Senator David Waters, prime sponsor, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee he was introducing “senate bill 4 50” to authorize a three‑year pilot that would provide state park day passes to each of the state’s 10 community mental health centers so they could make a pass available to a client for a day.

The sponsor said the measure is intended to “recognize the great benefit, for mental health of having some recreation and time out of doors,” and noted the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources provided research about the mental‑health benefits of outdoor recreation. He described the pass as a low‑cost intervention, saying “I think it's about a $100 a pass,” and compared the program to existing park‑pass distributions to libraries and other organizations.

Holly Stevens, director of public policy at NAMI New Hampshire, testified in support, citing prevalence figures: “1 in 5 adults in New Hampshire experience a mental illness and 1 in 6 youth aged 12 to 17 experience a major depressive episode each year.” She told the committee that the state’s 10 community mental health centers served almost 54,000 unique individuals in 2024 and that many clients lack disposable income for recreation, arguing the pass would broaden access to nature‑based therapeutic experiences.

Committee members asked procedural questions about the scope of the pass; senators clarified that the pilot would cover park admission but not necessarily paid parking at some sites, which are separate local revenue streams. Sponsor Waters also identified a drafting error in the originally proposed repeal date and proposed a committee amendment to extend the repeal to 2029 so the pilot would run three years and permit anonymized outcome measurement.

The committee adopted the amendment to change the pilot’s repeal date and then voted by voice to recommend that the bill "ought to pass as amended." The action was taken by voice vote with no recorded roll‑call; the committee chair called for consent and recorded no opposition. Senator Waters was assigned to carry the bill out of committee.

What happens next: SB450FN was recommended ought to pass as amended by the committee and will advance with the amendment setting the pilot repeal to 2029. Further reporting or rulemaking details and budgetary implications were not specified in the hearing record.