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HB1309 • 2026

relative to town meeting warrants.

relative to town meeting warrants.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Kelley Potenza (R), Lori Korzen (R), Keith Murphy (R), Ross Berry (R), Katelyn Kuttab (R), Victoria Sullivan (R), Claudine Burnham (R), Robert Wherry (R)
Last action
2026-06-01
Official status
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
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 town meeting warrants.

relative to town meeting warrants.

What This Bill Does

  • relative to town meeting warrants.

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 #2026-0411h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 27

Plain English: Amendment #2026-0411h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 27 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. 2026-06-01 H

    Signed by Governor Ayotte 05/28/2026; Chapter 92; eff. 07/27/2026

  2. 2026-05-18 S

    Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13

  3. 2026-05-18 H

    Enrolled (in recess of) 05/14/2026 HJ 13

  4. 2026-04-10 S

    Ought to Pass : MA, VV; OT3rdg; 04/16/2026; SJ 9

  5. 2026-04-07 S

    Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 04/16/2026; Vote 4-1; CC; SC 14

  6. 2026-03-25 S

    Hearing: 03/31/2026, Room 122-123, SH, 10:15 am; SC 12

  7. 2026-03-06 S

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

  8. 2026-03-05 H

    Amendment #2026-0411h : AA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 27

  9. 2026-03-05 H

    Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0411h: MA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 27

  10. 2026-02-24 H

    Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0411h 02/17/2026 (Vote 17-0; CC) HC 9 P. 22

  11. 2026-02-11 H

    Executive Session: 02/17/2026 09:00 am GP 154

  12. 2026-01-21 H

    Public Hearing: 01/27/2026 11:20 am GP 154

  13. 2025-12-01 H

    Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 1 P. 15

Official Summary Text

relative to town meeting warrants.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
CHAPTER 92
HB 1309 - FINAL VERSION

5Mar2026... 0411h
2026 SESSION
26-2893
04/09

HOUSE BILL
1309

AN ACT
relative to town meeting warrants.

SPONSORS: Rep. Potenza, Straf. 19; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Burnham, Straf. 2; Rep. Korzen, Coos 7; Rep. Kuttab, Rock. 17; Rep. Wherry, Hills. 13; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16; Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

This bill requires each warrant article to clearly convey its intent and effect.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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... 0411h 26-2893
04/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
relative to town meeting warrants.

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

92:1 Time for Holding Town Meetings and Warning Thereof; Warrant. Amend RSA 39:2 to read as follows:
39:2 Warrant. The warrant for any town meeting shall be under the hands of the selectmen, and shall prescribe the place, day and hour of the meeting, and, if there is an election at said meeting, in which an official printed ballot containing more than one name is used, the warrant therefor shall prescribe the time the polls are to open and also an hour before which the polls may not close. A town meeting may vote to keep the polls open to a later hour but may not vote to close the polls at an earlier hour than that prescribed by the selectmen hereunder. The subject matter of all business to be acted upon at the town meeting shall be distinctly stated in the warrant, and
the intent and effect of each warrant article shall be stated clearly and without commentary or ambiguity.
Nothing done at any meeting, except the election of any town officer required by law to be made at such meeting, shall be valid unless the subject thereof is so stated. Provided that in a case where the article in the warrant calls for the appropriation of a specific sum of money, the sum of money appropriated thereunder may be decreased or increased by the vote of the town, provided further that in a town under the municipal budget act no increase shall be valid which would violate the provisions of RSA 32:18, except as provided in RSA 32:18-a.

92:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: May 28, 2026
Effective Date: July 27, 2026