Senate committee adds 10-minute floor time for petition warrant authors, advances bill

The New Hampshire Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee voted in executive session to advance House Bill 228 after adopting a committee amendment that guarantees the primary petitioner a minimum of 10 minutes to introduce a petition warrant article.

The bill, introduced to the committee by Representative Diane Power, addresses what she described as a “pattern of problems” in how petition warrant articles and petitioners are treated at town and school district meetings. Representative Diane Power said petitioners have been “treated with open hostility” and that moderators or governing bodies sometimes limit or prevent discussion of petition warrant articles. She called the bill “a…