New Hampshire House advances a string of committee recommendations after hours of debate; reprimand passes
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The New Hampshire House in Concord advanced multiple committee reports on bills covering family law, child privacy, education and public safety, rejected several measures as inexpedient to legislate, and voted to reprimand a member for misconduct. Key debates centered on parental alienation, a child-data ban, extreme risk protection orders and a proposed tobacco tax.
The New Hampshire House met in Concord on Feb. 5, 2026, and moved a long slate of committee reports after extended debate on several high-profile bills.
Members spent significant time on family-law and child-protection measures. The House considered the majority committee report on House Bill 13-23, a measure to define "parental alienation" in statute. Representative Heather Raymond rose in opposition, citing a 2022 brief from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and saying "parental alienation should not be admissible in court" and that judicial experts have rejected the concept as a statutory standard. Supporters, including Representative Cofield, argued the bill addresses recurring, harmful patterns and would provide a consistent definition to guide judges; Cofield said, "Parental alienation is a pattern of manipulation that deprives a parent of their rightful relationship with their children." The committee report on HB 13-23 was advanced by the House and sent to the Finance Committee.
Lawmakers also debated HB 14-60, which would prohibit commercial sale or distribution of certain location or contact data about minors. Representative Alicia Greg opposed advancing the bill on procedure grounds, saying the sponsor missed the committee hearing and that "there was no testimony for or against" and no stakeholders were heard. Representative Mark Pearson, one of the bill’s defenders, described it as a straightforward consumer‑protection measure and urged colleagues to support it. The House adopted the committee report and referred the measure to finance.
Gun- and public-safety legislation drew sharp exchanges. Members debated HB 16-42, an extreme risk protection order bill that would permit temporary civil restrictions on access to firearms in emergency situations. Representative Selig, speaking in opposition to the committee’s recommendation to table the bill, described a personal loss and argued the bill is "about prevention," while others argued it raised constitutional and due‑process concerns. The majority committee report of inexpedient to legislate (ITL) was adopted.
On fiscal policy, the House voted on HB 15-96 — a package combining a per‑pack tobacco fee increase, changes to Medicaid premiums and a permanent appropriation for the University System — after hours of debate on revenue and equity. Opponents warned the tobacco increase could reduce sales and harm border communities; proponents said adjusting the fee for inflation would generate needed revenue. The committee report was adopted as inexpedient to legislate.
Health and immunization policy items moved as well. The House adopted a committee report on HB 15-84 (notice and form for vaccine exemptions) as amended and sent it to finance; Representative Potenza described the bill as restoring "neutral" government communication about exemptions, and Representative Lucas warned it could add burdens for school nurses.
The chamber also addressed member conduct: a motion to reprimand Representative Paige Beauchamp for a rude gesture during the state-of-the-state address was brought as a privileged motion. Representative Beauchamp apologized for the gesture but said she would not apologize for the source of her frustration; the House voted to reprimand the member.
Other committee reports advanced or were tabled after debate on topics including renewal-energy funding, bulk-salt mitigation fees, changes to title and registration exemptions, and a range of municipal and education measures. Several members asked that remarks from debate be printed in the permanent journal. The House adjourned to reconvene Feb. 19, 2026.
Votes at a glance (selected committee-report outcomes as recorded on the floor): the committee report on HB 13-23 was adopted and advanced to finance; HB 14-60 was adopted and referred to finance; HB 16-42 (extreme risk protection orders) - majority report ITL adopted; HB 15-96 (tobacco tax package) - majority ITL adopted; HB 15-84 (immunization notice) - committee report adopted as amended, referred to finance; a reprimand of Representative Beauchamp passed by division vote. Where the transcript records specific roll-call tallies, the article reflects adoption or failure as announced on the floor.
What’s next: Many of the bills that advanced were sent to the Finance or Ways & Means committees for further action; a number of other measures were laid on the table or instructed to interim study. The House reconvenes Feb. 19, 2026, to continue the session.