HB 1631-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-3003
09/08
HOUSE BILL 1631-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Popovici-Muller, Rock. 17; Rep. Wheeler, Hills. 33; Rep. Lynn, Rock. 17; Rep. D. McGuire, Merr. 14; Rep. McFarlane, Graf. 18; Rep. Corcoran, Hills. 28; Rep. Slottje, Hills. 13; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16
COMMITTEE: Judiciary
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ANALYSIS
This bill changes the requirements for the annual report from the attorney general concerning forfeitures of personal property.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-3003
09/08
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 Forfeitures of Personal Property; Report. Amend RSA 617:12, I to read as follows:
I. The attorney general, no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year, shall post a report on the department of justice website detailing state forfeiture activity[,] for the preceding fiscal year, including [the type, approximate value, and disposition of each property seized, and the amount of any proceeds received or expended at the state and local levels. The report shall provide a categorized accounting of all proceeds expended.] the following information:
(a) Name of the law enforcement agency that seized the property or the name of the lead agency, if the property is seized by a multi-jurisdictional task force;
(b) Date of the seizure;
(c) Type of property seized, except that reporting is not required for seized contraband including alcohol, drug paraphernalia, and controlled substances;
(d) Place of seizure postal zip code;
(e) Estimated value of the seizure;
(f) Criminal offense alleged that led to the seizure (including whether under state or federal law);
(g) Crime for which suspect was charged (including whether under state or federal law);
(h) Criminal case number and court in which the case was filed;
(i) The outcome of suspect’s criminal case: no charge was filed, charges dropped, acquittal, plea agreement, conviction, or other;
(j) Forfeiture case number and court in which the case was filed;
(k) If a property owner filed a claim or counterclaim, and if yes, who was it filled by: the suspect, innocent owner, creditor, or other owner;
(l) Estimated value of property returned to owner, sold, destroyed, retained by a law enforcement agency, or still pending disposition; and
(m) Total value of property forfeited under state law, excluding the value of contraband, and including currency, proceeds from sale of non-currency property, and distributions received from the federal government.
I-a. Reported data [on seizures, forfeitures, and expenditures of forfeiture proceeds] shall be provided by the law enforcement agency in disaggregated form to the attorney general.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
26-3003
12/4/25
HB 1631-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to the contents of the attorney general's annual report detailing state forfeiture information for the preceding fiscal year.
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 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | $47,214 | $45,569 | $47,305 | ||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill changes the requirements for the annual report from the attorney general concerning
forfeitures of personal property. The Department of Justice states by expanding the reportable data requirements pertaining to drug forfeiture matters. The Department notes they will likely need a part time paralegal (23-2010 PARALGLS-LGL ASSTS-5 SOC23-04) at a cost of $47,214, including fit up costs, for FY 2027, $45,569 in FY 2028, and $47,305 in FY 2029, to collate and report the mandated information.
It is assumed if the position requested in this bill is authorized, the department would include the cost of the position in their FY 2028 and FY 2029 budget request.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Justice
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 9, 2026 | House | Hearing |
| Feb. 13, 2026 | House | Exec Session |
Feb. 5, 2026: Executive Session: 02/13/2026 10:00 am GP 158
Feb. 5, 2026: Public Hearing: 02/09/2026 10:00 am GP 158
Dec. 10, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Judiciary