New Hampshire Senate concurs with House on dozens of bills, refuses to concur on a separate set; committee of conference set for school-bullying bill

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Senate on June 18 took up an extended series of House messages and votes, concurring with House amendments on numerous bills ranging from construction escrow uses to school and public-safety measures and declining to concur on a separate slate of bills that will either return to the House or move to further negotiation.

Many of the roll-call moments were short voice votes presided over by the president of the Senate. The chamber agreed to concur with the House on at least 23 measures, including Senate Bill 26 (authorizing pre‑closing use of escrow deposits for certain construction change orders), SB 164 (homeowner listing agreements), SB 282 (stairway requirements), SB 283 (floor‑area ratio calculations), SB 284 (municipal parking regulation authority), SB 57 (studies of school administrative units), SB 99 (regional career and technical education agreements), SB 43 (election‑related definitions and pollbook use), SB 215 (voting procedures for town offices), SB 74 (real property annual reporting by state departments), SB 178 (Department of Health and Human Services laboratory services), SB 188 (state building code), SB 195 (advisory council composition and duties), SB 197 (medical supervision of licensed registered nurses employed by general corps), SB 121 (insurance notice requirements), SB 245 (surprise ambulance billing), SB 249 (uncompensated care Medicaid), SB 145 (evidence‑shipping pilot program), SB 148 (prohibiting profit by murder convicts), SB 267 (penalties for patrons who engage in prostitution), SB 300 (criminalizing creation of child intimate visual representations), SB 151 (parking permit verification and fraud prevention), and SB 157 (inspection and registration of certain fleet vehicles). In each of those items the official motion was to “concur with the House amendment,” and the presiding officer announced, “The ayes have it. The senate concurs with the house.”

At the same time the Senate refused to concur on a set of bills, meaning the body voted to non‑concur with House amendments on those measures. Bills the Senate refused to concur on included SB 72 (parental bill of rights), SB 25 (credit union board compensation and digital‑currency provisions), SB 78 (zoning board of adjustment appeal period), SB 69L (charitable contributions, virtual early childhood program, and library user privacy items), SB 100 (prohibition on teaching discrimination), SB 209 (owners project managers and reporting), SB 30 (fertilizer application penalties and a symbolic proclamation), SB 180 (designation of a distressed place‑based economy and landfill rule revisions), SB 297 (full risk management programs), SB 119 (Medicaid pharmaceutical services and ivermectin standing orders), SB 13 (drivers’ licenses for certain noncitizens), SB 263 (criminalization and private right of action relating to certain generative communications directed at minors), and SB 60 (advanced deposit wagering and DHHS rulemaking). On those motions the presiding officer likewise announced, “The ayes have it,” and the Senate “refuses to concur,” which sends those bills back to the House or requires further action (non‑concurrence is a formal rejection of the House amendment).

Senator Ward moved that the Senate non‑concur on SB 210, a bill introduced as a bullying study that the House amended to add multiple anti‑bullying policies and an open‑enrollment provision allowing parents to send children to any school district. Ward told the chamber the education committee had re‑referred open enrollment and that House education leaders offered to remove the open‑enrollment language to allow conference on bullying policy. The Senate approved a request for a committee of conference; later in the day the House appointed representatives Cordelli, Noble, Drei and Freeman to that conference committee.

The session’s proceedings were procedural and brisk: most motions were phrased as “Senator X moves that the Senate concur/non‑concur with the House amendment on Senate Bill Y,” followed by a voice vote. There were no recorded roll‑call tallies in the transcript for individual yea/nay counts; the clerk and presiding officer repeatedly announced the result as “The ayes have it.”

Votes at a glance: the Senate concurred with House amendments on SB 26; SB 164; SB 282; SB 283; SB 284; SB 57; SB 99; SB 43; SB 215; SB 74; SB 178; SB 188; SB 195; SB 197; SB 121; SB 245; SB 249; SB 145; SB 148; SB 267; SB 300; SB 151; and SB 157. The Senate refused to concur on SB 72; SB 25; SB 78; SB 69L; SB 100; SB 209; SB 30; SB 180; SB 297; SB 119; SB 13; SB 263; and SB 60. The Senate requested a committee of conference on SB 210; the House later acceded and named its conferees.

The Senate also took routine procedural steps — short recesses, introductions of visiting school groups (Berlin Elementary School was welcomed), a prayer from the chamber chaplain and a brief memorial recognition — but the core of the day’s work was the large batch of concurrence and non‑concurrence votes and the formation of a committee of conference on SB 210.

Because most motions were resolved by voice vote with the presiding officer announcing results, the transcript does not include individual yea/nay roll‑call counts for each senator. Where a motion was moved on the record, the article lists the mover named in the transcript. The House later filed a message confirming its appointment of conferees for SB 210.