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1 New Section; Breach of Peace and Related Offenses; Violation of Property Interest in Abandoned Personal Materials. Amend RSA 644 by inserting after section 22 the following new section:
644:23 Property Interest in Abandoned Personal Materials.
I. In this section:
(a) "Abandoned personal materials" means physical items owned, possessed or used by an individual and abandoned intentionally or unintentionally in private or public places.
(b) "Government" means the federal government, the state government, and its political subdivisions, and state and municipal agencies and departments, including employees, agents, and contractors.
(c) "Individual" means a living human being.
(d) "Informational content" includes an individual's name, date or place of birth, social security number, address, employment history, credit history, financial information, account numbers, cellular telephone numbers, voice over Internet protocol or landline telephone numbers, biometric identifiers, including fingerprints, facial photographs, or images, retinal scans, DNA/RNA, genetic sequences, the content of messages, and other identifying data.
II.(a) The informational content contained in or on abandoned personal material is the property of the individual to whom it pertains regardless of its abandonment.
(b) Subject to the exceptions in paragraph III, no government shall acquire, collect, retain, or use that informational content. Nothing in this section shall prevent or exclude law enforcement, pursuant to existing legal authority, from taking physical possession of property containing abandoned personal material.
(c) Informational content obtained in violation of this section shall not be admissible in a criminal, civil, administrative, or other proceeding, except as proof of a violation of this section.
III. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph II, nothing in this section shall limit the acquisition, collection, retention, or use of the informational content of abandoned personal materials:
(a) Pursuant to a warrant supported by probable cause pursuant to Part I, Art. 19 of the New Hampshire constitution or a judicially recognized exception to the warrant requirement;
(b) By a law enforcement agency at a crime scene or through examination and analysis of such crime scene materials by forensic laboratories; or
(c) By the judicial branch or any state regulatory or other agency within the branch's or agency's statutory adjudicatory or regulatory function.
IV. If the government acquires, collects, retains, or uses the informational content pursuant to paragraph III, directly or indirectly, it shall acquire, collect, retain, or use such informational content only for the specific purpose for which it was acquired, collected, or retained.
V. If federal law preempts any provision of this section, such provision shall not apply to the federal government.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.
Text to be added highlighted in green.
1 New Section; Breach of Peace and Related Offenses; Violation of Property Interest in Abandoned Personal Materials. Amend RSA 644 by inserting after section 22 the following new section:
644:23 Property Interest in Abandoned Personal Materials.
I. In this section:
(a) "Abandoned personal materials" means physical items owned, possessed or used by an individual and abandoned intentionally or unintentionally in private or public places.
(b) "Government" means the federal government, the state government, and its political subdivisions, and state and municipal agencies and departments, including employees, agents, and contractors.
(c) "Individual" means a living human being.
(d) "Informational content" includes an individual's name, date or place of birth, social security number, address, employment history, credit history, financial information, account numbers, cellular telephone numbers, voice over Internet protocol or landline telephone numbers, biometric identifiers, including fingerprints, facial photographs, or images, retinal scans, DNA/RNA, genetic sequences, the content of messages, and other identifying data.
II.(a) The informational content contained in or on abandoned personal material is the property of the individual to whom it pertains regardless of its abandonment.
(b) Subject to the exceptions in paragraph III, no government shall acquire, collect, retain, or use that informational content. Nothing in this section shall prevent or exclude law enforcement, pursuant to existing legal authority, from taking physical possession of property containing abandoned personal material.
(c) Informational content obtained in violation of this section shall not be admissible in a criminal, civil, administrative, or other proceeding, except as proof of a violation of this section.
III. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph II, nothing in this section shall limit the acquisition, collection, retention, or use of the informational content of abandoned personal materials:
(a) Pursuant to a warrant supported by probable cause pursuant to Part I, Art. 19 of the New Hampshire constitution or a judicially recognized exception to the warrant requirement;
(b) By a law enforcement agency at a crime scene or through examination and analysis of such crime scene materials by forensic laboratories; or
(c) By the judicial branch or any state regulatory or other agency within the branch's or agency's statutory adjudicatory or regulatory function.
IV. If the government acquires, collects, retains, or uses the informational content pursuant to paragraph III, directly or indirectly, it shall acquire, collect, retain, or use such informational content only for the specific purpose for which it was acquired, collected, or retained.
V. If federal law preempts any provision of this section, such provision shall not apply to the federal government.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.