SB 448-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2026
06/08
SENATE BILL 448-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Long, Dist 20; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. McGough, Dist 11; Sen. McConkey, Dist 3; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Rochefort, Dist 1; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Dist 21; Sen. Abbas, Dist 22; Rep. Harvey-Bolia, Belk. 3; Rep. See, Merr. 26; Rep. Sellers, Graf. 10; Rep. Thibault, Merr. 25
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
This bill:
I. Changes the definition of veteran and expands eligibility for state benefits and programs that depend on veteran status, ensuring that individuals discharged under honorable conditions, including those with a general discharge under honorable conditions, are not excluded from eligibility.
II. Establishes a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license for state resident veterans, with a one-time fee adjusted according to the veteran's service-connected disability rating.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2026
06/08
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 Statutory Construction; Definition of Veteran. Amend RSA 21:50, I(a)(2)(A) to read as follows:
(A) [An honorable discharge] Any discharge under honorable conditions; or
2 New Hampshire Veterans' Home; Command and Employees. Amend RSA 119:6 to read as follows:
119:6 Commandant and Employees. The board shall appoint, or may remove, for just cause, a commandant of the home. [Honorably discharged veterans as defined in RSA 119:1] A veteran discharged under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50 shall have preference for employment in the home if qualified by the New Hampshire division of personnel.
3 Preference of Resident Laborers and Veterans; Employment of Veterans. Amend RSA 283:4, I to read as follows:
I. In public employment of clerks, office help, mechanics, laborers, inspectors, supervisors, foremen, janitors, peace officers, and relief employees in the construction of public works, public projects and in the conduct of city, town or district departments by a county, city, town, or district, or by persons contracting therewith for such construction, carrying out of relief projects and in the conduct of city, town, or district departments, preference shall be given to citizens of the state who have served in the armed forces of the United States, for not less than 90 days, in times of war, and have been discharged [honorably] under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50 therefrom, or released from active duty therein, if equally qualified for said employment and if registered in accordance with the provisions of RSA 283:7. Where such employment is obtained from relief rolls or for persons in need, in cases of equal or greater need preference shall be given to such veterans.
4 Property Taxes; Certain Disabled Veterans. Amend the introductory paragraph in RSA 72:36-a to read as follows:
72:36-a Certain Disabled Veterans. Any person, who is [discharged from military service of the United States under conditions other than dishonorable] discharged under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50, or an officer who is honorably separated from military service, who owns a specially adapted homestead which has been acquired with the assistance of the Veterans Administration or which has been acquired using proceeds from the sale of any previous homestead which was acquired with the assistance of the Veterans Administration, the person or person's surviving spouse, shall be exempt from all taxation on said homestead, provided that:
5 Reemployment of Veterans; Veterans Guaranteed Reemployment. Amend RSA 97:1 to read as follows:
97:1 Veterans Guaranteed Reemployment. Each county, town, city, precinct, school board or other political subdivision of the state shall reemploy a veteran of any branch of the military service of the United States who has been placed on inactive status or been [given a discharge other than dishonorable] discharged under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50 and who, within 90 days after being so made inactive or discharged, in writing, notifies the treasurer or other fiscal agent of such political subdivision that he or she desires to be reinstated in the position he or she held with such political subdivision at the time he or she entered said military service.
6 Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. Amend RSA 110-D:3, XX to read as follows:
XX. "Veteran" means a person who served in the uniformed services and who was discharged or released there from under [conditions other than dishonorable] honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50.
7 Honorable Discharge; References Amended. Amend the following RSAs by replacing "honorable discharge" or "an honorable discharge" with "a discharge under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50": RSA 115-A:16; 115-A:29, I-II; 115-B:1, II(a); 115-B:1, II(c); 165:5; 175:1, XXII; 176:10; 261:86, I(d); 261:87-b, I; 275-G:1, II; 466:8, I; and 651-A:13.
8 Honorably Discharged; References Amended. Amend the following RSAs by replacing "honorably discharged" with "discharged under honorable conditions pursuant to RSA 21:50": RSA 72:28, IV(a); 72:28-b, IV; 72:35, I; 99-F:2, VI(a)(1)-(3); 100-A:4, VI(a)(2); 119:1, I; 119:2, II; 261:86, I(c)-(e); 261:141, VIII(c); 261:157-a; and 291:3.
9 New Section; Lifetime License for Veterans. Amend RSA 214 by inserting after section 2 the following new section:
214:2-a Lifetime License; Veterans.
I. The executive director of the fish and game department shall issue a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license to any resident of this state who is a veteran as defined in RSA 21:50 and who presents satisfactory proof of such status.
II. The fee for a lifetime license issued under this section shall be adjusted according to the veteran’s service-connected disability rating as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, as follows:
VA Disability Rating License Fee (One-Time)
0% – 29% 75 percent of the standard resident lifetime license fee
30% – 49% 50 percent of the standard resident lifetime license fee
50% – 99% 25 percent of the standard resident lifetime license fee
100% (Permanent & Total) No fee
III. A veteran who has already purchased a lifetime license at the standard rate may, upon presentation of proof of qualifying disability rating, apply for a one-time partial refund proportional to the difference established under paragraph II.
IV. The fish and game department may adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to verification of disability status, application processing, and refund procedures.
I. Section 9 of this act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
26-2026
11/5/25
SB 448-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT:
|
| |||||
Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
Revenue | $0 | Indeterminable Decrease | ||||
Revenue Fund(s) | Fish and Game Fund, Lifetime Licenses Account | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | ||||
Funding Source(s) | Fish and Game Fund, Lifetime Licenses Account | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill amends the state’s definition of “veteran” across several statutes. Specific to Fish and Game licenses, this bill, effective January 1, 2027:
The Department currently offers a discount of 50% off the regular cost to veteran state residents purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination hunting and fishing lifetime license, if the purchaser has a permanent disability rating of 80%-99%. The Department states it cannot determine how many lifetime combination licenses were sold to veterans meeting the new definition with disability ratings below 80%, nor how many would qualify for refunds under the proposed change. Since license costs vary by purchaser age, and the number of qualifying veterans is unknown, the Department anticipates an indeterminable loss of revenue from discounted sales and an indeterminable increase in expenditures due to required refunds.
For informational purposes, the Department states that from 2022 to 2024 an average of 1,367 lifetime combination licenses were sold annually at $1,534.29 each, totaling approximately $2.1 million in revenue.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Fish and Game Department and Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Jan. 9, 2026 | 2026-0061s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 8, 2026 | Senate | Hearing |
| Senate | Floor Vote |
Jan. 9, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0061s; Vote 5-0; CC
Dec. 10, 2025: Hearing: 01/08/2026, Room 103, SH, 09:30 am; SC 46
Nov. 21, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 1