Revision: June 21, 2023, 11:44 a.m.
CHAPTER 104
SB 244-FN - FINAL VERSION
02/22/2023 0581s
2023 SESSION
23-0899
04/05
SENATE BILL 244-FN
AN ACT relative to false public alarms.
SPONSORS: Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24; Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Dist 21; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Whitley, Dist 15; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Rep. M. Paige, Rock. 11
COMMITTEE: Judiciary
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill makes the penalty for false public alarm if the report concerns the presence of an active shooter or presence of an explosive device a class B felony.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02/22/2023 0581s 23-0899
04/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to false public alarms.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
104:1 Breaches of the Peace; False Public Alarms; Report of Active Shooter. Amend RSA 644:3, I and II to read as follows:
I. Any person who directly or indirectly communicates to any governmental agency that commonly deals with emergencies involving danger to life or property a report known by him to be false regarding a fire, explosion, or other catastrophe or emergency, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; except if the report concerns the presence of an active shooter, the presence of an explosive device, or the presence of a biological or chemical substance, the offense shall constitute a class B felony.
II. Any person who directly or indirectly communicates to any school, business, office building, hospital, or similar facility open to the public, a report concerning the presence of an active shooter, the presence of an explosive device, or the presence of a biological or chemical substance, knowing such report is false, shall be guilty of a class B felony.
104:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2024.
Approved: June 20, 2023
Effective Date: January 01, 2024