HB 1344 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-3117
09/08
HOUSE BILL 1344
AN ACT relative to intermunicipal compacts.
SPONSORS: Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25
COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government
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ANALYSIS
This bill authorizes 2 or more contiguous municipalities to enter into a compact establishing an intermunicipal governing authority for the purpose of jointly providing one or more municipal services.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-3117
09/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT relative to intermunicipal compacts.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Chapter; Intermunicpal Compacts. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 53-G the following new chapter:
CHAPTER 53-H
INTERMUNICPAL COMPACTS
53-H:1 Authority.
Any 2 or more contiguous municipalities may, by concurrent vote of their legislative bodies, enter into a compact establishing an intermunicipal governing authority for the purpose of jointly providing one or more municipal services, including but not limited to public safety, water and sewer, solid waste, housing, planning, transportation, or other services authorized by law.
53-H:2 Governing Body.
I. Each authority established under this chapter shall be governed by a board composed of representatives appointed by and from the governing body of each member municipality, in the manner provided in the compact agreement.
II. The board shall be a political subdivision of the state, exercising only those powers expressly delegated to it in the founding compact.
53-H:3 Powers.
An intermunicipal governing authority may:
I. Employ staff, adopt bylaws, and enter into contracts.
II. Acquire, hold, lease, and dispose of property, real and personal.
III. Issue debt obligations, subject to approval of the legislative bodies of the member municipalities.
IV. Prepare and adopt annual budgets for the services it provides.
V. Assess and collect contributions from member municipalities as provided in the compact.
VI. Apply for and receive grants, aid, and revenues from state, federal, or private sources.
VII. Exercise any other powers incidental to carrying out its purposes, consistent with the compact and this chapter.
53-H:4 Finance.
I. Each member municipality shall appropriate funds for its share of the authority’s budget in the same manner as other municipal appropriations.
II. No authority created under this chapter shall have independent taxing power unless expressly granted by an act of the legislature.
53-H:5 Withdrawal; Dissolution.
I. A municipality may withdraw in accordance with the terms of the compact.
II. An authority may be dissolved by concurrent majority vote of the legislative bodies of all member municipalities, or as otherwise provided in the compact.
53-H:6 Oversight.
All records and proceedings of an intermunicipal governing authority shall be subject to RSA 91-A and RSA 32 unless otherwise provided in this chapter.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Dec. 2, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government