HB 1188 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2607
07/05
HOUSE BILL 1188
AN ACT relative to noncompete agreements for low-wage employees.
SPONSORS: Rep. Wade, Straf. 15; Rep. Schultz, Merr. 29; Rep. H. Howard, Straf. 4; Rep. Sorensen, Rock. 28; Rep. J. Sullivan, Graf. 2; Rep. Butler, Straf. 12; Rep. Barton, Graf. 1; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10
COMMITTEE: Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
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ANALYSIS
This bill expands restrictions on the use of non-compete agreements for lower-income workers.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2607
07/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT relative to noncompete agreements for low-wage employees.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Labor; Noncompete Agreements; Noncompete Agreements for Low-Wage Employees Prohibited. Amend RSA 275:70-a to read as follows:
275:70-a Noncompete Agreements for [Low-Wage] Qualifying Employees Prohibited.
I. In this section:
(a) "Employer" shall have the same meaning as in RSA 279:1, XI.
(b) "[Low-wage] Qualifying employee" means an employee who earns an hourly rate less than or equal to [200] 500 percent of the federal minimum wage.
(c) "Noncompete agreement" means an agreement between an employer and a [low-wage] qualifying employee that restricts such [low-wage] qualifying employee from performing:
(1) Work for another employer for a specified period of time;
(2) Work in a specified geographical area; or
(3) Work for another employer that is similar to such [low-wage] qualifying employee's work for the employer who is a party to the agreement.
II.(a) No employer shall require a [low-wage] qualifying employee to enter into a noncompete agreement.
(b) A noncompete agreement entered into between an employer and a [low-wage] qualifying employee shall be void and unenforceable.
(c) No employer shall require any qualifying employee to enter into an agreement that restricts the employee from working for another company for longer than 12 months following termination of employment.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Dec. 1, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services