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HB 1631-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
12Mar2026... 0713h
2026 SESSION
26-3003
09/08
HOUSE BILL
1631-FN
AN ACT
relative to the contents of the attorney general's annual report detailing state forfeiture information for the preceding fiscal year.
SPONSORS: Rep. Popovici-Muller, Rock. 17; Rep. Wheeler, Hills. 33; Rep. Lynn, Rock. 17; Rep. D. McGuire, Merr. 14; Rep. McFarlane, Graf. 18; Rep. Corcoran, Hills. 28; Rep. Slottje, Hills. 13; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16
COMMITTEE: Judiciary
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ANALYSIS
This bill changes the requirements for the annual report from the attorney general concerning forfeitures of personal property.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
12Mar2026... 0713h 26-3003
09/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT
relative to the contents of the attorney general's annual report detailing state forfeiture information for the preceding fiscal year.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Forfeitures of Personal Property; Report. Amend RSA 617:12, I to read as follows:
I. The attorney general, no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year, shall post a
disaggregated
report on the department of justice website detailing
completed
state forfeiture activity[
,
] for the preceding fiscal year, including [
the type, approximate value, and disposition of each property seized, and the amount of any proceeds received or expended at the state and local levels. The report shall provide a categorized accounting of all proceeds expended.
]
the following information:
(a) Name of the law enforcement agency that seized the property or the name of the lead agency, if the property is seized by a multi-jurisdictional task force;
(b) Date of the seizure;
(c) Type of property seized, except that reporting is not required for seized contraband including alcohol, drug paraphernalia, and controlled substances;
(d) Place of seizure postal zip code;
(e) Criminal offense alleged that led to the seizure (including whether under state or federal law);
(f) Crime for which suspect was charged (including whether under state or federal law);
(g) The outcome of suspect’s criminal case, if available: no charge was filed, charges dropped, acquittal, plea agreement, conviction, ongoing, or other;
(h) The date that the forfeiture proceeding is completed; and
(i) Total value of property forfeited under state law, excluding the value of contraband, and including currency, proceeds from sale of non-currency property, and distributions received from the federal government.
I-a. Reported
data [
on seizures, forfeitures, and expenditures of forfeiture proceeds
] shall be provided by the law enforcement agency in disaggregated form to the attorney general.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBA
26-3003
Revised 4/7/26
HB 1631-FN-
FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE (AMENDMENT #2026-0713h)
AN ACT
relative to the contents of the attorney general's annual report detailing state forfeiture information for the preceding fiscal year.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
Estimated State Impact
FY 2026
FY 2027
FY 2028
FY 2029
Revenue
$0
$0
$0
$0
Revenue Fund(s)
None
Expenditures*
$0
$99,000
$100,000
$103,000
Funding Source(s)
General Fund
Appropriations*
$0
$0
$0
$0
Funding Source(s)
None
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill
METHODOLOGY:
This bill changes the requirements for the annual report from the attorney general concerning forfeitures of personal property. The Department of Justice states by expanding the reportable data requirements pertaining to drug forfeiture matters. The Department notes they will likely need a full time paralegal (23-2010 PARALGLS-LGL ASSTS-5 SOC23-04) at a cost of $99,000 including fit up costs, for FY 2027, $100,000 in FY 2028, and $103,000 in FY 2029, to collate and report the mandated information.
It is assumed if the position requested in this bill is authorized, the Department would include the cost of the position for FY 2028 and FY 2029 in their FY 2028 and FY 2029 budget request.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Justice