Revision: March 10, 2022, 10:30 a.m.
HB 1195 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
10Mar2022... 0455h
2022 SESSION
22-2390
10/04
HOUSE BILL 1195
AN ACT relative to public comment periods at school board or school administrative unit public meetings.
SPONSORS: Rep. Dolan, Rock. 5; Rep. Ankarberg, Straf. 10; Rep. Thomas, Rock. 5; Rep. Maggiore, Rock. 22; Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 4; Rep. Potucek, Rock. 6; Rep. Deshaies, Carr. 6; Rep. Baldasaro, Rock. 5; Rep. Pauer, Hills. 26
COMMITTEE: Judiciary
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill requires that all open meetings of school boards or school administrative unit boards have a period designated for public comment.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10Mar2022... 0455h 22-2390
10/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two
AN ACT relative to public comment periods at school board or school administrative unit public meetings.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Meeting Open to the Public; Public Comment. Amend RSA 91-A:2 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
IV. All meetings of a school board or school administrative unit board open to the public under this chapter shall include an opportunity for public comment after the meeting has been opened and prior to the board addressing any substantive agenda issues. Individual public comment time may be limited but not to less than 3 minutes per person. The meeting can proceed into substantive issues once all public participants have been given the opportunity to speak, provided however that the total time to hear all members of the public may be limited, but not to less than one hour. The content of the public comment shall not be limited except for purposes of maintaining decorum. Nothing shall prevent a school board or school administrative unit board from having additional public comment at other times during the meeting.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.