HB 554 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
13Mar2025... 0570h
2025 SESSION
25-0804
08/09
HOUSE BILL 554
AN ACT relative to the placement of political advertising on municipal property.
SPONSORS: Rep. Andrus, Merr. 5; Rep. Kuttab, Rock. 17; Rep. Perez, Rock. 16; Rep. Rice, Hills. 38; Rep. See, Merr. 26; Rep. Sellers, Graf. 18; Rep. Turcotte, Straf. 4; Rep. H. Howard, Straf. 4; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Ward, Dist 8
COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill enables municipal property to be used for political signs in accordance with local and state laws, rules, and ordinances.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.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... 0570h 25-0804
08/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to the placement of political advertising on municipal property.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Political Advertising; Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. Amend RSA 664:17 to read as follows:
664:17 Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. No political advertising shall be placed on or affixed to any public property including highway rights-of-way or private property without the owner's consent. Municipal property may be used for political signs in accordance with local sign ordinances and in compliance with laws and rules relative to electioneering. All political advertising shall be removed by the candidate no later than the second Friday following the election unless the election is a primary and the advertising concerns a candidate who is a winner in the primary. Signs shall not be placed on or affixed to utility poles or highway signs. Political advertising may be placed within state-owned rights-of-way as long as the advertising does not obstruct the safe flow of traffic and the advertising is placed with the consent of the owner of the land over which the right-of-way passes. No person shall remove, deface, or knowingly destroy any political advertising which is placed on or affixed to public property or any private property except for removal by the owner of the property, persons authorized by the owner of the property, or a law enforcement officer removing improper advertising. Political advertising placed on or affixed to any public property may be removed by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel. Political advertising removed prior to election day by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel shall be kept until one week after the election at a place designated by the state, city, or town so that the candidate, or a member of the candidate's campaign or local political committee of the same party may retrieve the items.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| March 5, 2025 | 2025-0570h |
| April 16, 2025 | 2025-1615s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 18, 2025 | House | Hearing |
| March 3, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| March 3, 2025 | House | Floor Vote |
| April 1, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| April 24, 2025 | Senate | Floor Vote |
April 16, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1615s, 05/01/2025; Vote 4-0; CC; SC 19
March 26, 2025: Hearing: 04/01/2025, Room 103, LOB, 10:15 am; SC 15
March 19, 2025: Introduced 03/13/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 8
March 13, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-0570h: MA VV 03/13/2025 HJ 8 P. 15
March 13, 2025: Amendment # 2025-0570h (NT): AA VV 03/13/2025 HJ 8 P. 15
March 5, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0570h (NT) 03/03/2025 (Vote 18-0; CC)
Feb. 27, 2025: Executive Session: 03/03/2025 01:00 pm LOB 301-303
Feb. 12, 2025: Public Hearing: 02/18/2025 09:00 am LOB 201
Jan. 14, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 3 P. 15