New Hampshire HB 1838: establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and raising vehicle registration fees.

Bill Text

HB 1838-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2582

 07/08

HOUSE BILL 1838-FN

AN ACT establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and raising vehicle registration fees.

SPONSORS: Rep. Muirhead, Graf. 12

COMMITTEE: Election Law

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ANALYSIS

This bill:

 I. Establishes a voter-owned elections fund.

 II. Raises motor vehicle registration fees.

 III. Establishes a private motor vehicle registration fee.

 IV. Creates a voter-owned elections commission to provide financial support to certain candidates for office.

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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2582

 07/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT establishing a voter-owned elections fund and commission and raising vehicle registration fees.

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

 1 The State and Its Government; Department and Secretary of State; Commissions and Boards Functioning Within Department. Amend RSA 5:13 to read as follows: 

 5:13 Commissions and Boards Functioning Within Department. The ballot law commission and the voter-owned elections commission shall each function within the department of state as a separate organizational entity and with all the powers and duties as heretofore provided, except as otherwise provided by law. 

 2 New Subparagraph; The State and Its Government; State Treasurer; Application of Receipts. Amend RSA 6:12, I(b) by inserting after subparagraph (410) the following new subparagraph: 

 (411) Moneys deposited in the New Hampshire voter-owned elections fund established in RSA 664-A:2. 

 3 Motor Vehicles; Registration Fees; Fees to be Collected. Amend RSA 261:141, III(cc) to read as follows: 

 (cc) For each vanity number plate set-[$60] $65. 

 4 New Subparagraph; Motor Vehicles; Registration Fees; Fees to be Collected. Amend RSA 261:141, III by inserting after subparagraph (dd) the following new subparagraph: 

 (ee) For all private passenger vehicles, as defined in RSA 259:81, subject to paragraph (g) of this section-$1. 

 5 Motor Vehicles; Registration Fees; Fees to be Collected. Amend RSA 261:141, VII(d) to read as follows: 

 (d) For vanity plate service fee-[$60] $65.

 6 Motor Vehicles; Drivers' Licenses; Driver Training Fund. Amend RSA 263:52, II to read as follows: 

 II. [The $60] Subject to RSA 664-A:2, III(f), the vanity plate service fee and the fee for renewal of vanity number plates shall automatically be credited to the driver training fund until all fees in such fund equal the amount of money estimated by the general court as available for expenditure for course materials, licensing of schools, and certification services in connection with driver training from that fund for that fiscal year. Once the driver training course materials, licensing of schools, and certification services have been funded in accordance with the legislative estimates for the current fiscal year, the next 1.5 million dollars shall be transferred to the department of safety as restricted revenue, thereafter the balance of all such fees shall be transferred to the general fund and shall be available as unrestricted revenue. 

 7 Elections; Enforcement; Complaints. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 664:18 to read as follows: 

 Any candidate or voter may make complaint in writing to the attorney general of any violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or of RSA 664-A. 

 8 Elections; Enforcement; Penalty. Amend RSA 664:21, I to read as follows: 

 I. Any fine assessed under the provision of this section shall be paid to the secretary of state for deposit into the [general fund] voter-owned elections funds established in RSA 664-A:2.

 9 New Chapter; Public Financing of Elections. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 664 the following new chapter: 

CHAPTER 664-A

PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS

 664-A:1 Definitions. As used in this chapter: 

 I. "Affidavit of registration" means a form completed and filed by a candidate according to procedures and forms developed by the voter-owned elections commission demonstrating and certifying that the candidate will comply with all the requirements of this chapter.

 II. "Commission" means the voter-owned elections commission established in RSA 664-A:9.

 III. "Contested general election" means an election in which 2 or more general election candidates for executive council each report expenditures of $10,000 or more during the current election cycle.

 IV. "Election cycle" has the same meaning as provided in RSA 664:2, XXIII.

 V. "Fund" means the voter-owned e