New Hampshire HB 1392: removing the ability of the governing body or budget committee to give a written recommendation about a warrant article on the ballot.

Bill Text

HB 1392 - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-3204

 08/09

HOUSE BILL 1392

AN ACT removing the ability of the governing body or budget committee to give a written recommendation about a warrant article on the ballot.

SPONSORS: Rep. Noble, Hills. 2; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Labrie, Hills. 2; Rep. Mazur, Hills. 44; Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Tom Mannion, Hills. 1; Rep. Potenza, Straf. 19; Rep. Farrington, Straf. 8; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

 This bill removes the ability of the governing body or budget committee to give a written recommendation about a warrant article on the ballot.

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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-3204

 08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT removing the ability of the governing body or budget committee to give a written recommendation about a warrant article on the ballot.

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

 1 Budget Preparation; Notation by Governing Body or Budget Committee. Amend RSA 32:5, V to read as follows: 

 V. When any purpose of appropriation, submitted by a governing body or by petition, appears in the warrant as part of a special warrant article,[: 

 (a) The article shall contain a notation of whether or not that appropriation is recommended by the governing body, and, if there is a budget committee, a notation of whether or not it is recommended by the budget committee; 

 (b) If the article is amended at the first session of the meeting in an official ballot referendum municipality, the governing body and the budget committee, if one exists, may revise its recommendation on the amended version of the special warrant article and the revised recommendation shall appear on the ballot for the second session of the meeting provided, however, that the 10 percent limitation on expenditures provided for in RSA 32:18 shall be calculated based upon the initial recommendations of the budget committee; 

 (c) Defects or deficiencies in these notations shall not affect the legal validity of any appropriation otherwise lawfully made; and 

 (d) All] all appropriations made under special warrant articles shall be subject to the hearing requirements of paragraphs I and II of this section. 

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