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Panel votes to approve SB 627 as amended, sets Jan. 1, 2027 effective date for one change
Summary
The committee approved amendment 1352H to Senate Bill 627, which adjusts turnpike tolls and adds a date-certain provision effective Jan. 1, 2027; the amendment and final motion passed unanimously (15–0, two absent).
The Public Works and Highways committee approved amendment 1352H and then voted 'ought to pass as amended' on Senate Bill 627, a measure that updates toll rates and establishes periodic, inflation-based reviews for the New Hampshire Turnpike system. Both the amendment and the final motion passed on unanimous recorded roll calls (15–0, two absent).
Representative Jack moved amendment 1352H, which replaces an earlier phrase with a specific effective date for a one-time change. Members said the date-certain language was intended to reassure the Executive Council and DOT that this change would not be open-ended. After brief discussion the clerk recorded the amendment’s passage.
Members asked Department of Transportation officials to clarify timing and the status of EasyPass discounts. David Rodrig, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, explained the bill includes a provision to make EasyPass transponders available at no charge for a limited period and discussed effective-date wording: “Section two refers to providing EasyPass transponders at no charge for 210 days,” Rodrig said, and the staff clarified the intent to make free transponders available roughly 30 days before the toll increase.
Committee members also queried a repeal line in the amendment that referenced "23711 section V relative to the EasyPass discount." DOT staff said the existing discount structure for in-state EasyPass holders would remain and that the repeal/replace language was intended to swap in the new toll schedule rather than remove commuter discounts entirely.
The committee placed SB 627, as amended, on the consent calendar; it will proceed to the next committee or floor processing with the committee’s 'ought to pass as amended' recommendation.
Context: The measure is part of preparing the toll system’s 10-year plan (2027–2036) and includes a one-time date-certain adjustment tied to the amendment passed in committee.
