morton, Jonathan(R) Hillsborough 39
- Murphy, Denis(R) Ches 11
- Murphy, Mary(R) Hills 27
- Murray, Kate(D) Rockingham 22
- Nalevanko, Rich(R) Ches 9
- Nelson, Jodi(R) Rock 13
- Noble, Kristin(R) Hills 2
- Notter, Jeanine(R) Hills 12
- Ohm, Bill(R) Hills 10
- Oppel, Thomas(D) Grafton 9
- Osborne, Jason(R) Rock 2
- Paige, Mark(D) Rock 11
- Paquette, Kathleen(R) Hills 25
- Pauer, Diane(R) Hills 36
- Pearson, Mark(R) Rock 34
- Pearson, Stephen(R) Rock 13
- Peeples, Raymond(R) Hills 14
- Perez, Kristine(R) Rock 16
- Peternel, Katy(R) Carr 6
- Petrigno, Peter(D) Hills 43
- Pitaro, Matthew(R) Merr 11
- Plante, Raymond(R) Merr 27
- Ploszaj, Tom(R) Belk 1
- Polozov, Yury(R) Merr 10
- Porcelli, Susan(R) Rock 19
- Post, Lisa(R) Hills 42
- Potenza, Kelley(R) Straf 19
- Potucek, John(R) Rock 13
- Preece, David(D) Hills 17
- Presa, Adam(R) Hills 12
- Proulx, Mark(R) Hills 15
- Prout, Andrew(R) Hills 13
- Prudhomme-O'Brien, Katherine(R) Rock 13
- Qualey, James(R) Ches 18
- Reinfurt, Sherri(R) Hills 29
- Rhodes, Jennifer(R) Ches 17
- Rice, Kimberly(R) Hills 38
- Rollins, Skip(R) Sull 3
- Rung, Rosemarie(D) Hills 12
- Ryan, Linda(D) Hills 4
- Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30
- Salvi, Santosh(D) Hills 9
- Schamberg, Thomas(D) Merr 6
- Schmidt, Peter(D) Straf 14
- Schneller, John(R) Hills 2
- Scully, Kevin(R) Hills 8
- See, Alvin(R) Merr 26
- Selby, Donald(R) Rock 9
- Sellers, John(R) Graf 10
- Sheehan, Vanessa(R) Hills 43
- Sirois, Shane(R) Hills 32
- Slottje, Jeremy(R) Hills 13
- Smith, Jonathan(R) Carr 5
- Smith, Steven(R) Sull 3
- Soti, Julius(R) Rock 35
- Spillane, James(R) Rock 2
- Spilsbury, Walter(R) Sull 3
- Suiter, John(R) Hills 36
- Sullivan, Jared(D) Graf 2
- Sweeney, Joe(R) Rock 25
- Taylor, Brian(R) Carr 8
- Tenczar, Jeffrey(R) Hills 1
- Thibault, James(R) Merr 25
- Thomas, Douglas(R) Rock 16
- Tierney, James(R) Coos 1
- Toner, Travis(R) Belk 4
- Tremblay, Marc(R) Coos 5
- Tudor, Paul(R) Rock 1
- Turcotte, Len(R) Straf 4
- Ulery, Jordan(R) Hills 13
- Vail, Suzanne(D) Hillsborough 6
- Vandecasteele, Susan(R) Rock 25
- Vose, Michael(R) Rockingham 5
- Wade, Alice(D) Straf 15
- Walker, David(R) Straf 19
- Walsh, Lilli(R) Rock 15
- Walsh, Thomas(R) Merr 10
- Warden, Mark(R) Hills 39
- Weyler, Kenneth(R) Rock 14
- Wheeler, Jonah(D) Hills 33
- Wherry, Robert(R) Hills 13
- Wood, Clayton(R) Merr 13
No — 129
- Almy, Susan(D) Graf 17
- Ames, Dick(D) Ches 13
- Bailey, Glenn(R) Straf 2
- Balboni, Peggy(D) Rock 38
- Baldwin, Heather(D) Graf 4
- Bay, Luz(D) Straf 21
- Beauchemin, Paige(D) Hills 3
- Berch, Paul(D) Ches 6
- Bixby, Peter(D) Straf 13
- Booras, Efstathia(D) Hills 8
- Bricchi, Tracy(D) Merr 15
- Budathoki, Suraj(D) Hillsborough 40
- Butler, Billie(D) Straf 12
- Caplan, Tony(D) Merr 8
- Chretien, Suzanne(D) Hills 19
- Colby, Eleana(D) Merr 9
- Cormen, Thomas(D) Graf 15
- Cornell, Patricia(D) Hills 22
- Damon, Hope(D) Sull 8
- Darby, Will(D) Hills 11
- Dargie, Paul(D) Hills 43
- Davis, Fred(D) Hills 3
- Dolan, William(D) Hills 9
- Ebel, Karen(D) Merr 7
- Elberger, Susan(D) Hills 5
- England, Myles(D) Straf 12
- Faulkner, Barry(D) Ches 10
- Fellows, Sallie(D) Graf 8
- Ford, Mary(R) Rock 3
- Foss, Lily(D) Hills 41
- Fox, Dru(D) Ches 2
- Foxx, Loren(D) Hills 2
- Fracht, David(D) Graf 16
- Gallager, Eric(D) Merr 20
- Germana, Nicholas(D) Ches 15
- Gibbs, Merryl(D) Merr 23
- Gregg, Alicia(D) Hills 7
- Grill, Jessica(D) Hills 18
- Grote, Jaci(D) Rockingham 24
- Gruber, James(D) Ches 16
- Grund, Stephanie(D) Hills 34
- Hakken-Phillips, Mary(D) Graf 12
- Hall, Muriel(D) Merr 9
- Harriott-Gathright, Linda(D) Hills 10
- Hartnett, Tim(D) Hillsborough 41
- Haskins, Linda(D) Rockingham 11
- Hegner, Karen(D) Hills 41
- Horrigan, Timothy(D) Straf 10
- Howard, Molly(D) Hills 31
- Howland, Allan(D) Straf 20
- Hunt, John(R) Ches 14
- Jack, Martin(D) Hills 10
- Jacobs, Samantha(D) Ches 15
- Jones, Philip(D) Ches 3
- Juris, Louis(D) Hills 7
- Kelly, Eileen(D) Merr 8
- Kerwin, Erin(D) Hills 40
- Kluger, Lee Ann(D) Hills 6
- Knab, Allison(D) Rock 12
- LaMontagne, Jessica(D) Straf 17
- Lane, Connie(D) Merr 16
- LeClerc, Daniel(D) Hills 34
- Levesque, Cassandra(D) Straf 4
- Lloyd, Christal(D) Hills 8
- Long, Patrick(D) Hills 26
- Lovett, Peter(D) Graf 8
- Luneau, David(D) Merr 9
- Lynn, Bob(R) Rock 17
- MacKenzie, Mark(D) Hills 40
- Maggiore, Jim(D) Rock 23
- Manos, Zoe(D) Rock 12
- McGhee, Kat(D) Hills 35
- Meuse, David(D) Rock 37
- Miller, Seth(D) Straf 21
- Muns, Chris(D) Rock 29
- Murphy, Nancy(D) Hills 12
- Murray, Alissandra(D) Hills 20
- Murray, Megan(D) Hills 37
- Nagel, David(D) Belk 6
- Newell, Jodi(D) Ches 4
- Newman, Ray(D) Hills 4
- Newman, Sue(D) Hills 4
- Newsom, James(D) Merr 9
- O'Rorke, Terri(D) Ches 7
- Paige, David(D) Carr 1
- Palmer, William(D) Sull 2
- Parshall, Lucius(D) Ches 8
- Pearson, Wayne(D) Straf 12
- Plamondon, Marc(D) Hills 3
- Raymond, Heather(D) Hills 5
- Raynolds, Ned(D) Rock 39
- Read, Ellen(D) Rock 10
- Richards, Beth(D) Merr 17
- Rockmore, Ellen(D) Graf 12
- Roesener, James(D) Merr 22
- Rombeau, Catherine(D) Hills 2
- Sargent, Gregory(D) Merr 7
- Scherr, Buzz(D) Rock 26
- Schultz, Kris(D) Merr 29
- Seibert, Christine(D) Hills 21
- Selig, Loren(D) Straf 10
- Simpson, Alexis(D) Rock 33
- Smith, Geoffrey(D) Straf 21
- Smith, Marjorie(D) Straf 10
- Snodgrass, Jim(D) Merr 28
- Sorensen, Carrie(D) Rock 28
- Soucy, Timothy(D) Merr 21
- Southworth, Thomas(D) Straf 11
- Spier, Carry(D) Hills 6
- St. Clair, Charlie(D) Belknap 5
- Staub, Kathy(D) Hills 25
- Stavis, Laurel(D) Graf 13
- Stringham, Jerry(D) Graf 3
- Sullivan, Brian(D) Sull 1
- Swanson, Dale(D) Hills 5
- Sytek, John(R) Rock 25
- Telerski, Laura(D) Hills 11
- Thomas, Wendy(D) Hills 12
- Turer, Eric(D) Rock 6
- Veilleux, Daniel(D) Hills 34
- Wall, Janet(D) Straf 11
- Wallner, Mary Jane(D) Merr 19
- Ward, Gerald(D) Rock 27
- Weber, Lucy(D) Ches 5
- Weinstein, Toni(D) Rock 10
- Wilhelm, Matthew(D) Hills 21
- Woodcock, Stephen(D) Carr 1
- Woods, Gary(D) Merr 30
- de Vries, Erica(D) Rock 29
Presiding — 1
- Packard, Sherman(R) Rock 16
Excused — 35
- Ankarberg, Aidan(I) Straf 7
- Berry, Ross(R) Hills 44
- Buco, Thomas(D) Carr 1
- Burroughs, Anita(D) Carr 2
- Coker, Matthew(R) Belk 2
- Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2
- DeVito, Sayra(R) Rock 8
- Flanagan, Jack(R) Hills 45
- Gorski, Ted(R) Hills 2
- Gould, Linda(R) Hills 2
- Grossman, Gaby(D) Rock 11
- Hall, Robley(R) Straf 1
- Harvey-Bolia, Juliet(R) Belk 3
- Hicks, Matthew(D) Merr 24
- Hill, Gregory(R) Merr 2
- Kenny, Catherine(R) Hills 13
- Lucas, Janet(D) Graf 7
- Lundgren, David(R) Rock 16
- Morse, Bryan(R) Merr 3
- Muirhead, Russell(D) Graf 12
- Murphy, Michael(R) Coos 6
- Nadeau, Brian(R) Rock 4
- Ouellet, Mike(R) Coos 3
- Panek, Sandra(R) Hillsborough 1
- Payeur, Stephanie(D) Merr 8
- Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R) Rock 17
- Roy, Terry(R) Rock 31
- Sofikitis, Catherine(D) Hills 7
- Sykes, George(D) Graf 14
- Terry, Paul(R) Belk 7
- Thackston, Dick(R) Ches 12
- Trottier, Douglas(R) Belk 8
- Varney, Peter(R) Belk 7
- Verville, Kevin(R) Rock 2
- Wilson, Vicki(R) Rock 9
Absent — 24
- Aylward, Deborah(R) Merr 5
- Bean, Harry(R) Belknap 6
- Bergeron, Dan(D) Hills 16
- Bordes, Mike(R) Belk 5
- Cole, Brian(R) Hills 26
- Crawford, Karel(R) Carr 3
- DiSilvestro, Linda(D) Hills 17
- Dumais, Russell(R) Belk 6
- Fedolfi, Jim(R) Hills 30
- Gonzalez, Ernesto(R) Merr 3
- Guthrie, Joseph(R) Rock 15
- Katsakiores, Phyllis(R) Rock 13
- Leapley, Nicole(D) Hills 22
- MacKay, James(D) Merr 18
- Malone, Amy(D) Straf 9
- Mannion, Tim(R) Hills 1
- McAleer, Chris(D) Carr 2
- Seaworth, Brian(R) Merr 12
- Spahr, Terry(D) Graf 12
- Stone, John(D) Straf 12
- Summers, James(R) Rock 20
- Tellez, Trinidad(D) Hills 40
- Tripp, Richard(R) Rock 13
- Vallone, Mark(D) Rock 5
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Majority — OUGHT TO PASS
The majority of the committee agrees that centuries of data supports that the islands within the Piscataqua River mouth, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, are historically New Hampshire land. The seal of our state depicts Badger’s Island, which Maine considers part of their territory, which flies in the face of several historical documents. The state archivist even presented evidence dating back to the formation of the state containing clearly marked maps that support the claim that these islands at the mouth of the river are New Hampshire land. This resolution simply asks for federal recognition of this history and to restore the rightful boundaries of our great state. Vote 8-6.
Minority — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
The minority of the committee respectfully opposes this resolution, which urges Congress to find that the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor lie within the State of New Hampshire. Our opposition is based on several key concerns. First, the resolution asks our congressional delegation to encourage the President of the United States to issue an executive order on this matter. We believe this represents an overreach of use of a House resolution. Additionally, and most importantly, there has been no fiscal study to evaluate the potential costs or liabilities that New Hampshire might assume if it were to take over the roadways, bridges, or other infrastructure in the area. Without a thorough fiscal analysis, the state could face significant and unknown financial obligations related to maintenance and future infrastructure needs. Our state is currently facing significant fiscal challenges, and we feel that this should be more thoroughly studied before requesting our federal delegation move forward with this resolution. Finally, the question of jurisdiction over the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor has already been settled by court decisions. We believe that any change to this status should be revisited at the appropriate judicial level before any legislative effort.
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 13:30State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs public hearing recording 4:28:54–5:23:26, about 55 min (estimated)
- January 16, 2026 at 14:00State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs executive session recording 5:57:50–6:01:04, about 3 min (estimated)
- February 5, 2026House floor debate floor recording
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