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HB1134 • 2026

relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Diane Pauer (R), Michael Granger (R), Richard Lascelles (R), Lex Berezhny (R), Melissa Litchfield (R), Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R), Susan DeRoy (R), Rich Nalevanko (R), Kevin Avard (R), Keith Erf (R), Keith Ammon (R), Keith Murphy (R)
Last action
2026-04-03
Official status
SENATE
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

What This Bill Does

  • relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment #2026-0204h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6

Plain English: Amendment #2026-0204h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 1

  • The official amendment file could not be read automatically during the last sync, so only the official amendment metadata is shown right now.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-03 S

    Refer to Interim Study, MA, VV; 04/09/2026; SJ 8

  2. 2026-03-20 S

    Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 04/09/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 13

  3. 2026-03-12 S

    Hearing: 03/18/2026, Room 103, SH, 01:00 pm; SC 10

  4. 2026-03-06 S

    Introduced 03/05/2026 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 6

  5. 2026-03-05 H

    Lay HB1134 on Table (Rep. Maggiore): MA DV 154-167 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 125

  6. 2026-03-05 H

    Amendment #2026-0204h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6

  7. 2026-03-05 H

    Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0204h: MA DV 168-156 03/05/2026 HJ 6

  8. 2026-02-10 H

    Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0204h 02/03/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC) HC 9 P. 43

  9. 2026-02-10 H

    Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate

  10. 2026-02-04 H

    Executive Session: 02/03/2026 11:15 am GP 153

  11. 2026-01-14 H

    Public Hearing: 01/23/2026 09:35 am GP 154

  12. 2025-12-01 H

    Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 1 P. 7

Official Summary Text

relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 1134 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

5Mar2026... 0204h
2026 SESSION
26-2296
07/08

HOUSE BILL
1134

AN ACT
relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

SPONSORS: Rep. Pauer, Hills. 36; Rep. Berezhny, Graf. 11; Rep. DeRoy, Straf. 3; Rep. Erf, Hills. 28; Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Litchfield, Rock. 32; Rep. Nalevanko, Ches. 9; Rep. Ammon, Hills. 42; Rep. Lascelles, Hills. 14; Rep. Harvey-Bolia, Belk. 3; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

This bill determines the order in which total appropriations in warrant articles accumulate for purposes of determining when a warrant article will trigger an override vote of a local tax or budget cap.

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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.
5Mar2026... 0204h 26-2296
07/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
relative to the town meeting form of local governance.

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

1 Towns, Cities, Village Districts, and Unincorporated Places; Proceedings; Consideration of Warrant Articles. Amend RSA 40:11 to read as follows:
40:11 Consideration of Warrant Articles.
I.
Every article included in a warrant for a town meeting shall be acted upon before final adjournment of the town meeting
, which shall include satisfying all provisions for debate pursuant to RSA 40:7
.

II. If voting on a warrant article requires the use of a ballot by statute, the moderator shall ensure the warrant article is acted upon by conducting a "yes-no" ballot vote for that warrant article.
III. In determining when an appropriation in a warrant article will attempt to override a local tax cap pursuant to RSA 32:5-b or budget cap pursuant to RSA 32:5-e or RSA 32:5-g, or when an appropriation in a warrant article will exceed the 10 percent limitation on expenditures pursuant to RSA 32:18, total appropriations in warrant articles approved by a legislative body shall accumulate in the order in which the warrant articles are taken up at the annual meeting. For a town or district that uses an official ballot form of meeting under RSA 40:13 or operates under a charter adopted pursuant to RSA 49-D, approved appropriations for warrant articles shall accumulate in the order in which warrant articles are approved at an annual meeting, if any, then accumulate in the order in which warrant articles appear on an official ballot.

2 Towns, Cities, Village Districts, and Unincorporated Places; Optional Form of Meeting-Official Ballot Referenda; Use of Official Ballot. Amend RSA 40:13, XIII to read as follows:
XIII. Approval of all warrant articles shall be by simple majority except for questions which require a 2/3
or 3/5
vote by law, contract, or written agreement.

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