SB460 (2026) Detail

(New Title) prohibiting tier III criminal offenders from being present in designated child safety zones absent a legitimate purpose.


SB 460-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

 

23Apr2026... 1286h

2026 SESSION

26-2225

09/06

 

SENATE BILL 460-FN

 

AN ACT prohibiting tier III criminal offenders from being present in designated child safety zones absent a legitimate purpose.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24; Rep. Lynn, Rock. 17; Rep. Perez, Rock. 16; Rep. Kuttab, Rock. 17; Rep. Rhodes, Ches. 17; Rep. Roy, Rock. 31

 

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

 

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

 

This bill makes it a class B felony for tier III registered offenders to be present in certain designated child safety zones, and makes it an affirmative defense that the offender was there for a legitimate purpose.

 

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

23Apr2026... 1286h 26-2225

09/06

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

 

AN ACT prohibiting tier III criminal offenders from being present in designated child safety zones absent a legitimate purpose.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  New Section; Registration of Criminal Offenders; Child Safety Zones.  Amend RSA 651-B by inserting after section 12 the following new section:

651-B:13  Child Safety Zones; Prohibited Presence.

I.  No person who is required to register as a tier III offender under this chapter, as a result of an offense where the victim was under 18 years of age, shall knowingly go in, on, or within 500 feet of a child safety zone.

II.  Distance shall be measured in a straight line from the outer property boundary of the child safety zone to the person.

III.  In this section, "child safety zone" means the premises of any of the following:

(a)  A public or private elementary or secondary school.

(b)  A licensed child care facility or day care center.

(c)  A public park, playground, or public swimming pool.

(d)  A designated school bus stop currently in use by a school district.

IV.  It is an affirmative defense to prosecution if the person was within the child safety zone for a legitimate purpose, including:

(a)  Transporting their own legal child to or from the facility.

(b)  Participating in a constitutionally protected activity, such as voting.

(c)  Direct travel to or from their place of residence, or place of employment, if such was established prior to the effective date of this section.

V.  Evidence that the person has received written notice of these prohibitions during registration, or that the zone was marked with signage or otherwise open and obvious, shall be prima facie evidence that the person acted knowingly.

VI.  A violation of this section is a class B felony.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.

 

LBA

26-2225

10/14/25

 

SB 460-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to the offense of loitering or prowling.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:  

 

 

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

 

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

 

Amendments

Date Amendment
April 7, 2026 2026-1286h
April 7, 2026 2026-1337h

Links


Date Body Type
Jan. 20, 2026 Senate Hearing
Feb. 5, 2026 Senate Floor Vote
March 18, 2026 House Hearing
April 3, 2026 House Exec Session
April 3, 2026 House Floor Vote
House Floor Vote

Bill Text Revisions

SB460 Revision: 51672 Date: April 23, 2026, 11:25 a.m.
SB460 Revision: 51420 Date: April 7, 2026, 4:28 p.m.
SB460 Revision: 51421 Date: April 7, 2026, 4:27 p.m.
SB460 Revision: 49251 Date: Nov. 21, 2025, 3:18 p.m.

Docket


June 1, 2026: Conference Committee Report: Not Filed HJ 14


May 19, 2026: Committee of Conference Meeting: 05/20/2026, 11:45 am, Room 154, GP


May 18, 2026: Speaker Appoints: Reps. Roy, Proulx, A. Murray, S. Smith 05/14/2026 HJ 13


May 18, 2026: House Accedes to Senate Request for CofC (Rep. Roy): MA VV 05/14/2026 HJ 13


May 6, 2026: President Appoints: Senators Gannon, Abbas, Altschiller; (In Recess 04/23/2026); SJ 11


May 6, 2026: Sen. Gannon Moved Nonconcur with the House Amendment; Requests C of C, MA, VV; (In Recess 04/23/2026); SJ 11


April 23, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-1286h: MA VV 04/23/2026 HJ 11


April 23, 2026: Lay SB460 on Table (Rep. McFarlane): MF RC 146-207 04/23/2026 HJ 11


April 23, 2026: Amendment # 2026-1286h (NT): AA RC 225-128 04/23/2026 HJ 11


April 8, 2026: Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1337h (NT)


April 8, 2026: Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1286h (NT) 04/03/2026 (Vote 9-4; RC)


March 25, 2026: Executive Session: 04/03/2026 10:00 am GP 159


March 10, 2026: Public Hearing: 03/18/2026 11:30 am GP 159


Feb. 26, 2026: Introduced (in recess of) 02/19/2026 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 5 P. 124


Feb. 5, 2026: Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 02/05/2026; SJ 3


Jan. 28, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 02/05/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 4


Jan. 13, 2026: Hearing: 01/20/2026, Room 100, SH, 01:00 pm; SC 2


Nov. 21, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 1