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Committee hears bill to waive metered park fees for veterans; amendment would let parks accept non‑promotional donations to offset revenue loss
Summary
Representative Bridal's HB1768 would exempt New Hampshire residents with veteran plates from metered parking and day‑use fees; the sponsor attached an amendment to allow DNCR to accept monetary or in‑kind donations subject to non‑promotional limits to offset lost parking revenue. Veterans groups supported the concept but cautioned on fiscal impact and plate confusion with other proposed specialty plates.
Representative Bridle (sponsor) proposed HB1768 to waive metered parking and day‑use fees for honorably discharged New Hampshire residents who display the official veteran license plate. The sponsor said the exemption is a modest way to honor veterans, particularly seniors on fixed incomes.
To address fiscal concerns, the sponsor offered an amendment authorizing the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to accept monetary and in‑kind donations (for example, vehicles or safety equipment) to offset revenue lost from statutory exemptions; any donor recognition would have to be incidental and non‑promotional and the department would maintain discretion over acceptance. The amendment also raises the administrative approval threshold for large donations to $50,000 under the statute being amended, while preserving governor and council oversight above that amount.
The state veterans advisory committee voiced support for the bill in principle, but asked the committee to coordinate this measure with a separate bill creating a ‘New Hampshire First for Veterans’ specialty plate (HB1415) and to ensure that any fiscal offsets are clearly administered. Committee members raised questions about administration, eligibility (how parks would verify veteran status), and whether the bill should be tied specifically to the existing official New Hampshire veteran license plate; the sponsor said he would amend the bill to clarify plate‑based eligibility to avoid burdens on park staff.
Ending: Committee took testimony and asked DNCR to clarify donation procedures and fiscal implications; sponsor expected to file a clarified amendment tying eligibility to the veteran license plate.
