Committee Summary for Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs (05/13/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
HB228 00:03:25.599 - 8:16:57 AM	Public Hearing	relative to petitioned articles at annual or special town meetings.	Pauer, Diane(R)[A]2025
HB356 00:19:22.400 - 8:32:54 AM	Public Hearing	enabling school districts to adopt partisan school district elections.	Wherry, Robert(R)[A-]2025
HB475 00:32:31.640 - 8:46:03 AM	Public Hearing	relative to the reductions from the default budget for official ballot town meetings.	Dunn, Ron(R)[A]2025
HB613 00:35:53.320 - 8:49:25 AM	Public Hearing	(New Title) relative to use of accessible voting systems.	Harvey-Bolia, Juliet(R)[A-]2025
HB367 00:59:02.520 - 9:12:34 AM	Executive Session	changing the method for adopting partisan town elections to be the same as rescinding partisan town elections.	Wherry, Robert(R)[A-]2025
HB464 2069s 00:59:56.760 - 9:13:28 AM	Executive Session	(New Title) prohibiting certain candidates for political office from participating in counting ballots.	de Vries, Erica(D)[CT]2025
HB228 01:03:40.640 - 9:17:12 AM	Executive Session	relative to petitioned articles at annual or special town meetings.	Pauer, Diane(R)[A]2025
356 01:08:16.560 - 9:21:48 AM	Executive Session	school districts	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
475 01:11:26.920 - 9:24:58 AM	Executive Session	position duration	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
613 01:15:54.840 - 9:29:26 AM	Executive Session	default budget	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
67 01:19:12.360 - 9:32:44 AM	Executive Session	chapter law	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #
151 01:20:43.080 - 9:34:15 AM	Executive Session	supervisor terms	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #

HB228: Representative Diane Power, representing the towns of Brookline, Mason, and Greenville in Hillsborough County District 36 Support00:03:25.599 - 8:16:57 AM; Representative Power introduced HB228, explaining that it addresses issues she has observed over three decades of attending town and school district meetings. The bill aims to ensure fairness and respect for petitioned warrant articles by allowing a primary petitioner to present and speak to their article, receiving the same amount of time as the longest presentation by the governing body or budget committee. She emphasized that this bill is crucial for maintaining democratic processes at meetings.
HB228: Barrett Christina, Executive Director, New Hampshire School Boards Association Oppose00:09:27.800 - 8:22:59 AM; Barrett Christina opposed HB228, specifically criticizing the provision that requires the primary petitioner to be given the same amount of time as the longest introduction by the governing body or budget committee. He argued that this could lead to disproportionate time allocations and suggested that the language be amended to limit the time to that related to the petitioned article itself. He also noted that moderators should have the flexibility to manage meetings as they see fit, with the ability for voters to overrule them if necessary.
HB228: Brody Ducha, representing the New Hampshire Municipal Association Oppose00:13:32.079 - 8:27:04 AM; Brody Ducha expressed concerns about HB228, focusing on the potential for the bill to treat petitioned warrant articles differently from others. He highlighted the logistical challenges for moderators in managing time allocations and the vagueness of the term 'introduce.' He emphasized that the rules of town meetings should be determined by the voters, not by legislative mandates, and that voters have the power to overrule the moderator if necessary.
HB356: Representative, introducing HB356 Support00:19:22.400 - 8:32:54 AM; The representative introduced HB356, which would allow school districts to adopt partisan elections. They argued that this could increase voter turnout and provide voters with more information about candidates. The bill would also enable local political committees to engage more actively in candidate selection and could foster more structured discussions among school board members through non-public caucuses.
HB356: Representative Ross Barry, representing the towns of Goffstown and Weare, Chair of the House Election Law Committee Support00:22:28.120 - 8:36:00 AM; Representative Barry supported HB356, highlighting the low turnout in nonpartisan elections and the lack of information available to voters. He argued that allowing partisan labels could increase voter engagement and provide clearer information about candidates' stances, potentially leading to more democratic outcomes.
HB356: Barrett Christina, Executive Director, New Hampshire School Boards Association Oppose00:26:54.120 - 8:40:26 AM; Barrett Christina expressed concerns about HB356, noting that partisan elections have not been widely adopted by towns since the option was introduced in 1979. He opposed the provision allowing school board members to caucus, citing it as a threat to transparency and openness in public governance. He also questioned the value of partisan labels in providing meaningful information about candidates, emphasizing the non-partisan nature of school board responsibilities.
HB475: Representative Christine, London Support00:32:31.640 - 8:46:03 AM; Representative Christine introduced House Bill 475, which aims to reduce the default budget for official ballot town meetings. She explained that the bill passed in committee with a 97 vote and a roll call vote in the house of 195 to 59. The bill seeks to address issues with default budgets by limiting the inclusion of salaries and benefits for unfilled positions to one year, after which they must be removed if not filled. This change is intended to give voters a clearer understanding of what they are voting for.
HB475: Barrett Christina, Executive Director, New Hampshire School Boards Association Oppose00:38:32.560 - 8:52:04 AM; Barrett Christina expressed opposition to House Bill 475, highlighting concerns about the language in the bill that would impact school districts' ability to manage staffing shortages. She noted that school districts often face challenges in hiring support staff like cafeteria workers and paraprofessionals, and the bill's requirement to remove unfilled positions from the default budget after a year would be impractical due to constant turnover. Christina also mentioned the historical purpose of default budgets was to provide an alternative for voters, not necessarily to reduce the budget.
HB475: Aubrey Freriedman, Bridgewater Support00:45:17.160 - 8:58:49 AM; Aubrey Freriedman supported House Bill 475, arguing that default budgets often increase annually without decreasing. He believes the bill's provision to remove unfilled positions after a year is beneficial as it prevents padding in the budget, which allows officials to reallocate funds. Freriedman suggested that in cases of true emergencies, local officials could call an emergency meeting to justify additional spending.
HB613: Juliet Harvey Bully, Tilton, Belknap 3 Support00:35:53.320 - 8:49:25 AM; Juliet Harvey Bully introduced House Bill 613, which enables local subdivisions to vote on setting a reduced default budget option for towns and political subdivisions that have adopted the official ballot referendum. She emphasized that the bill allows for a reduction of the budget by 1 to 10% and requires a three-fifths majority vote, giving voters more control over budget decisions.
HB613: Barrett Christina, Executive Director, New Hampshire School Boards Association Oppose00:52:23.319 - 9:05:55 AM; Barrett Christina opposed House Bill 613, stating that the bill's limitation to only reducing the default budget and not allowing increases is problematic. She argued that voters should have the choice to increase or decrease the budget rather than creating a third budget option. Christina suggested that voters should amend the proposed operating budget directly instead.
HB613: Brody Deay, New Hampshire Municipal Association Oppose00:54:00.640 - 9:07:32 AM; Brody Deay opposed House Bill 613 on behalf of the New Hampshire Municipal Association. He argued that while local options are generally supported, this bill could create financial issues by imposing an arbitrary reduction on default budgets, potentially preventing local governments from meeting contractual obligations and essential services.
HB613: Aubrey Freriedman, Bridgewater Support00:56:04.960 - 9:09:36 AM; Aubrey Freriedman supported House Bill 613, emphasizing its potential to address high property taxes by giving local taxpayers the option to lower budgets. He noted the bill's requirement for a 60% majority vote and its use of official ballot voting, which he believes allows for a more honest expression of voter sentiment. Freriedman also mentioned that critical services would not be cut and suggested emergency meetings for unexpected expenses.
HB367: Committee Vote00:59:02.520 - 9:12:34 AM; The committee discussed House Bill 367, noting that the Secretary of State clarified that there would be no primary and it would be a caucus vote. The bill was moved to pass with a motion and second, followed by a vote in favor.
HB464 2069s: Committee Vote00:59:56.760 - 9:13:28 AM; The committee discussed House Bill 464 and amendment 2069s, which included changes to the supervisor checklist and data availability for voter registration. The amendment was moved to pass with a motion and second, followed by a vote in favor. The bill, as amended, was also moved to pass and was approved.
HB228: Committee Vote01:03:40.640 - 9:17:12 AM; The committee discussed House Bill 228, focusing on petition warrant articles. Concerns were raised about the language on page two, lines 23 through 28, leading to a proposed amendment to ensure the primary petitioner is given a minimum of 10 minutes to introduce the warrant article. The amendment was moved and seconded, followed by a vote in favor.
HB228: Committee Vote01:07:26.200 - 9:20:58 AM; The committee voted to pass HB228 as amended. There was a motion to pass the committee amendment, followed by a vote in favor of it. Subsequently, the bill as amended was voted on and passed. A motion for consent was also passed.
356: Unnamed Committee Member Oppose01:08:16.560 - 9:21:48 AM; The speaker expressed opposition to bill 356, which deals with partisan and nonpartisan elections in school districts. They noted that no cities or towns have adopted this solution at the local level, and only one person supported it while 117 opposed. They moved for ITL (Inexpedient To Legislate) on the bill.
356: Unnamed Committee Member Oppose01:09:08.120 - 9:22:40 AM; The speaker opposed the ITL motion for bill 356, arguing that even though the option hasn't been used, it should still be available. They believe it could increase voter participation.
356: Unnamed Committee Member Oppose01:10:01.040 - 9:23:33 AM; The speaker expressed concerns about the bill, suggesting that school board members are typically not involved for political career advancement but rather to help their communities. They worry about the introduction of partisanship into school districts and thus oppose the bill.
356: Committee Vote01:11:26.920 - 9:24:58 AM; The committee voted in favor of the ITL motion for bill 356.
475: Unnamed Committee Member Oppose01:11:26.920 - 9:24:58 AM; The speaker moved to pass bill 475, which deals with the duration of positions. They opposed the bill, citing workforce shortages and the difficulty in filling open positions in schools, arguing that the bill could interfere with school operations.
475: Senator Long Oppose01:12:14.560 - 9:25:46 AM; Senator Long opposed bill 475, explaining that vacant positions are often filled by other professionals, particularly in cases like special education in Manchester. They questioned how to classify positions that are filled by multiple paraprofessionals and suggested that positions unfilled for over a year should not be in the default budget.
475: Unnamed Committee Member Oppose01:14:41.120 - 9:28:13 AM; The speaker opposed bill 475, arguing that it does not address the voters' need to be informed about changes in the budget they vote on. They felt that the bill unnecessarily complicates school operations by requiring attention to positions filled for over a year.
475: Committee Vote01:15:54.840 - 9:29:26 AM; The committee voted to pass bill 475, and it was included in the consent motion.
613: Unnamed Committee Member Information Only01:15:54.840 - 9:29:26 AM; The speaker discussed the differences between cities and towns regarding default budgets. They expressed uncertainty about the impact of bill 613, which might change how default budgets function, especially in light of the recently passed bill 475. They suggested passing and tabling the bill to allow reintroduction in the next session.
613: Unnamed Committee Member Information Only01:17:00.159 - 9:30:32 AM; The speaker agreed with the suggestion to pass and table bill 613, noting that bill 475 might address many of the budget concerns raised by constituents. They discussed the possibility of tabling the bill to allow for future reintroduction.
613: Committee Vote01:19:12.360 - 9:32:44 AM; The committee voted to pass bill 613 with the intention to table it on the Senate floor, allowing for potential reintroduction in the next session.
67: Unnamed Committee Member Information Only01:19:12.360 - 9:32:44 AM; The speaker mentioned that bill 67 was previously discussed and that there were concerns about the dates extending provisions that took away elements in chapter law. A floor amendment is expected to address these concerns.
151: Unnamed Committee Member Information Only01:20:43.080 - 9:34:15 AM; The speaker discussed bill 151, which changes the terms of the supervisor of the checklist. They noted that the current version does not work for towns or cities and suggested a tabling motion to allow for reintroduction next year.

Gray, James(Chairman)(R)[B-]2025	Lang, Timothy(V Chairman)(R)[B-]2025	Perkins Kwoka, Rebecca(D)[F]2025
Rochefort, David(R)[B-]2025	Long, Pat(D)[F]2025