SB 74-FN - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES
03/20/2025 0975s
5Jun2025... 2282h
2025 SESSION
25-0965
06/05
SENATE BILL 74-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Pearl, Dist 17
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires all state departments administering permitting programs to annually report detailed information on their permitting activities to the senate president, speaker of the house, and relevant committee chairs.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/20/2025 0975s
5Jun2025... 2282h 25-0965
06/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Reporting Requirements. Amend RSA 20 by inserting after section 6 the following new section:
20:6-a Reporting Requirements. All state departments administering permitting programs that regulate the use of real property or the construction or operation of stationary structures, infrastructure, or facilities on real property shall, beginning on April 30, 2027, and on each April 30 thereafter, report in writing to the senate president, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chair of the senate executive departments and administration committee, and the chair of the house executive departments and administration committee on the previous calendar year’s permitting activity. Such reports shall identify each permitting program administered by the department, enumerate the categories of permits the department has the authority to issue within each program, and for each such category of permit state:
I. ?The statutory timeframes associated with that application type, if applicable.
II. The number of applications received during the calendar year for such permit types and the number of permits the department granted or denied, the number of applications withdrawn by the applicant, the number of applications voided, and the number of applications pending a decision at the end of the calendar year.
III. ?The number of applications that were pending at any time without a decision for more than 60, 120, and 180 calendar days after an administratively complete application was submitted to the department. For each group, summarize the primary reasons applications are delayed by giving the number waiting for technical evaluation, waiting for a field inspection, waiting for another agency, delayed due to an application backlog, or other reasons as appropriate for the permit.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
25-0965
3/24/25
SB 74-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0975s)
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 |
Indeterminable Increase to General Fund more than $200,000 to $500,000 or less per fiscal year
$165,000 Increase to Highway Fund
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Funding Source(s) | General Fund and Highway Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill
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METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires that all state departments managing permitting programs related to the use of real property or the construction and operation of stationary structures, infrastructure, or facilities must, by February 28, 2026, and annually on each February 28 thereafter, submit a written report on the prior calendar year’s permitting activities to the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee, and the Chair of the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee.
The Department of Environmental Services manages over 90 permitting programs, handling upwards of 21,000 permitting actions. Most of these programs and actions regulate real property, infrastructure, stationary structures, or facilities on such property, either directly or indirectly. As a result of the new reporting requirements, the Department would potentially require additional staff with an estimated fiscal impact ranging between $200,000 and $500,000.
The Fish and Game Department states that it is not obliged to submit any reports to the legislature since it isn't a permitting agency. However, they expect to collaborate with the Department of Environmental Services on reporting requirements, which is expected to result in a fiscal impact of less than $10,000.
The Department of Transportation states that it cannot currently track the specific dates required by this legislation due to the limitations of its existing permitting software. As a result, each permit exceeding the 90-day time frame would need to be reviewed manually, which the Department estimates would take 128 hours and cost approximately $15,000. Furthermore, to streamline the process, the Department would need the software developer to modify the existing system, at an estimated cost of $150,000 to the Highway Fund in fiscal year 2026, providing the software can be modified.
The Department of Administrative Services states that permit applications are received by the Division of Plant and Property, and all information required by this bill is maintained within the Division. The only additional task is to compile the information into a report to be submitted annually, which will be completed by the current staff. Therefore, this bill will not result in significant costs to the Department.
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of Historical Resources, State Historic Preservation and Division of Forests and Lands states that this bill will have no fiscal impact on the Department.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Departments of Administrative Services, Environmental Services, Natural and Cultural Resources, Transportation, and Fish and Game
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| March 17, 2025 | 2025-0975s |
| May 28, 2025 | 2025-2282h |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 29, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| Senate | Floor Vote | |
| March 20, 2025 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| April 9, 2025 | House | Hearing |
| April 9, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| April 9, 2025 | House | Floor Vote |
| May 28, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| May 28, 2025 | House | Floor Vote |
June 12, 2025: Sen. Pearl Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 06/12/2025; SJ 16
June 5, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-2282h: MA VV 06/05/2025 HJ 16
June 5, 2025: Amendment # 2025-2282h: AA VV 06/05/2025 HJ 16
May 28, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-2282h 05/28/2025 (Vote 24-1; CC) HC 27 P. 11
May 20, 2025: Executive Session: 05/28/2025 10:00 am LOB 210-211
May 14, 2025: Division I Work Session: 05/20/2025 01:15 pm LOB 212
May 6, 2025: Division I Work Session: 05/13/2025 10:00 am LOB 212
May 1, 2025: Referred to Finance 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 10
May 1, 2025: Ought to Pass: MA VV 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 9
April 17, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass 04/09/2025 (Vote 13-0; RC) HC 22 P. 13
April 17, 2025: Executive Session: 04/09/2025 01:00 pm LOB 306-308
April 2, 2025: Public Hearing: 04/09/2025 01:00 pm LOB 306-308
March 28, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 03/27/2025 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 11 P. 110
March 20, 2025: SB 74-FN was Removed from the Consent Calendar; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 20, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0975s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 20, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0975s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 20, 2025: Sen. Pearl Floor Amendment # 2025-0975s, AA, VV; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 20, 2025: Sen. Pearl Floor Amendment # 2025-0975s, AA, VV; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 20, 2025: SB 74-FN was Removed from the Consent Calendar; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
March 12, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 03/20/2025; Vote 6-0; CC; SC 13
March 6, 2025: Ought to Pass: MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 03/06/2025; SJ 6
Feb. 12, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 03/06/2025; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11
Jan. 23, 2025: Hearing: 01/29/2025, Room 103, SH, 10:00 am; SC 7
Jan. 21, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 3