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CHAPTER 79
HB 59-FN - FINAL VERSION
13Mar2025... 0590h
01/07/2026 3083s
23Apr2026... 1557EBA
2026 SESSION
25-0026
09/08
HOUSE BILL
59-FN
AN ACT
relative to
the assault of a firefighter, emergency medical care provider, or law enforcement officer.
SPONSORS: Rep. D. Mannion, Rock. 25; Rep. S. Pearson, Rock. 13; Rep. Proulx, Hills. 15; Rep. Roy, Rock. 31; Rep. Seidel, Hills. 29; Sen. Abbas, Dist 22
COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes felony-level offenses for assaults on firefighters, emergency medical care providers, and law enforcement and for assaults specifically targeting law enforcement officers.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
13Mar2025... 0590h
01/07/2026 3083s
23Apr2026... 1557EBA 25-0026
09/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT
relative to
the assault of a firefighter, emergency medical care provider, or law enforcement officer.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
79:1 New Subparagraph; Criminal Code; First Degree Assault; Elements of Offense. Amend RSA 631:1, I by inserting after subparagraph (d) the following new subparagraph:
(e) Knowingly causes serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer, a paid firefighter, volunteer firefighter, on-call firefighter, or licensed emergency medical care provider as defined in RSA 153-A:2, V, acting in the line of duty; or commits such an act against a law enforcement officer whether or not the officer is on duty, where the purpose was to harm the officer because of his or her present or previous employment as a law enforcement officer.
79:2 New Subparagraph; Criminal Code; Second Degree Assault; Elements of Offense. Amend RSA 631:2, I by inserting after subparagraph (f) the following new subparagraph:
(g) Knowingly causes bodily injury to a law enforcement officer, a paid firefighter, volunteer firefighter, on-call firefighter, or licensed emergency medical care provider as defined in RSA 153-A:2, V, acting in the line of duty; or commits such an act against a law enforcement officer whether or not the officer is on duty, where the purpose was to harm the officer because of his or her present or previous employment as a law enforcement officer.
79:3 Extended Term of Imprisonment. Amend RSA 651:6, I(g) to read as follows:
(g) Has knowingly committed or attempted to commit any of the crimes defined in RSA 631
, other than a violation of RSA 631:1, I(e) or RSA 631:2, I(g),
where he or she knows the victim was, at the time of the commission of the crime, a law enforcement officer, a paid firefighter, volunteer firefighter, on-call firefighter, or licensed emergency medical care provider as defined in RSA 153-A:2, V acting in the line of duty;
79:4 First Degree Assault; Elements. Amend RSA 631:1, I(d) to read as follows:
(d) Knowingly or recklessly causes serious bodily injury to a person under 13 years of age[
.
]
; or
79:5 Second Degree Assault; Elements. Amend RSA 631:2, I(f) to read as follows:
(f) Purposely or knowingly engages in the strangulation of another[
.
]
; or
79:6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage
Approved: May 22, 2026
Effective Date: July 21, 2026