New Hampshire HB 1587: requiring police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law.

Bill Text

HB 1587-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2897

 07/09

HOUSE BILL 1587-FN

AN ACT requiring police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law. 

SPONSORS: Rep. Sabourin dit Choiniere, Rock. 30; Rep. Corcoran, Hills. 28; Rep. Giasson, Hills. 29; Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Tim Mannion, Hills. 1; Rep. Tom Mannion, Hills. 1; Rep. Slottje, Hills. 13; Rep. Spillane, Rock. 2

COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

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ANALYSIS

 This bill requires police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law and requires a public body or agency to respond to requests for body camera footage within 5 business days.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2897

 07/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT requiring police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law. 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Definitions. Amend RSA 91-A:1-a, II to read as follows: 

 II. "Governmental proceedings" means the transaction of any functions affecting any or all citizens of the state by a public body, and includes video and audio recordings created by law enforcement officers in the performance of official duties through body-worn cameras, except as limited by RSA 91-A:5 or other applicable law.

 2 New Paragraphs; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Minutes and Records Available for Public Inspection. Amend RSA 91-A:4 by inserting after paragraph IX the following new paragraphs: 

 X. A public body or agency may charge actual costs for redaction and processing of body-worn camera requests in accordance with paragraph IV. 

 XI. A public body or agency shall respond to requests for footage under this section within 5 business days and provide either the records, an explanation for denial, or a statement of time needed for redaction and processing to the requester.

 3 New Section; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage. Amend RSA 91-A by inserting after section 4 the following new section: 

 91-A:4-a Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage. 

 I. Body-worn camera footage recorded by law enforcement officers in the course of official duties shall be subject to public disclosure under this chapter. 

 II. Prior to disclosure of any body-worn camera record, the public body or public agency shall redact: 

 (a) Personal identifying information of individuals, including social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, medical or welfare data, and other information whose disclosure would constitute an invasion of privacy under RSA 91-A:5, IV. 

 (b) Imagery of minors, victims of sexual assault, and private locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, unless the public interest in disclosure outweighs the privacy interest. 

 (c) Any other content exempt under RSA 91-A:5 or federal law. 

 III. Requests for records shall be processed in accordance with RSA 91-A:4, with redactions documented in writing, specifying the statutory basis for each withheld or redacted portion. 

 4 Repeal. RSA 91-A:5, X, relative to exempting body-worn camera footage from disclosure, is repealed. 

 5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.

 LBA

 26-2897

 12/8/25

HB 1587-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT requiring police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law. 

FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.

 Estimated State Impact

FY 2026

FY 2027

FY 2028

FY 2029

 Revenue

$0

Indeterminable

 Revenue Fund(s)

Fee Revenue for Requests

 Expenditures*

$0

Department of Safety

$484K in FY 27, $483K in FY 28, and $508K in FY 29

Department of Corrections

$111K in FY 28 and $114K in FY 29

 Funding Source(s)

General Fund

 Appropriations*

$0

$0

$0

$0

 Funding Source(s)

None

 *Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill

 Estimated Political Subdivision Impact

FY 2026

FY 2027

FY 2028

FY 2029

 County Revenue

$0

Indeterminable

 County Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable

 Local Revenue

$0

Indeterminable

 Local Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable

METHODOLOGY:

This bill, effective January 1, 2027, requires police body-worn camera footage be subject to the right-to-know law and requires a public body or agency to respond to reques