2020 NHMA Legislative Bulletin 03

LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

Late Amendment Would Codify PFAS Standards

On Wednesday SB 287, which had a committee recommendation of interim study, was instead referred by the Senate back to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the purpose of holding a hearing on a new amendment. The hearing on amendment 2020-0040s is scheduled before that committee at 9:15 on Tuesday, January 14, in State House Room 103. The amendment proposes to place in statute the standards for four perfluorochemicals, commonly referred to as PFAS, that the Department of Environmental Services (DES) enacted by administrative rules effective September 30, 2019. The PFAS standards enacted in those administrative rules are currently being litigated due in part to the inadequate cost/benefit analysis conducted in that rulemaking process. This amendment would supersede the requirement in RSA 485:3 that drinking water standards be determined based on consideration of the costs and benefits of the standards, and it would possibly end the lawsuit.

NHMA and its members support clean water and public health. However, we still oppose the implementation of these standards, whether through rulemaking or legislation, without the state sharing in the significant municipal costs they will create. While there are currently several bills seeking state funding to assist municipalities in addressing PFAS contamination, which NHMA strongly supports, the future of those bills is unknown at this time, meaning that SB 287 would fast-track these standards without providing any funding assistance. At a minimum, we would expect a fiscal note on the amendment to quantify the estimated cost before enacting a legislative standard.

Please contact the members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and your own senator and tell them that if the legislature is going to enact these strict standards, it should include state funding for compliance.

Committee Will Hear Bill on Appointment of Town Clerks

This may sound familiar, as it is a subject that has come before the legislature many times. Next Wednesday, January 15, at 11:00 a.m., in LOB Room 102, the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear SB 561, which would authorize towns, by town meeting vote, to decide to have their clerks appointed rather than elected.

This is an NHMA policy bill, but to be clear, NHMA did not request the bill. Nevertheless, our members have consistently and overwhelmingly supported this policy for many years.

Although the tradition of elected clerks works very well in most cases, the small minority can present significant problems. There is the occasional case of the incompetent clerk who nevertheless gets re-elected. More frequently, there is the problem of a town’s having trouble filling a vacancy because the most qualified persons—or the only qualified persons—live outside the town and therefore cannot be elected. SB 561 would enable towns to mitigate these problems if the voters choose. Those towns that do not have a problem could continue to elect their clerks.

If you would like to weigh in, please attend the hearing or contact members of the Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee and your own senator.

Bill on Studying Charitable Exemption Will Be Killed

In pursuit of one of NHMA’s legislative policies, we requested the filing of SB 538, to create a commission to “study issues related to the property tax exemptions for charitable organizations . . . and for charitable nonprofit housing projects . . . , including but not limited to the definition of ‘charitable’ . . . and reimbursement through payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) for municipal services provided to exempt charitable properties.”

The proposed study commission was intended to study a very narrow set of circumstances, but the bill’s language created a firestorm in the nonprofit community. On further review, we realized that the bill is much broader than intended, and there was no good way to narrow it. Thus, we asked the prime sponsor to withdraw the bill, and she agreed. Officially it is too late to withdraw a bill, and SB 538 is scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday; but the sponsor will ask the committee to recommend the bill as Inexpedient to Legislate, and we will support that request. A separate bill, SB 484, proposes a commission to “study payments in lieu of taxes made by charitable organizations.” We will support that bill instead; it has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

Revolving Loan Program for PFAS Remediation and Mitigation

On Tuesday, January 14, at 10:00 a.m., in LOB Room 305, the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee will hear testimony on HB 1603 which would establish a revolving loan fund for remediation and mitigation of contamination from perfluorochemicals, commonly referred to as PFAS. This loan program would assist municipalities and members of the public who have been harmed by the presence of PFAS in the air, soil, or water. The program would be funded from moneys the state receives from lawsuits or settlements with manufacturers of products containing PFAS. (The state filed two such lawsuits last year against several PFAS manufacturers.) The PFAS revolving loan program would be administered similar to the State Aid Grant (SAG) program for wastewater projects, with low-interest loans issued by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for projects addressing PFAS contamination.

Property Tax Credit for Dense Workforce Housing

On Wednesday, January 15, at 9:30 a.m., in State House Room 100, the Senate Ways and Means Committee will hear testimony on SB 475, which would enable municipalities to enact a local option property tax credit for densely built workforce housing. If adopted by the municipality, the credit would reduce the state education tax and the local education tax otherwise due on qualified properties for up to ten years, as determined by the municipality. Eligible properties must have a minimum of five residential units per acre, meet the definition of workforce housing under RSA 674:58, IV, and be located in an area zoned by the municipality for dense residential development or community revitalization under RSA 79-E. Eligible properties may include new structures, conversions of existing residential structures, or adaptive reuse of existing non-residential structures.

Other Municipal Bills

Next week is the first week of committee hearings in the House and the Senate, and it will be balls to the wall* in both chambers. The hearing schedule is packed, and we do not have the time or space to write about every bill of municipal interest. Below are a few of them, in addition to the ones discussed above. See the calendar section that follows for a full list.

Tuesday, January 14

HB 1296 would require candidates for municipal office to comply with state reporting requirements if they have campaign expenditures exceeding $500. House Municipal & County Government Committee, 10:00 a.m., LOB Room 301.

HB 1568 would prohibit any municipal official or employee from accepting a “private financial or other tangible benefit not available to the general public by virtue of a contract entered into by such municipality and a third party or accept other financial or tangible benefit not available to the general public offered to them by virtue of their employment or elected status.” House Municipal & County Government Committee, 10:30 a.m., LOB Room 301.

HB 1572 would allow any municipality, by vote of the selectmen or council, to conduct municipal elections entirely by mail. House Municipal & County Government Committee, 11:00 a.m., LOB Room 301.

HB 1299 would require at least one selectman to be present in the polling place at all times during an election (state or municipal). House Election Law Committee, 11:00 a.m., LOB Room 308.

Wednesday, January 16

HB 1439 would require a planning board to provide notice of the public hearing date and “the date of the final zoning determination” at the same time it notifies abutters and others of the date on which an application for subdivision approval or site plan review will be formally submitted to the board. It also would require an appeal to the zoning board of adjustment to be taken within 30 days after the administrative officer’s decision (rather than within “a reasonable time” as provided in the ZBA’s rules). House Municipal & County Government Committee, 9:30 a.m., LOB Room 301.

HB 1450 would significantly change the criteria for granting a zoning variance. The bill’s official analysis says the bill “clarifies the authority of zoning boards of adjustment,” but in fact it changes four of the five variance criteria. Most notably, it deletes the “unnecessary hardship” criterion. House Municipal & County Government Committee, 10:00 a.m., LOB Room 301.

HB 1452 would limit the employment protection guaranteed to library employees under RSA 202-A:17 to those employees who have been employed for at least six months. House Municipal & County Government Committee, 10:30 a.m., LOB Room 301.

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* It has come to our attention that some people think the phrase “balls to the wall” has a vulgar connotation. It does not. The expression comes from aviation, and refers to the controls in an airplane, which frequently have ball-shaped grips. For maximum power, the controls are pushed all the way forward to the firewall. Thus, “balls to the wall” refers to doing something at full speed or with maximum effort. It’s a good expression that should not suffer because of bad press.

And the Hearings Keep Coming

It’s not too early to begin preparing for the week of January 20, because there are a lot of important committee hearings scheduled for that week. Check the calendar section that follows for details. There are hearings on multiple bills on each of the following subjects:

Planning and zoning (including mandatory training for land use board members), House Municipal & County Government Committee on Tuesday, January 21
Right-to-Know Law, House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, January 21
Net metering, House Science, Technology & Energy Committee on Wednesday, January 22
New Hampshire Retirement System changes, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, January 21-23

We will have articles on many of these bills in next week’s Legislative Bulletin.

Get Involved in NHMA’s Legislative Policy Process

NHMA’s biennial legislative policy process is getting underway. As a first step, we are recruiting volunteers to serve on our three legislative policy committees. These committees will review legislative policy proposals submitted by local officials and make recommendations on those policies, which will go to the NHMA Legislative Policy Conference in September.

If you are a local official in an NHMA member municipality and are interested in serving on one of the policy committees, please contact the Government Affairs staff at 800-852-3358 or governmentaffairs@nhmunicipal.org.

Each of the committees deals with a different set of municipal issues. The committees and their subject areas are as follows:

Finance and Revenue – budgeting, revenue, tax exemptions, current use, assessing, tax collection, retirement issues, education funding.

General Administration and Governance – elections, Right-to-Know Law, labor, town meeting, charters, welfare, public safety.

Infrastructure, Development, and Land Use – solid/hazardous waste, transportation, land use, technology, environmental regulation, housing, utilities, code enforcement, economic development.

When you contact us, please indicate your first and second choices for a committee assignment. We will do our best to accommodate everyone’s first choice, but we do need to achieve approximately equal membership among the committees. We hope to have 15-20 members on each committee.

There will be an organizational meeting for all committees on Friday, April 3. After that, each committee will meet separately as many times as necessary to review the policy proposals assigned to it—typically three to five meetings, all held on either a Monday or Friday, between early April and the end of May.

HOUSE CALENDAR

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
10:30 a.m.	HB 1266, relative to absentee ballot request forms.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1299, relative to selectmen pro tem on state election day.
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1288, relative to the form of a candidate’s name on the official ballot in nonpartisan town elections.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1296, requiring certain candidates for municipal office to comply with certain campaign finance laws.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1568-FN-L, prohibiting town employees and elected officials from profiting from businesses with which the town does business.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1572-L, establishing the New Hampshire local election participation act.
RESOURCES, RECREATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Room 305, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1603-FN, establishing the per and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination remediation and mitigation revolving loan program and fund.
TRANSPORTATION, Room 203, LOB
11:00 a.m.	HB 1620-FN, relative to electric vehicle parking spaces.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1357, relative to the distribution of campaign materials inside a polling place.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1668-FN-L, relative to early voting for persons with disabilities.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1292-FN, revising certain benefit provisions in the city of Manchester employees contributory retirement system.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1293, relative to the city of Manchester employees’ contributory retirement system.
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1439, relative to notification of zoning determination announcements and to appeals to the zoning board of adjustment.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1450, relative to the powers of the zoning board of adjustment.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1452, relative to employees of public libraries.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1615-FN, requiring criminal background checks for persons brought into a library to interact with minors in library-sponsored events.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 304, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1237-FN, relative to reporting of information required for utility property valuation.
WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
10:00 a.m.	CACR 17, relating to taxation. Providing that a new state broad-based tax may be enacted only to reduce property taxes.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020
LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1113-FN, relative to workers’ compensation for heart and lung disease in firefighters.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1304-FN, requiring workers’ compensation to cover prophylactic treatment for critical exposure.

TRANSPORTATION, Room 203, LOB
11:00 a.m.	HB 1583-FN, relative to the identification of law enforcement vehicles.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020
ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
1:30 p.m.	HB 1457-FN-L, requiring election officers and supervisors of the checklist to visit skilled nursing facilities and elderly and disabled residences within their jurisdiction for the purpose of assisting with voter registration and casting absentee ballots.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1534, establishing a commission to study the creation of online voter registration for the 2022 state elections.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:30 a.m.	HB 1494-FN, relative to death benefits for public works heavy equipment operators killed in the line of duty, and relative to workers’ compensation offsets for certain retirement system benefits.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1550-FN, extending accidental death benefits for group II members of the retirement system suffering from heart attacks.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1204-FN, relative to the emergency exception for limitations on part-time employment within the New Hampshire retirement system.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1634-FN, relative to certain additional part-time employment of retirees in the retirement system.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1580-FN, regulating the use of drones.
JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1169, relative to requiring a roll call vote when one member of a public body participates electronically.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1170, adding a definition of “reasonably described” to the right-to-know law.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1202-L, relative to matters discussed in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1307-FN, relative to the cost of production of records under the right-to-know law.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1325-FN-L, relative to minutes and decisions in nonpublic sessions under the right-to-know law.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1559, relative to sealing records in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1689-FN, relative to the minutes in nonpublic session under the right-to-know law.
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Rooms 301-303, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1629-FN, relative to training and procedures for zoning and planning boards.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1632-FN-A-L, relative to financial investments and incentives for affordable housing development.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1248-L, relative to community revitalization tax relief incentives.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1631-FN-L, relative to taxation of certain hydro-electric generation facilities.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1158, relative to the adoption of bylaws and ordinances by municipalities.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1276, relative to ex-officio members of budget committees and planning boards.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1277-FN-L, requiring notice to owners of dogs that have failed to license their dog or renew their dog license.
PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS, Room 201, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1650-FN-A-L, establishing a road usage registration fee and making an appropriation therefor.
1:15 p.m.	HB 1649-FN-A, establishing a road usage fee and making an appropriation therefor.
WAYS AND MEANS, Room 202, LOB
1:00 p.m.	HB 1652-FN-A, including ski area ticket sales under the meals and rooms tax and dedi-cating the revenue to the governor’s scholarship program for New Hampshire resident students.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020
ELECTION LAW, Room 308, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1395, establishing a committee to study ballot access and ways to improve civic engagement in New Hampshire.
10:30 a.m.	HB 1651-FN, relative to prisoners’ voting rights.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1672-FN, allowing voters to vote by absentee ballot.
1:00 p.m.	HB 1279, relative to the terms resident, inhabitant, residence, and residency.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1653-FN, relative to domicile, residency, voter registration, and investigation of voter verification letters.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
10:00 a.m.	HB 1447-FN, relative to penalties for retired members of the retirement system exceeding part-time hourly limit.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1235-A, establishing a committee to study ensuring workforce maintenance through enhancement of the retirement system, and making an appropriation therefor.
2:30 p.m.	HB 1205-FN, relative to the reduction in the calculation of state retirement system annuities at age 65. NHMA Policy to Oppose.
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
9:30 a.m.	HB 1392, relative to the procedure for filing federal tax liens.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1160-L, allowing municipalities to collect an occupancy fee from operators of local room rentals.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1441, relative to the perambulation of town lines.
11:30 a.m.	HB 1443, relative to the city of Claremont police commission.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY, Room 304, LOB
9:00 a.m.	HB 1218-FN, relative to net energy metering and limits for customer generators. NHMA Policy.
10:00 a.m.	HB 1481, relative to the net metering cap for customer-generators.
11:00 a.m.	HB 1262, relative to the purchase of output of limited electrical energy producers.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1515, relative to group host net energy metering.
2:00 p.m.	HB 1402, establishing procedures for municipal host customer-generators of electrical energy.
2:45 p.m.	HB 1225, allowing increased net energy metering limits for municipal hydroelectric facilities. NHMA Policy
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 306, LOB
2:00 p.m.	HB 1341-FN-A, relative to vested status of group II members in the state retirement system. NHMA Policy to Oppose.
JUDICIARY, Room 208, LOB
10:20 a.m.	HB 1133-FN, relative to violations of constitutional rights
11:15 a.m.	HB 1673-FN, relative to the definition of “public body” under the right-to-know law.
1:30 p.m.	HB 1607-FN, relative to liability for wrongful acts in an employer/employee relationship.

SENATE CALENDAR

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
COMMERCE, Room 100, SH
1:20 p.m.	SB 451-FN, establishing an administrative hearing procedure and penalty for an employer who fails to make payment of wages or who fails to secure workers’ compensation coverage.
2:20 p.m.	SB 410-FN, relative to the state minimum hourly rate.
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Room 103, SH
9:15 a.m.	Hearing on proposed Amendment #2020-0040s, setting the maximum contaminant levels for certain perfluorochemicals in drinking water, to SB 287-FN, requiring the commissioner of the department of environmental services to revise rules relative to perfluorinated chemical contamination in drinking water.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 102, LOB
10:15 a.m.	SB 538, establishing a commission to study property tax exemptions for charitable organizations.
10:30 a.m.	SB 461, relative to the use of cemetery trust funds.
11:00 a.m.	SB 561, relative to the appointment of town clerks. NHMA Policy.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 101, LOB
9:00 a.m.	SB 543-FN, relative to group II retirement system status for certain department of corrections officials.
WAYS AND MEANS, Room 100, SH
9:30 a.m.	SB 475, enabling municipalities to adopt a property tax credit for densely-built workforce housing.
10:30 a.m.	SB 511, relative to the formula used to determine current use tax rates.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020
ELECTION LAW AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 102, LOB
10:30 a.m.	SB 488, relative to public inspection of absentee ballot lists.
11:00 a.m.	SB 489, relative to the absentee ballot application process.
JUDICIARY, Room 100, SH
1:30 p.m.	SB 605-FN, relative to violations of privacy involving an unmanned aerial vehicle.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020
JUDICIARY, Room 100, SH
10:00 a.m.	SB 469, relative to shooting ranges.

New House Bills

CACR 9 establishes an independent redistricting commission to draw the boundaries for state and federal elections. Rep. Doherty of Pembroke; EL.

HB 1701-FN requires certain stores to establish a single use plastics recycling program and register with the department of environmental services. Rep. Ebel of New London; COM-H.

HB 1702 establishes a solid waste working group on solid waste management planning. Rep. Ebel of New London; E&A.

HB 1703 establishes a working group on food waste. Rep. Ebel of New London; HHS&EA.

HB 1704 requires the department of environmental services to make certain rules regarding compost. Rep. Ebel of New London; E&A.

HB 1709 provides that family day care homes and family group day care homes shall not be required to install sprinkler systems or to obtain food service licenses and shall be permitted to operate in residential zones. Rep. McWilliams of Concord; ED&A-H.

New Senate Bills

SB 591 establishes a statewide solid waste disposal reduction goal. Sen. Watters of Dover; ENR.

SB 605-FN includes unmanned aerial vehicle or “drone” in the meaning of “device” and restricts where a drone may fly outside of a private place. Sen. Ward of Stoddard; JUD-S.

SB 613 permits the department of transportation to access crash data held by other governmental agencies for the purpose of advancing safety related initiatives. Sen. Watters of Dover; TRANS-S.

SB 614 exempts the department of transportation, through January 1, 2021, from the requirement that notice must be given to a municipality when state-owned land is leased to others. Sen. Watters of Dover; TRANS-S.

SB 616 establishes a committee to study the meals and rooms tax distribution formula. Sen. Sherman of Rye; W&M-S.

SB 617-FN establishes a discretionary additional charge in addition to registry of deeds recording fees which are used to support the land and community heritage investment program and establishes a committee to study the economic impact of land conservation and to review the LCHIP surcharge. Sen. Starr of Franconia; W&M-S.

House Floor Action

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 and Thursday, January 9, 2020

CACR 9, relating to redistricting. Providing that an independent redistricting commission shall be established to draw boundaries for state and federal offices. Failed for lack of 3/5 majority.

HB 102, relative to municipal ordinances regarding the use of plastics. Passed with Amendment.

HB 143, relative to incompatibility of offices. Passed with Amendment.

HB 151, relative to the definition of “agriculture.” Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 184-FN, relative to the calculation of kindergarten students in the average daily membership and repealing prorated kindergarten funding based on Keno revenues. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 247, relative to the definition of the state building code. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 274-FN, (New Title) relative to including under the meals and rooms tax facilitators of Internet transactions of motor vehicle rentals and facilitators of Internet transactions of room occupancies. Passed with Amendment.

HB 311, (New Title) relative to the authority of the state fire marshal to grant an exemption from fire code requirements to recovery houses. Passed with Amendment.

HB 352-FN-A, appropriating funds to the department of environmental services for the purpose of funding eligible wastewater projects under the state aid grant program. Inexpedient to Legislate. NHMA Policy.

HB 387, clarifying change of use occupancy classifications. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 408-LOCAL, relative to postponement of town meetings and local elections. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 431, relative to election officers at additional polling places. Passed with Amendment.

HB 456-FN, relative to persons required to register as a lobbyist. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 478-FN-A, establishing a road usage fee and making an appropriation therefor. Tabled. NHMA Policy.

HB 484-FN-LOCAL, relative to group dog licenses. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 497-FN-A-LOCAL, relative to payment by the state of a portion of retirement system contributions of political subdivision employers. Inexpedient to Legislate. NHMA Policy.

HB 501-FN, (New Title) using fees from registration of commercial animal food sellers to fund the cost of care program in the department of agriculture, markets, and food. Passed with Amendment; referred to W&M-H.

HB 506-FN-LOCAL, (New Title) relative to allowing employees time to vote in biennial general elections. Passed with Amendment.

HB 532, relative to payment for earned but unused vacation or personal time. Passed with Amendment.

HB 538-FN-A-LOCAL, increasing the road toll and providing funding for state road and bridge projects. Inexpedient to Legislate. NHMA Policy.

HB 542-FN-A, establishing a grant program to support municipalities in updating their wetlands regulations. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 543, relating to the protection of wetlands. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 554, relative to the duty of the moderator to verify the device count. Interim Study.

HB 559, (New Title) relative to point of sale bags. Passed with Amendment.

HB 563-FN, (New Title) relative to the fees for failing to register certain motor vehicles and establishing a commission to study the registration of trailers, semi-trailers, and other vehicles. Passed with Amendment. NHMA Policy.

HB 596-FN, relative to eligibility for agricultural plates. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 603, relative to procedures for apportioning electoral districts. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 643, relative to the date of the state primary election. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 655, regulating disorderly houses. Tabled.

HB 661, (New Title) relative to claims for medical monitoring. Passed with Amendment.

HB 667-FN, (New Title) relative to testing private wells. Passed with Amendment.

HB 678-FN, relative to state funding of the cost of an opportunity for an adequate education for all New Hampshire students. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 683-FN, relative to the rights of property owners abutting certain highways and railtrails. Tabled.

HB 685-FN, (New Title) establishing a committee to study reimbursement for ambulance services by insurance carriers in New Hampshire. Passed with Amendment.

HB 686-FN-A-LOCAL, relative to calculating and funding the interim cost of an opportunity for an adequate education and extending the interest and dividends tax to capital gains. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 709-FN-A-LOCAL, relative to the formula for determining funding for an adequate education. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 722-FN, relative to the retail sale and taxation of marijuana. Interim Study.

HB 728-FN, relative to ranked-choice voting. Interim Study.

HB 731-FN, (New Title) establishing a state minimum wage and providing for adjustments to the minimum wage. Passed with Amendment.

SB 8, establishing an independent redistricting commission. Passed with Amendment. NHMA Policy.

SB 19, relative to the privacy of certain information concerning public employees. Passed with Amendment.

SB 44, relative to election procedures, delivery of ballots, and assents to candidacy. Passed with Amendment.

SB 45, relative to electioneering at polling places. Passed with Amendment.

SB 79, relative to required reporting on waste reduction. Passed with Amendment; referred to M&CG.

SB 122-FN, relative to expenditures from the energy efficiency fund. Passed with Amendment.

SB 159, relative to net energy metering limits for customer-generators. Passed with Amendment. NHMA Policy.

SB 283-FN, relative to post-election audits of electronic ballot counting devices. Passed with Amendment; referred to FIN-H.

Senate Floor Action

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

SB 23-L, relative to a town establishing a minimum age to purchase a product. Inexpedient to Legislate.

SB 46, relative to qualifications of the inspectors of election. Inexpedient to Legislate.

SB 60, relative to advance notice to hourly employees of work schedules. Interim Study.

SB 69, relative to short-term rentals. Inexpedient to Legislate. NHMA Policy.

SB 95-FN, establishing a working families property tax refund program. Tabled.

SB 113, relative to municipal authority regarding the state building code. Passed with Amendment.

SB 152, relative to third party inspections conducted pursuant to a planning board approval. Passed with Amendment.

SB 157, making undeclared voters eligible to be inspectors. Interim Study.

SB 158, relative to town and city membership in a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and prohibiting recipients of municipal or county funds from using such funds for lobbying. Inexpedient to Legislate.

SB 171-FN-A, appropriating money to remove lead from drinking water pipes in schools. Tabled.

SB 229-FN, (New Title) establishing a committee to study the value of conducting post-election audits in New Hampshire. Passed with Amendment.

SB 305-FN, (New Title) relative to the establishment of an election information portal. Passed with Amendment; referred to FIN-S.

SB 312-FN, relative to medical monitoring for exposure to toxic substances. Interim Study.

SB 316-FN, relative to the protection of personal information. Interim Study.

HB 130-L, relative to property tax relief for totally and permanently disabled veterans. Passed.

HB 153, relative to circumstances under which police officer disciplinary records shall be public documents. Interim Study.

HB 155, relative to procedures for determining and disclosing exculpatory evidence in a police officer’s personnel file. Interim Study.

HB 186, establishing a state minimum wage and providing for adjustments to the minimum wage. Interim Study.

HB 272, relative to temporary workers. Interim Study.

HB 303, relative to certification of building code compliance inspectors. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 384, relative to access to historic burial sites on state-owned land. Inexpedient to Legislate.

HB 466, relative to the capacity of electricity customer generators for eligibility for net energy metering. Passed with Amendment.

HB 479-FN, relative to eligibility for the low and moderate income homeowners property tax relief. Interim Study.

HB 481-FN-A-L, relative to the legalization and regulation of cannabis and making appropriations therefor. Interim Study.

HB 556, allowing municipalities to process absentee ballots prior to election day. Interim Study.

HB 707, relative to settlement money from actions pertaining to the contamination of groundwater or drinking water. Interim Study.

2020 NHMA Upcoming Member Events

Jan. 20	Martin Luther King Day (NHMA Offices Closed)
Jan. 21	Right-to-Know Law Workshop for Law Enforcement (NHMA Offices, Concord)
Jan. 29	*Webinar:* Is Recycling Still Worthwhile in New Hampshire?
Feb. 12	*Webinar:* The Role of Municipalities in Asbestos Regulation Today!
Feb. 15	2020 Moderator’s Workshop for Traditional Meeting (NHMA Offices, Concord)
Feb. 17	President’s Day (NHMA Offices, Closed)
To register for an upcoming event, go to our website: www.nhmunicipal.org and click on the Events & Training tab at the top to access the Full Calendar. For more information, please call NHMA’s Workshop registration line: (603) 230-3350.