Skip to content

New Hampshire General Court Kicks Off 2025 Session

New Hampshire General Court Kicks Off 2025 Session

January 15, 2025

New Hampshire Capitol Update

New Hampshire General Court Kicks Off 2025 Session

State Budget, Major Policy Bills On Tap This Year

On January 8, the New Hampshire General Court gaveled in for the start of the 2025 Legislative Session. The first week brought us the inauguration of Governor Kelly Ayotte and an initial round of roughly 450 bill introductions.

Among many notable proclamations in her inaugural address, Governor Ayotte announced the formation of a Committee on Government Efficiency, or COGE, with a mission similar to the federal DOGE led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

COGE will be a fifteen-member group headed by former Governor Craig Benson and former AutoFair CEO Andy Crews. Its purpose is to identify ways to streamline government and cut spending, something that will be necessary to balance the state budget without raising taxes.

Committees in the House of Representatives have already announced hearings on a few pieces of legislation that could have a big impact on small business:

Right to Work (HB 238): sponsored by Daniel Rep. Popovici-Muller (Rockingham 17), this bill would prohibit agreements that mandate workers join a union or pay dues or fees in order to work in any workplace in the state.

Right to Work laws are associated with higher levels of employment, lower levels of poverty, and greater population growth. Twenty-eight states currently have a similar law in place, but New Hampshire would be the first in New England to adopt it.

Right to Work is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Labor Committee on 1/22 at 10am.

E-Verify (HB 69): sponsored by Rep. Aidan Ankarberg (Strafford 7), would require all employers to run new hires through the federal E-Verify system.

This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in House Labor on 1/21 at 1pm.

We’re also watching about four dozen more bills that have been introduced so far. Among those with the potential for positive impact:

BET Cut (HB 155): sponsored by Rep. Joe Sweeney (Rockingham 8), would reduce the BET rate to 0.50% (from 0.55%) beginning in Tax Year 2026. The reduction would result in savings of $46.3 million for businesses for state fiscal years 2026-28. While Gov. Ayotte promised budget cuts in her inaugural address, it remains to be seen if that will accommodate another reduction in the BET. This bill is not yet scheduled for a hearing.

Renewable Portfolio Standard Rollback (HB 219): sponsored by Rep. Michael Harrington (Strafford 3), would repeal the 2007 Renewable Portfolio Standard through annual incremental reductions of 20% beginning in 2026. Not yet scheduled.

Property Tax Relief (HB 234): also sponsored by Rep. Harrington, this would dedicate game of chance revenue in excess of $6.6 million (2023 level) to the Statewide Education Fund and reduce the statewide levy by a corresponding amount. Not yet scheduled.

Several concerning bills are also on our radar, including:

NH OSHA (HB 303): sponsored Rep. Brian Sullivan (Sullivan 1), this would establish a state-level OSHA program and allow state regulators to exceed OSHA requirements. Not yet scheduled.

Business Political Contribution Regulations (HB 311): sponsored by Rep. Ellen Read (Rockingham 17), the bill would create a complex requirement that any political contribution by a pass-through business by apportioned among owners by their share of ownership and counted toward the owner’s individual contribution limit. Not yet scheduled.

Mandatory Unused PTO Payout (HB 378): sponsored by Rep. Michael Cahill (Rockingham 17), mirrors similarly bad proposals by the same lawmaker to require employers pay out unused vacation and PTO upon an employee’s separation from employment. Applies to businesses with 15 or more. Not yet scheduled.

Youth Worker Restrictions (HB 379): also sponsored by Rep. Cahill, this bill would prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds enrolled in school from working after 9p from Sun-Thurs and after 11p on Fri-Sat. It would also limit their total work week hours during the school year, including weeks with long weekends, and extend school year hour limitations from the end of the school year to the beginning of the school year (as opposed to current law, which defines summer hours as Jun 1 through Labor Day). Not yet scheduled.

NFIB NH will keep a close eye on legislation in Concord and engage lawmakers to protect the interests of the small business community.

If you have questions or feedback on these bills, or anything else happening in Concord, please contact state director John Reynolds at John.Reynolds@NFIB.org or 603-932-7757.

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Receive our newsletter and email notification
Knowledge is power. Let us help you stay informed with breaking legislative news, regulatory updates, business tips, and more.

Related Articles

February 11, 2025
NFIB Jobs Report: Job Openings Remain a Top Concern for Main St…
Unfilled job openings pose persistent challenge for small businesses, espec…
Read More
February 11, 2025
Governor Lee Outlines 2025 Agenda
NFIB will monitoring the details of many of the governor’s proposals i…
Read More
February 10, 2025
NFIB Tracking Nearly 30 Measures Important to Small Business fo…
Bills Lowering UI Premiums, Amending Statute of Limitation Pass Their House…
Read More
February 8, 2025
Minimum Wage Bills Coming Up for First Hearings
Small Business Legislative Update — Week 4
Read More

© 2001 - 2025 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility