HB 1499-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
19Feb2026... 0490h
05/07/2026 1772s
05/14/2026 1910s
05/14/2026 1952s
2026 SESSION
26-2449
06/07
HOUSE BILL 1499-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Alexander Jr., Hills. 29; Rep. Bean, Belk. 6; Rep. Beaulier, Graf. 1; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Kuttab, Rock. 17; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Lang, Dist 2
COMMITTEE: Housing
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill:
I. Allows eviction if a tenant uses someone else’s personal information to obtain the rental or if the tenant or an occupant has certain criminal convictions, including improper entry as a non-citizen or a conviction requiring registration as a sexual offender or offender against children. The landlord cannot use a conviction disclosed in writing before the start of the tenancy as grounds for eviction.
II. Authorizes school boards to raise eligibility for free meals, requires the department of education to reimburse schools who raise eligibility, and provides an appropriation therefor.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19Feb2026... 0490h
05/07/2026 1772s
05/14/2026 1910s
05/14/2026 1952s 26-2449
06/07
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subparagraphs; Termination of Tenancy. Amend RSA 540:2, II by inserting after subparagraph (i) the following new subparagraphs:
(j)(1) Use of any personal identification that does not belong to the tenant or occupant to obtain or maintain a tenancy.
(2) Personal identification in this subparagraph includes but is not limited to any birth certificate, driver’s license, government identification, passport, social security number, or taxpayer identification number.
(k)(1) The tenant or any occupant of the rented premises has been convicted of any of the following:
(A) Improper entry by alien under 8 U.S.C. section 1325(a) and the conviction is less than 3 years prior to the service of the eviction notice;
(B) Any offense which requires registration as a “sexual offender” as defined by RSA 651-B:1, IV, unless registration is no longer required prior to the service of the eviction notice; or
(C) Any offense which requires registration as an “offender against children” as defined by RSA 651-B:1, VI, unless registration is no longer required prior to the service of the eviction notice.
(2) Any conviction disclosed in writing by the tenant or occupant to the landlord or disclosed via a criminal background check run by the landlord prior to the start of any tenancy shall prevent the landlord from later terminating the tenancy for any specific conviction disclosed. If the landlord does not conduct a background check or request disclosure on the tenant application form, the landlord shall not be entitled to the grounds for eviction established by subparagraph II(k)(1).
(3) If any provision of this subparagraph or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the subparagraph which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this subparagraph are declared to be severable.
2 New Paragraph; Termination of Tenancy. Amend RSA 540:2 by inserting after paragraph VIII the following new paragraph:
IX. Any eviction brought pursuant to RSA 540:2, II(j) or (k) shall name as defendant only the person or persons alleged to have violated RSA 540:2, II(j) or (k) without naming remaining members of the household and the court may enter judgment against only the named defendants.
3 New Paragraphs; Food and Nutrition Programs. Amend RSA 189:11-a by inserting after paragraph VIII the following new paragraphs:
IX. Each school board may vote to raise eligibility for free meals to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Meals served to students who meet the federal income eligibility guidelines shall continue to be reimbursed in accordance with federal law and regulations. Meals not reimbursed in accordance with federal law and regulations shall be reimbursed by the state of New Hampshire at a rate that covers 50 percent of the difference between the federal rate for a free meal and a reduced price meal, or the difference between a free meal and a paid meal. The remainder of the costs shall be covered by the local district.
X.(a) The department of education shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A requiring school districts that opt into the optional program pursuant to paragraph IX to offer both online and physical applications for free school meals.
(b) The department of education shall provide administrative or technical assistance to school districts establishing an online application for free or reduced-price school meals, and whose school meal programs are approved to operate through the United States Department of Agriculture.
(c) School districts eligible for administrative or technical assistance or funding under this section shall be those approved to operate federal school meal programs through the United States Department of Agriculture and accepted by the department of education to participate in this expansion of free and reduced lunch benefits.
4 Appropriation; Department of Education; Food and Nutrition Program.
I. The amount of $107,000 is appropriated to the department of education for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, for administrative costs related to providing administrative or technical assistance to school districts establishing an online application for free or reduced-price school meals. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
II. The amount of $250,000 is appropriated to the department of education for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, for disbursement to school districts to be reimbursed at a 50 percent rate pursuant to RSA 189:11-a, X(a) and to purchase software related to the establishment of an online application for free or reduced-price school meals. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
I. Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
26-2449
5/18/26
HB 1499-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENTS #2026-1910s and #2026-1952s)
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||||
Revenue | $0 | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase $10,000 to $100,000 | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase $10,000 to $100,000 | ||||
Revenue Fund(s) | General Fund | |||||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase $100,000 to $350,000 | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase $200,000 to $700,000 | Sections 1-2 Indeterminable Increase $200,000 to $700,000 | ||||
Sections 3-4 NHED Position Costs $204K in FY 2026, $208K in FY 2027, and $214K in FY 2028
NHED Meal Reimbursements Indeterminable - Up to Approximately $7M Per Year (see methodology below)
NHED Software Reimbursement $500,000 in FY 2026 | ||||||||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||||
Appropriations* | $0 | Sections 3-4 $107,000 for NHED Administrative Costs and $500,000 for Reimbursement to Districts for Software | $0 | $0 | ||||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||||
METHODOLOGY:
Sections 1 and 2
This bill expands the grounds for eviction to include use of another person’s personal identification to obtain or maintain a tenancy, convictions for improper entry under federal law within specified timeframes, and convictions requiring registration as a sexual offender or offender against children, subject to certain limitations. The bill also prohibits eviction based on convictions disclosed in writing by the tenant or occupant prior to the tenancy or disclosed through a criminal background check conducted by the landlord prior to the tenancy. The effective date of this bill is January 1, 2027.
The Judicial Branch states the bill would require modification of its case management system, updates to training materials and forms, and would increase the number of eviction cases filed statewide. The Branch notes that in 2024 there were 5,736 landlord-tenant cases filed, most of which were eviction actions, and that expanding eligibility for eviction will increase caseloads by an indeterminable amount. To the extent eviction filings increase, the Branch anticipates a need for at least one additional judge and several court operations specialists. Because the total increase in filings and their distribution across Circuit Court District Divisions cannot be precisely determined, the Branch estimates increased General Fund expenditures of an indeterminable amount between $200,000 and $700,000 per year starting in FY 2028 and an estimated amount equal to half of the expenditures in FY 2027, due to a January 1, 2027 effective date.
The Judicial Branch also anticipates increased filing fee revenue from additional landlord-tenant filings. At the current filing fee of $150, the Branch estimates General Fund revenue will increase by an indeterminable amount of more than $10,000 and less than $100,000 annually starting in FY 2028 with an indeterminable amount in FY 2027.
Sections 3 and 4
This bill authorizes school boards to vote to increase eligibility for free meals to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and provides general funds to the Department of Education for administrative costs ($107,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2026, which is assumed to be for FY 2026 only) and reimbursements to districts to purchase software related to the establishment of an online application for free or reduced-price school meals and to reimburse at a 50 percent rate pursuant to RSA 189:11-a ($250,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2026, which is assumed to be for FY 2026 only). Any unexpended amounts from these appropriations would lapse to the general fund at June 30, 2026.
The Department has provided the following detail as to the requirements of this bill:
The Department has provided the following data and assumptions relative to this bill:
State Impact
Ultimately, this bill’s impact is unknown as it cannot be predicted how many school boards may elect to increase eligibility for free meals. It should also be noted this bill provides no funding for additional state nutrition reimbursements. Using the information and assumptions above, the Department estimates possible reimbursement costs could be approximately $6,937,949 ($2,221,085 + $4,487,040 + $229,824):
In addition to the reimbursement estimates, the Department states it would need two positions; one to administer this system as there would need to be a new process to determine eligibility as the current process is under the USDA and one to provide the administrative or technical assistance to the schools in establishing and maintaining the online systems. Both would be miscellaneous business operator specialists’ (SOC 13-5, step 3) at an estimated per position cost of $102,000 in FY 2026, $104,000 in FY 2027 and $107,000 in FY 2028, assuming a start date of July 1, 2025. This bill provides funding sufficient to cover the cost of one of the two positions in FY 2026 only.
Local School District Impact
Using the above assumptions and calculations, and given it is not known how many school boards may elect to raise eligibility for free meals, the Department states the fiscal impact of this bill is indeterminable at the local level. The cost would be determined at the school’s level which would include their unique startup costs, labor start-up costs, labor costs, cost of meal pricing, projected participation, actual participation and continuous ongoing costs for operation of the programs. It can be determined that there will be an increase to their general fund to pay for the 10% meal reimbursement to allow students who fall below 200% of poverty to receive meals at no cost. Districts will receive an indeterminable increase in revenue associated with reimbursements illustrated above, as well as from this bill’s $250,000 appropriation relative to software for the establishment of an online application for free or reduced-price school meals.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Judicial Branch and Department of Education
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Feb. 10, 2026 | 2026-0490h |
| April 30, 2026 | 2026-1772s |
| May 12, 2026 | 2026-1910s |
| May 14, 2026 | 2026-1952s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 20, 2026 | House | Hearing |
| Feb. 3, 2026 | House | Exec Session |
| Feb. 3, 2026 | House | Floor Vote |
| March 31, 2026 | Senate | Hearing |
| May 7, 2026 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| May 14, 2026 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| Senate | Floor Vote |
June 2, 2026: Conference Committee Report; Not Signed Off; SJ 14
May 26, 2026: Conference Committee Meeting: 05/26/2026 02:30 pm GP 234
May 20, 2026: President Appoints: Senators Abbas, Lang, Fenton; (In Recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13
May 20, 2026: Sen. Gannon Accedes to House Request for Committee of Conference, MA, VV; (In recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13
May 19, 2026: Speaker Appoints: Reps. Alexander Jr., Ladd, Beaulier, Dumont 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 19, 2026: House Non-Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1952s 2026-1910s and 2026-1772s and Requests CofC (Rep. Alexander Jr.): MA VV 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 14, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendments #2026-1910s and #2026-1952s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/14/2026; SJ 12
May 14, 2026: Sen. Fenton Floor Amendment # 2026-1952s, AA, VV; 05/14/2026; SJ 12
May 14, 2026: Committee Amendment # 2026-1910s, AA, VV; 05/14/2026; SJ 12
May 12, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1910s, 05/14/2026, Vote 7-0; SC 18A
May 5, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1772s, MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 05/07/2026; SJ 11
May 5, 2026: Committee Amendment # 2026-1772s, AA, VV; 05/07/2026; SJ 11
April 30, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1772s, 05/07/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 17
March 26, 2026: ==ROOM CHANGE== Hearing: 03/31/2026, Room 100, SH, 02:05 pm; SC 12
Feb. 25, 2026: Introduced 02/19/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 5
Feb. 19, 2026: Referral Waived by Committee Chair per House Rule 47(f) 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 112
Feb. 19, 2026: Referred to Finance 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 83
Feb. 19, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0490h: MA RC 193-154 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 81
Feb. 19, 2026: Amendment # 2026-0490h: AA VV 02/19/2026 HJ 5 P. 80
Feb. 10, 2026: Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate
Feb. 10, 2026: Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0490h 02/03/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC) HC 7 P. 33
Jan. 28, 2026: Executive Session: 02/03/2026 10:00 am GP 231
Jan. 8, 2026: Public Hearing: 01/20/2026 10:00 am GP 231
Dec. 10, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Housing HJ 1 P. 23