HB 1692 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2676
12/09
HOUSE BILL 1692
AN ACT relative to the legislative youth advisory council.
SPONSORS: Rep. Thibault, Merr. 25; Rep. Farrington, Straf. 8; Rep. D. Germana, Ches. 1; Rep. Litchfield, Rock. 32; Rep. McDonnell, Rock. 25; Rep. Nelson, Rock. 13; Sen. Innis, Dist 7
COMMITTEE: Legislative Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill modifies the structure, membership, duties, and administration of the legislative youth advisory council. The bill also establishes both an application process for prospective youth members of the council and a penalty for violations of the chapter relative to the legislative youth advisory council.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2676
12/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT relative to the legislative youth advisory council.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Legislative Youth Advisory Council; Membership Modified. RSA 19-K:1-2 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
19-K:1 Legislative Youth Advisory Council Established. A legislative youth advisory council is established to enable young people the ability to review legislation and make recommendations on legislation as viewed from the perspective of youth. Three elected members of the house of representatives and one senator will be appointed to assist the youth council in reviewing current legislation. The primary focus shall be to explore, identify, and create legislation that affects youth, including but not limited to education, strategies to increase youth participation in local and state government, housing, science and technology, transportation, labor, the environment, health and wellness, and substance misuse. Once legislation is identified, the council should discuss the legislation with the legislation's primary and co-sponsors, as well as opponents to the legislation, to advise the general court. The council may also examine actions it can take to increase youth civic engagement in New Hampshire. The council shall submit an annual report with recommendations for future legislation as outlined in RSA 19-K:3, VI.
19-K:2 Membership. The council shall consist of 24 members including 4 members of the general court that will serve as non-voting members of the council, and 20 youth members. The youth membership shall be between the ages of 14 and 22, with any secondary school-aged member attending traditional public, public charter, private schools, or home-schools, or participating in a program that leads to a high school equivalency certificate, and any postsecondary school-aged member being a New Hampshire resident enrolled in a postsecondary education or participating in New Hampshire's workforce.
I. The president of the senate shall appoint one senate member.
II. The speaker of the house shall appoint the following members:
(a) Seventeen secondary students; and
(b) Three postsecondary students; and
(c) Three members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall be the youngest member of the majority party, or designee, one of whom shall be the youngest member of the minority party, or designee, and one of whom shall be a member from either party serving in an overall advisory position.
III. The speaker of the house will appoint youth council members in a timely manner and in the earliest possible time frame. The speaker of the house and president of the senate shall make appointments that foster geographic, socioeconomic, and educational diversity among council members, while maintaining a primary focus on merit. No more than 2 youth members may reside in the same municipality full-time. Any members appointed before the enactment of this act shall maintain their positions on the council until the end of their designated term. New legislative members of the council will be appointed by the speaker of the house and the senate president soon after the legislators have taken their oath of office.
IV. If a member misses 3 consecutive meetings or 4 total meetings in one council year without cause, as defined by council rules, the council may request that the appointing authority appoint a replacement member within 30 days. Upon appointment of the replacement, the prior appointment shall terminate, and the replacement shall serve for the remainder of the prior member's term. Replacement members serving a remainder of 12 months or less may be considered for reappointment to a full subsequent term.
2 New Section; Legislative Youth Advisory Council; Application Process Added. Amend RSA 19-K by inserting after section 2 the following new section:
19-K:2-a Application.
I. Prospective youth members of the council shall submit an application to be considered for appointment. This application shall be digital with a physical copy available upon request. The application period to fill vacancies left from the end of a council year shall be from June 1 to August 1. The application shall include the student’s name; age; home address; contact information; education status; a letter of recommendation from a teacher, community leader, the governor, the secretary of state, a legislator, or another local or state official; and any additional criteria the council deems necessary to help discern candidates. Home school students may submit a letter of recommendation from a parent or guardian as their teacher.
II. The digital application shall be created and maintained by the co-chairpersons with access provided to the offices of the speaker of the house and president of the senate. Digital and physical responses shall be collected by the co-chairpersons who shall submit all applications to the offices of the speaker of the house and president of the senate by August 5. The appointing officers shall have appointments confirmed and appointees notified no later than August 31. New regular appointments shall take effect on the first day of the new council year, as defined in RSA 19-K:4, I.
III. Appointments to fill new vacancies shall be made within 30 days of the vacancy being reported by the co-chairpersons to the appointing officers. Council members moving out of New Hampshire, including for college, shall forfeit their seat on the council.
IV. The co-chairpersons shall keep and maintain all applications until the end of the council year in case of a vacancy.
3 Legislative Youth Advisory Council; Duties Modified. Amend RSA 19-K:3 to read as follows:
19-K:3 Duties. The council shall perform the following duties:
I. Advise the legislature, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on proposed or pending legislation, state budget expenditures and legislative study committees, commissions, and task forces on issues of concern to youth [in the areas of education, science and technology, transportation, labor, and substance misuse].
II. Ensure the legislative youth advisory council year commences on September 1 and concludes on August 31 of each year.
[II.] III. Conduct an annual seminar for council members regarding leadership, government, and the legislature.
[III.] IV. Read the oath of office and study the New Hampshire and United States Constitutions to foster foundational understanding of government.
[IV.] V. Meet no fewer than 4 times per year [on issues of concern to youth in the areas of education, science and technology, transportation, labor, and substance misuse], as the council deems necessary. Two of these meetings shall be in person. All other meetings may be remote. At the discretion of the co-chairs, regional meetings may be established.
[V.] VI. Communicate with other councils and committees. The council may also collaborate with civics-oriented nonprofit organizations, such as New Hampshire Civics, to promote youth civic engagement in New Hampshire.
[VI.] VII. File an annual report of activities, including any recommendations for proposed legislation and other youth civic education and engagement initiatives with the speaker of the house, the senate president, the governor, the secretary of state, the house clerk, the chairperson of the commission on New Hampshire civics under RSA 21-N:8-c, the commissioner of the department of education, and the state library on or before [November 1] August 31 of each year.
4 Legislative Youth Advisory Council; Administration Modified. Amend RSA 19-K:4, V-VII to read as follows:
V. Meetings of the council shall be open to the public, and all records of the council shall be public, except for applications. A complete archive of the council's records shall be kept in the house clerk's office. Application materials and documents that include applicants' and members' personal information, contact details, academic records, and other supporting documents shall be confidential and exempt from disclosure under RSA 91-A.
VI. The office of the speaker of the house of representatives and the office of the senate president may provide staff assistance to the council.
VII. The general court shall create and actively maintain a page on its website dedicated to the youth advisory council, separate from the statutory committee listing page, which shall feature information about the council, its membership and officers, the application, annual reports, [and] committee recommendations, contact information for the co-chairpersons, links to the council's social media, videos of member testimony, and other content or information as requested by the co-chairpersons.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Dec. 12, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Legislative Administration HJ 1