Senator Altschuler pushes education‑first ban on smoking at Hampton Beach State Park

Senator Deborah Altschuler (D), representing Senate District 24, introduced Senate Bill 596 on behalf of a constituent and asked the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to prohibit lighting up tobacco, marijuana or other substances on Hampton Beach State Park.

Altschuler said the bill is intended to change beach culture through education and signage rather than penalties. "Cigarette butts are the most littered item found during organized beach cleanups," she told the committee, citing her own participation in local cleanups and research from the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. She told senators the bill would impose no fines or penalties and that the fiscal note indicates signage and implementation costs can be absorbed within the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources' existing budget.

Committee members asked for clarifications about the boundary between state park land and adjacent private property and whether the bill would affect parking areas, boardwalks or RV/pavilion areas. Altschuler said existing smoke‑free zones at the Seashell Stage and some picnic/RV areas already prohibit smoking and that the bill is intended to extend smoke restrictions onto the sand within the state park. She also said the bill covers "lighting up any substance," including medical marijuana, when on state park land.

A member of the public, Meredith Collins, said she was concerned after learning the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources allegedly refused to meet with the sponsor; the chair asked for a written account and offered to follow up. With no further testimony the committee closed the hearing on SB 596.