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HB1394 • 2026

enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

Elections
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Joe Sweeney (R)
Last action
2026-03-05
Official status
HOUSE
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.

enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

What This Bill Does

  • enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

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.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-05 H

    Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/05/2026 HJ 6 P. 29

  2. 2026-02-24 H

    Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/17/2026 (Vote 17-0; CC) HC 9 P. 23

  3. 2026-02-11 H

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

  4. 2026-01-21 H

    Public Hearing: 01/27/2026 11:55 am GP 154

  5. 2025-12-04 H

    Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 1 P. 18

Official Summary Text

enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 1394 - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION
26-3207
08/05

HOUSE BILL
1394

AN ACT
enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

SPONSORS: Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

This bill enables the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

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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.
26-3207
08/05

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
enabling the municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that changes the form of government of the municipality.

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

1 Charter Amendments; Procedure; Change Form of Government. Amend RSA 49-B:5, I(c)-(d) to read as follows:
(c)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the municipal officers may, by a vote of two-thirds of their membership, place directly on the ballot a proposed charter amendment that changes the form of government of the municipality, including but not limited to: adoption of a town council, adoption of a city form, transition between council-manager and mayor-council structures, or any other structural realignment of legislative or executive authority. Any such amendment shall be adopted upon receiving a majority of those voting on the question.
(d)
Each amendment shall be limited to a single subject, but more than one section of the charter may be amended as long as it is germane to that subject.
[
(d)
]
(e)
Alternative statements of a single amendment are prohibited.

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