New Hampshire HB 1706: repealing the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services and prohibiting expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.

Bill Text

HB 1706-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2501

 05/08

HOUSE BILL 1706-FN

AN ACT repealing the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services and prohibiting expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.

SPONSORS: Rep. Corcoran, Hills. 28; Rep. Alexander Jr., Hills. 29; Rep. Belcher, Carr. 4; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Drew, Hills. 19; Rep. Erf, Hills. 28; Rep. McFarlane, Graf. 18; Rep. Noble, Hills. 2; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Spillane, Rock. 2; Sen. Ward, Dist 8

COMMITTEE: Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

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ANALYSIS

 This bill repeals the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services and prohibits expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.

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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2501

 05/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT repealing the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services and prohibiting expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.

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

 1 Termination of Refugee Program Administered Through the Department of Health and Human Services. 

 I. In this section "refugee resettlement program" means the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and any other federal program or nonprofit program or grant designed to settle, fund, or otherwise help refugees or asylees. 

 II. On the effective date of this section, the department of health and human services shall, as promptly as practicable, terminate any contracts administered under a refugee resettlement program.

 III. No department, agency, or administrative unit of state government may accept money from any source for refugee resettlement.

 VI. No department, agency, or administrative unit of state government may spend money to settle, fund, or otherwise assist refugee resettlement, either directly or indirectly via payments to towns or nongovernmental organizations.

 2 Severability Clause. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected.

 3 Repeal. RSA 161:2, XVIII, relative to the New Hampshire refugee resettlement program, is repealed. 

 4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage. 

 LBA

 26-2501

 12/10/25

HB 1706-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT repealing the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services and prohibiting expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.

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

$0

$0

$0

 Revenue Fund(s)

None

 Expenditures*

$0

($4,481,357)

($4,499,362)

($4,499,362)

 Funding Source(s)

Federal Funds

 Appropriations*

$0

$0

$0

$0

 Funding Source(s)

None

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

METHODOLOGY:

This bill terminates the refugee resettlement program administered through the state Department of Health and Human Services, and prohibits public spending to assist refugee resettlement. The Department states that the refugee resettlement program is entirely federally funded, and that its Office of Health Access currently administers approximately $4.5 million per year in federal funds. As a result of the bill, these funds would no longer be spent. For informational purposes, the Department's budget also contains approximately $1.7 million per year in its "Minority Health/Refugee Affairs" account, which is a mixture of federal and state general funds. In prior correspondence with the Office of the Legislative Budget Assistant, the Department has noted that these funds are used not for refugee resettlement, but rather for communications access for clients who are deaf, have hearing loss, or vision/speech or other impairments. For this reason, this fiscal note assumes that those funds will be unaffected by this bill. 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Health and Human Services