Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee considers allowing New Hampshire Snowmobile Association nonprofit to offer license‑plate decal donations
Summary
Sen. David Rocheford introduced SB 154 to add the Snow Traveler Foundation (affiliated with the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association) to the state decal plate program so the nonprofit can solicit tax‑deductible donations to support trail signage and safety programs.
Senator David Rocheford (District 1) told the Senate Transportation Committee he introduced Senate Bill 154 at the request of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association to add the Snow Traveler Foundation to the state’s license plate decal program so the nonprofit can accept tax‑deductible donations to support trails and education.
Dan Gould, executive director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association, said the association has roughly 23,000 members and 96 clubs statewide and that snowmobile registration revenues cover only about half of total trail costs; clubs raise the remainder through fundraisers and donations. He said the Snow Traveler Foundation, established in 2024, would provide a channel for charitable gifts that could pay for new trail signage, safety programs and other needs that are not fully covered by existing grants from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Rocheford said the decal program is already established by statute and SB 154 would amend the current list of eligible charities under RSA 261‑B:9 to include the Snow Traveler Foundation. He said the foundation would allow private individuals and corporations that appreciate New Hampshire’s trail system to make memorial or other gifts to support maintenance and safety projects.
Committee members had no substantive objections during the hearing. DNCR and Department of Safety rules and the existing statutory requirements for decal plates would continue to apply if the bill is amended to add the foundation.
