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HB1419 • 2026

(New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

(New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Donald McFarlane (R), Jason Osborne (R), Jordan Ulery (R), Dan McGuire (R), Daniel Popovici-Muller (R), Robert Wherry (R), Mary Murphy (R), Joe Sweeney (R), Jim Kofalt (R)
Last action
2026-05-21
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.

(New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

(New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

What This Bill Does

  • (New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

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 #2026-0897h : AA DV 187-151 03/12/2026 HJ 8 P. 9

Plain English: Amendment #2026-0897h : AA DV 187-151 03/12/2026 HJ 8 P. 9 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. 2026-05-21 H

    House Non-Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1767s (Rep. Lynn): MA VV 05/21/2026 HJ 14

  2. 2026-05-07 S

    Committee Amendment #2026-1767s , AA, VV; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

  3. 2026-05-07 S

    Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1767s , MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

  4. 2026-04-30 S

    Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1767s , 05/07/2026, Vote 3-2; SC 17

  5. 2026-04-24 S

    Hearing: 04/28/2026, Room 100, SH, 01:10 pm; SC 17

  6. 2026-03-17 S

    Introduced 03/12/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 7

  7. 2026-03-12 H

    Amendment #2026-0897h : AA DV 187-151 03/12/2026 HJ 8 P. 9

  8. 2026-03-12 H

    Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0897h: MA DV 189-149 03/12/2026 HJ 8 P. 10

  9. 2026-03-04 H

    Executive Session: 02/20/2026 01:30 pm GP 231

  10. 2026-03-04 H

    Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0897h 02/27/2026 (Vote 9-8; RC) HC 10 P. 58

  11. 2026-03-04 H

    Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate

  12. 2026-02-12 H

    Public Hearing: 02/20/2026 01:30 pm GP 231

  13. 2025-12-04 H

    Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Judiciary HJ 1 P. 19

Official Summary Text

(New Title) establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 1419 - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

12Mar2026... 0897h
05/07/2026 1767s

2026 SESSION
26-2321
07/09

HOUSE BILL
1419

AN ACT
establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

SPONSORS: Rep. McFarlane, Graf. 18; Rep. D. McGuire, Merr. 14; Rep. Mary Murphy, Hills. 27; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Popovici-Muller, Rock. 17; Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25; Rep. Ulery, Hills. 13; Rep. Wherry, Hills. 13; Rep. Kofalt, Hills. 32

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill establishes a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

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

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.
12Mar2026... 0897h
05/07/2026 1767s 26-2321
07/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
establishing a committee to study whether a court with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters should be established.

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

1 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study the feasibility, benefits, and risks of establishing a business court or an otherwise enhanced business docket with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters.

2 Membership and Compensation.
I. The members of the committee shall consist of three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; one of whom shall be a member of the minority party.
II. Legislative members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.

3 Duties. The committee shall:
(a) Study the feasibility, benefits, and risks of establishing a court of chancery with specialized jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, and equitable matters;
(b) Examine reforms to the business corporation act and related statutes, including the potential adoption of provisions modeled after, or improving upon, Delaware general corporation law;
(c) Evaluate mechanisms for recruiting, appointing, and retaining chancellors and vice chancellors with deep corporate law expertise, including term lengths, compensation, and appointment processes;
(d) Investigate partnerships with the university of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce school of law, or other local and regional institutions, to create clerkship pipelines, research centers, and academic programs focused on corporate governance;
(e) Assess the fiscal impact on state revenues from franchise taxes, filing fees, and related incorporation services, and recommend strategies to make New Hampshire attractive for incorporation;
(f) Develop strategies for branding and marketing New Hampshire as a premier jurisdiction for corporate governance; and
(g) Recommend any additional statutory or constitutional changes necessary to establish a sustainable and competitive framework and business climate within the state.

4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Two members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, the chief justice of the supreme court, and the state library on or before November 1, 2026.

6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.