Representative Turcotte, sponsor of the retained House Bill 314-FN, persuaded the Legislative Administration committee to adopt a full "replace-all" amendment (2025-3026H) and to recommend the bill "ought to pass as amended." The amendment would define "public funds," prohibit their use for lobbying unless the municipality places a question substantially in the form provided before its voters, and require an annual report disclosing any approved lobbying expenditures.

The amendment was introduced by Representative Turcotte and seconded by Vice Chair Representative Sheehan. After debate and questions from committee members about scope and implementation, the committee adopted the amendment by roll call and then voted 7-4 to recommend HB 314-FN as amended.

Turcotte said the amendment is intended to create "transparency" and local control by giving towns, cities and school districts a mechanism to have taxpayers decide whether public money may be used for lobbying. He said the measure is framed around the state lobbyist registration statutes and not intended to limit routine testimony by public employees: "Nothing in the section shall restrict public officials or public employees from testifying before legislature unless the individual testifying is required to register as, register as a lobbyist." He told the committee his town tracks its lobbying-related spending and that "I don't care if our town wants to pay that money. That should be the vote of the town."

Key provisions discussed by members include:

- Definition of "public funds" and a prohibition on using those funds for purposes of lobbying unless voters approve under the amendment's ballot language.

- A segregation and reporting requirement: municipalities that authorize use of public funds for lobbying must list those expenditures in an annual report to citizens (the amendment adds an explicit annual-report requirement).

- A clarification that public employees and officials who are not required to register as lobbyists (RSA 15:1) may still testify before the legislature.

- A specific cross-reference to RSA 31:8-a to align treatment of the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) with the amendment's requirements; Turcotte said the change does not eliminate NHMA public funding but ties it to the opt-in/ballot process described in the amendment.

Committee members asked how the amendment would apply to school districts (including cooperative districts with multiple towns), counties that do not use municipal ballot procedures, and to associations other than NHMA. Members were told the amendment's core language is constructed around RSA 15 (lobbyist registration), which governs lobbyists generally, and that the ballot/opt-in process uses mechanisms commonly found across municipal and district statutes; the chair and sponsor said further vetting will occur in later public hearings if the bill advances.

Several members raised concern that the amendment is substantially different from the version of the bill that previously received a public hearing and that the amendment did not itself have a separate public hearing. The sponsor and chair noted retained-bill procedures and that the measure will face further hearings in the Senate if it advances.

On procedure, the clerk called the roll on the amendment 2025-3026H; the amendment was announced as adopted. The committee then voted on "ought to pass as amended" for HB 314-FN; the clerk recorded the vote as seven ayes and four nays. The chair noted a minority report is expected and set next steps: the committee will forward its recommendation to the House calendar and the bill will proceed to the floor and then to the Senate for additional hearings and consideration.

The committee discussed administrative items after the vote (scheduling, committee assistant staffing and Veto Day logistics). The measure's effective date was mentioned in debate as not imminent: one member noted the bill's effective date was set to January 1, 2027, which some members cited as a reason to consider further public review before final passage.