HB 1687-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2804
12/09
HOUSE BILL 1687-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Love, Rock. 13
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill restricts the jurisdiction of courts within the judicial branch family division to not be able to issue any criminal determinations, judgments, or penalties relative to matters which they may preside over.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2804
12/09
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 Section; Judicial Branch Family Division; Restriction on Jurisdiction. Amend RSA 490-D by inserting after section 2 the following new section:
490-D:2-a Restriction on Jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the judicial branch family division shall have jurisdiction over the matters set forth in RSA 490-D:2 with the exception that the judicial branch family division shall not have jurisdiction to make any criminal determinations, enter criminal judgments, or impose criminal penalties and no finding, ruling, or order issued by the judicial branch family division shall constitute a criminal determination. Jurisdiction over such criminal determinations, criminal judgments, and criminal penalties relative to the matters set forth in RSA 490-D:2 shall be reserved for the superior court pursuant to RSA 592-A:1. This section shall not be construed to limit the jurisdiction of the judicial branch family division over the matters set forth in RSA 490-D:2 to resolve civil disputes, including equity jurisdiction powers pursuant to RSA 490-D:3.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
26-2804
12/1/25
HB 1687-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT:
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund | None | |||||
Expenditures* | Indeterminable | |||||
Funding Source | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
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Estimated Political Subdivision Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
County Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
County Expenditures | Indeterminable | |||||
Local Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Local Expenditures | Indeterminable | |||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill adds, deletes, or modifies a criminal penalty, or changes statute to which there is a penalty for violation. Therefore, this bill may have an impact on the judicial and correctional systems, which could affect prosecution, incarceration, probation, and parole costs, for the state, as well as county and local governments. A summary of such costs can be found at: https://gencourt.state.nh.us/lba/Budget/Fiscal_Notes/JudicialCorrectionalCosts.pdf
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Judicial Branch, Judicial Council, Department of Justice, Department of Corrections, New Hampshire Association of Counties, and New Hampshire Municipal Association
Dec. 12, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Children and Family Law HJ 1