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Committee votes not to recommend HB 1229, favors outreach over new purchase‑and‑sale mandate
Summary
After a work session on HB 1229, the committee voted 15–0 in executive session to not recommend the bill, with members saying they prefer non‑legislative education and a DES‑oriented notification pamphlet for shoreland property owners.
A legislative committee on Friday decided not to recommend House Bill 1229, a proposal that sought to add notice to buyers of properties abutting public waters about obligations under the Shoreline Water Quality Protection Act. In executive session the committee voted 15–0 to send the bill forward as "not recommended."
Representative Rung, who led discussion on the measure during the work session, said she had met with a representative of the New Hampshire Realtors Association and concluded the purchase‑and‑sale contract form is not the right place to add the notice. "That form ... isn't going to be the appropriate vehicle to make that communication," she told the committee, and urged a non‑legislative solution such as a pamphlet or standard information page maintained by the Department of Environmental Services (DES).
Rung described the typical shoreland requirements — for example, limits on cutting trees within 50 feet of the shoreline and precise circumference measurements of trees — as technical obligations many buyers may not realize when moving from non‑shoreline property. She pointed to recent cyanobacteria blooms that have increased public attention to shoreline protections and cited education efforts by groups including the Lake Winnipesaukee Association and New Hampshire Lakes.
Committee members generally agreed some form of notification or broader outreach is needed but expressed concern about whether drafting statutory language would be the most effective path. Representative Wolf said the bill "as presented isn't ready for prime time" but urged keeping the idea alive: "there should be some sort of notification when somebody purchases property." Other members recommended working with local governments and conservation groups to expand education to existing shoreland owners as well as new buyers.
The chair noted the committee will capture majority and minority views in its write‑up for the record. The committee then moved into executive session, where Representative Rung formally moved that HB 1229 not be recommended for further consideration; the motion was seconded and passed on roll call, 15–0.
The work‑session record shows the committee favors pursuing DES‑led or stakeholder‑driven outreach rather than immediate statutory changes; the committee did not adopt any new statutory language at this meeting.
