SB 625-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
03/26/2026 1216s
14May2026... 1955h
14May2026... 1956h
2026 SESSION
26-2181
07/09
SENATE BILL 625-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Rep. Foote, Rock. 13; Rep. Tripp, Rock. 13
COMMITTEE: Judiciary
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill:
I. Establishes a committee to study options for information for family members of intentional homicide victims where the department of justice does not file charges in a case.
II. Repeals the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services.
III. Prohibits expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.
IV. Removes Hepatitis B from the list of diseases for which childhood immunization is required
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/26/2026 1216s
14May2026... 1955h
14May2026... 1956h 26-2181
07/09
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 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study options for information for family members of intentional homicide victims where the department of justice does not file charges in a case.
2 Membership and Compensation.
I. The members of the committee shall be as follows:
(a) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(b) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
II. Legislative members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.
3 Duties. The committee shall study options for information for family members of intentional homicide victims where the department of justice does not file charges in a case. The committee shall:
I. Review the relevant laws of other states;
II. Determine whether the New Hampshire constitution would allow for relevant laws in other states to be implemented in New Hampshire;
III. Review the current process for keeping family members of intentional homicide victims updated on the case and determining how to address any gaps found in that communication;
IV. Investigate whether there are any systemic problems with the investigatory process and if any are found, determining how those problems could be addressed; and
V. Investigate the feasibility of extending the statute of limitations for crimes relevant to this study.
4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named senate member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Three members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2026.
6 Immunization Requirements; Hepatitis B Removed. Amend RSA 141-C:20-a, I to read as follows:
I. All parents or legal guardians shall have their children, who are residing in this state, immunized against diphtheria, mumps, pertussis, poliomyelitis, rubella, rubeola, tetanus, varicella, [Hepatitis B,] and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib).
7 Termination of Refugee Program Administered Through the Department of Health and Human Services.
I. In this section "refugee resettlement program" means the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and any other federal program or nonprofit program or grant designed to settle, fund, or otherwise help refugees or asylees.
II. On the effective date of this section, the department of health and human services shall, as promptly as practicable, terminate any contracts administered under a refugee resettlement program.
III. No department, agency, or administrative unit of state government may accept money from any source for refugee resettlement.
IV. No department, agency, or administrative unit of state government may spend money to settle, fund, or otherwise assist refugee resettlement, either directly or indirectly via payments to towns or nongovernmental organizations.
8 Severability Clause. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected.
9 Repeal. RSA 161:2, XVIII, relative to the New Hampshire refugee resettlement program, is repealed.
I. Section 6 of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
II. Sections 7-9 of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
III. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
26-2181
05/21/2026
SB 625-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE (AMENDMENTS #2026-1955h and #2026-1956h)
AN ACT establishing a committee to study options for family members of intentional homicide victims where the department of justice does not file charges in a case, repealing the refugee resettlement program in the department of health and human services, and prohibiting expenditure of state funds on refugee resettlement.
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 | Section 6: $20,000 reduction | Section 6: $82,000 reduction | Section 6: $82,000 reduction | |
Revenue Fund(s) | Insurance Assessment through the NH Vaccine Association | ||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Section 6: $20,000 reduction in direct expenditures; possible indirect costs
Sections 7-9: $4.5 million reduction in federal expenditures | Section 6: $82,000 reduction in direct expenditures; possible indirect costs
Sections 7-9: $4.5 million reduction in federal expenditures | Section 6: $82,000 reduction in direct expenditures; possible indirect costs
Sections 7-9: $4.5 million reduction in federal expenditures | |
Funding Source(s) | NH Vaccine Association assessment; potential general funds; federal funds | ||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Funding Source(s) | None | ||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | |||||
METHODOLOGY:
Sections 1-5 of this bill establish a committee to study options for family members in certain cases of intentional homicide. These sections will have no fiscal impact.
Section 6 removes Hepatitis B from the list of vaccines required for children in the state. The direct fiscal impact of this section is in the form of reduced expenditures for vaccine purchases, estimated at $20,000 in FY27 (since some doses will have already been ordered prior to the effective date of the bill) and $82,000 in subsequent years. Such purchases are funded through an assessment on insurers through the NH Vaccine Association, and so the assessment would presumably decrease by the same amounts. The Department notes that some purchases would continue to occur, to be dispensed on a voluntary basis based on shared clinical decisions between physicians and their patient's parent or legal guardian.
For informational purposes, the Department states there may be indirect costs resulting from investigations and emergency response activities should the lack of mandated vaccines for Hepatitis B result in increased outbreaks. The Department estimates a range of $100,000 to $350,000 per outbreak, and notes that multiple outbreaks per year are possible.
Sections 7-9 terminate the refugee resettlement program administered through the state Department of Health and Human Services, and prohibits public spending to assist refugee resettlement. The Department states that the refugee resettlement program is entirely federally funded, and that its Office of Health Access currently administers approximately $4.5 million per year in federal funds. As a result of the bill, these funds would no longer be spent. For informational purposes, the Department's budget also contains approximately $1.7 million per year in its "Minority Health/Refugee Affairs" account, which is a mixture of federal and state general funds. In prior correspondence with the Office of the Legislative Budget Assistant, the Department has noted that these funds are used not for refugee resettlement, but rather for communications access for clients who are deaf, have hearing loss, or vision/speech or other impairments. For this reason, this fiscal note assumes that those funds will be unaffected by this bill.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| March 18, 2026 | 2026-1216s |
| May 13, 2026 | 2026-1955h |
| May 13, 2026 | 2026-1956h |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 20, 2026 | Senate | Hearing |
| Feb. 19, 2026 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| March 5, 2026 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| March 26, 2026 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| April 8, 2026 | House | Hearing |
| April 14, 2026 | House | Exec Session |
| April 14, 2026 | House | Floor Vote |
| May 5, 2026 | House | Exec Session |
| May 5, 2026 | House | Floor Vote |
May 21, 2026: Committee of Conference Meeting: 05/27/2026, 10:30 am, Room 153, GP
May 21, 2026: Speaker Appoints: Reps. Roy, Rhodes, Sabourin dit Choiniere, S. Smith 05/21/2026 HJ 14
May 21, 2026: House Accedes to Senate Request for CofC (Rep. Roy): MA DV 337-12 05/21/2026 HJ 14
May 21, 2026: President Appoints: Senators Gannon, Birdsell, Prentiss; (In Recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13
May 21, 2026: Sen. Gannon Moved Nonconcur with the House Amendment; Requests C of C, MA, VV; (In Recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13
May 14, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-1955h and 2026-1956h: MA RC 156-139 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 14, 2026: FLAM # 2026-1956h(NT) (Rep. Osborne): AA RC 155-140 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 14, 2026: FLAM # 2026-1955h(NT) (Rep. Osborne): AA RC 157-138 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 14, 2026: Inexpedient to Legislate: MF RC 146-150 05/14/2026 HJ 13
May 11, 2026: Removed from Consent (Reps. Osborne, Drew, Sweeney, Polozov, DeRoy, D. Kelley, Potenza, Litchfield, DeVito, Burnham) 05/11/2026 HJ 13
May 6, 2026: Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 05/05/2026 (Vote 23-0; CC) HC 19 P. 14
April 28, 2026: Executive Session: 05/05/2026 10:30 am GP 230
April 28, 2026: Division I Work Session: 05/04/2026 10:00 am GP 230
April 23, 2026: Referred to Finance 04/23/2026 HJ 11
April 23, 2026: Ought to Pass: MA VV 04/23/2026 HJ 11
April 15, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass 04/14/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC)
April 8, 2026: Executive Session: 04/14/2026 10:00 am GP 230
April 1, 2026: Public Hearing: 04/08/2026 11:30 am GP 159
March 27, 2026: Introduced (in recess of) 03/26/2026 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 9
March 23, 2026: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1216s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/26/2026; SJ 7
March 23, 2026: Committee Amendment # 2026-1216s, AA, VV; 03/26/2026; SJ 7
March 19, 2026: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1216s, 03/26/2026; Vote 7-0; CC; SC 11
March 5, 2026: Ought to Pass: MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 03/05/2026; SJ 5
March 5, 2026: Sen. Birdsell Moved Ought to Pass; 03/05/2026; SJ 5
March 5, 2026: Refer to Interim Study, MF, VV; 03/05/2026; SJ 5
March 5, 2026: Special Order to the end of the calendar, Without Objection, MA; 03/05/2026; SJ 5
Feb. 19, 2026: Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 03/05/2026, Vote 5-0; SC 8
Feb. 19, 2026: Special Order to the Next Session, Without Objection, MA; 02/19/2026; SJ 4
Feb. 19, 2026: SB 625 was Removed from the Consent Calendar; 02/19/2026; SJ 4
Feb. 12, 2026: Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 02/19/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 6
Jan. 13, 2026: Hearing: 01/20/2026, Room 100, SH, 01:10 pm; SC 2
Nov. 25, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 1