New Hampshire House Of Representatives

See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[15]

State law requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous, and maintain the boundaries of towns, wards, or unincorporated places." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.^[15]

2020[edit]

See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2020 census

Upon completion of the 2020 census, New Hampshire will draft and enact new district maps. The House Redistricting Committee said it planned to make final map recommendations to the legislature on Nov. 16 or 17. The Senate Redistricting Committee said it would take up proposed maps in late January.^[16]

On Aug. 25, 2021, the House Redistricting Committee announced it would hold a series of ten public hearings regarding redistricting. As of Sept. 29, the following hearings had been announced:

2010[edit]

See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2010 census

New Hampshire received its local Census data on March 22, 2011. The state's population increased 6.5 percent, with Coos County being the only county to face a decrease (-0.2 percent). Growth in the larger cities was as follows: Manchester grew by 2.4 percent, Nashua decreased by 0.1 percent, Concord grew by 4.9 percent, Derry decreased by 2.7 percent, and Dover grew by 11.5 percent.^[17]

At the time of redistricting, Republicans controlled the General Court, and the Democrats controlled the governorship. On March 23, 2012, Governor John Lynch (D) signed into law a new Senate plan but vetoed the House map, citing a lack of representation in towns exceeding 3,000 people, which automatically required their own representative. The Legislature overrode the veto on March 28, 2012, and the Department of Justice approved the maps in May 2012, as required by the Voting Rights Act.

Sessions[edit]

Legislation[edit]

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in New Hampshire by year[edit]

2021[edit]

See also: 2021 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2021 state legislative sessions

In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021, and adjourn on June 24, 2021.

2020[edit]

See also: 2020 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2020 state legislative sessions

In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on June 30, 2020.

Effect of coronavirus pandemic[edit]

See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryDaily updatesElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit

Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

2019[edit]

See also: 2019 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions

In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 2, 2019, through June 30, 2019.

2018[edit]

See also: 2018 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions

In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2018, through June 30, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, click here.

2017[edit]

See also: Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions

In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 4, 2017, through June 22, 2017. The state House met on November 2 over the governor's veto of HB 86.

About legislative sessions in New Hampshire[edit]

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[28] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

The Second Part of the New Hampshire Constitution establishes when the New Hampshire General Court, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Article 3 of the Second Part states that the General Court is to convene annually on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in January. Additionally, in even-numbered years, the General Court is to meet on the first Wednesday of December for organizational purposes.

Legislative roles and procedures[edit]

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

Veto overrides[edit]

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Hampshire are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

Authority: Executive Power, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution.

Role in state budget[edit]

See also: New Hampshire state budget and finances

New Hampshire on

Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[29]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in August.
2. State agencies submit their requests by October 1.
3. Agency hearings and public hearings are held in November.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the New Hampshire State Legislature by February 15.
5. The legislature adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
6. The biennial budget cycle begins in July.

New Hampshire is one of only six states in which the governor cannot exercise line item veto authority.^[29]

In New Hampshire, the governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.^[29]

Committees[edit]

See also: List of committees in New Hampshire state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has 25 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments[edit]

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the New Hampshire Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article 100 of the New Hampshire Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in New Hampshire

There are two paths to altering the New Hampshire Constitution: A legislatively referred constitutional amendment or a constitutional convention.

• Part II, Article 100 says that a legislatively referred constitutional amendment can go on the ballot if approved by a 60 percent vote in each house of the New Hampshire General Court.

• Once on the ballot, a proposed amendment must be approved by two-thirds of those voting in order to become part of the state's constitution.

• Article 100 says that a constitutional convention can also be called to propose amendments or revisions to the constitution.

• A question about whether to have a convention can be put on the ballot through a majority vote in both houses of the New Hampshire legislature.
• A question about whether to have a convention also goes on the ballot automatically every 10 years.
• In each case, the wording of the question is, "Shall there be a convention to amend or revise the constitution?"
• A majority of those voting must approve it.
• Delegates to that convention can propose amendments by a 60 percent vote.
• A two-thirds supermajority vote of qualified voters is required to adopt any such proposed amendments.

2021 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2021 ballot by the legislature.

See also: 2021 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

See also[edit]

Elections	New Hampshire State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2022 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2018	New Hampshire General Court New Hampshire State Senate Governor of New Hampshire New Hampshire Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2021 State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2019 State legislative elections, 2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures

Footnotes[edit]

v • e State legislatures Legislatures Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S) 2022 State legislative elections (2022) • State legislative special elections (2022) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2022 Session Dates 2021 State legislative elections (2021) • State legislative special elections (2021) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2021 Session Dates Historical elections 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000 Features of state legislatures How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections State senates Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected State houses Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected Leadership positions President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

	v • e State of New Hampshire Concord (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2021 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy