(New Title) requiring the executive director of the department of fish and game to adopt rules relative to procedures for verifying accuracy of records collected relative to threatened and endangered wildlife and ensuring landowner permission is granted for the gathering of such record.

CHAPTER 236
HB 1603-FN - FINAL VERSION

2026 SESSION
19Feb2026...0518h
04/09/2026 1305s 26-3192
08/06

HOUSE BILL
1603-FN

AN ACT
requiring the executive director of the department of fish and game to adopt rules relative to procedures for verifying accuracy of records collected relative to threatened and endangered wildlife and ensuring landowner permission is granted for the gathering of such record.

SPONSORS: Rep. DeVito, Rock. 8; Rep. Beaulier, Graf. 1; Rep. Litchfield, Rock. 32; Rep. Tom Mannion, Hills. 1; Rep. Mazur, Hills. 44; Rep. McGrath, Rock. 40; Rep. Sabourin dit Choiniere, Rock. 30; Rep. Harvey-Bolia, Belk. 3; Rep. DeRoy, Straf. 3; Rep. Mary Murphy, Hills. 27; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16

COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires the executive director of the department of fish and game to adopt rules relative to procedures for verifying accuracy of records collected relative to threatened and endangered wildlife and ensures landowner permission is granted for the gathering of such record.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19Feb2026... 0518h
04/09/2026 1305s 26-3192
08/06

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
requiring the executive director of the department of fish and game to adopt rules relative to procedures for verifying accuracy of records collected relative to threatened and endangered wildlife and ensuring landowner permission is granted for the gathering of such record.

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

236:1 Endangered Species Conservation Act; Conservation Program. RSA 212-A:9, III is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
III.(a)

All other state departments and agencies, to the extent possible, consistent with their authorities and responsibilities, shall take such action as is reasonable and prudent to ensure that actions authorized, funded, or carried out by them do not appreciably jeopardize the continued existence of such species or result in the destruction or modification of habitat of such species which is determined by the executive director to be critical, by requiring that all such action is designed to avoid, minimize, and mitigate harm to such species and habitat designated as critical.

Other departments and agencies may consult with the executive director or hire their own internal wildlife biologists to carry out the requirements of this paragraph.

The executive director shall assist other departments and agencies in carrying out this paragraph.

(b)

The executive director shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A, not later than one year after the effective date of this paragraph and not to exceed one year after passage, to establish procedures requiring all records added to the database after the effective date of this paragraph to verify the accuracy of records for threatened and endangered wildlife records under this paragraph, as well as:
(1) Requiring data to be reviewed and approved by the fish and game department; and
(2) Notifying landowners a new record was added to the database.
(c)

The executive director shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A not later than one year after the effective date of this paragraph, to establish procedures to obtain landowner permission for entry onto private property for the purposes of gathering by the fish and game department of site-specific species location data.

(d)

For the purpose of this statute, "appreciably jeopardize the continued existence of such species" shall be defined in rules adopted by the executive director pursuant to RSA 541-A.

The provisions of RSA 212-A or any rule promulgated under this chapter shall not be applicable to a state department or agency when that state department or agency, in the process of undertaking an action, is required by federal law or regulation to address the environmental impact on wildlife or wildlife habitat, of that action.

236:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: July 02, 2026
Effective Date: August 31, 2026