HB610 Relative to the residential ratepayers advisory board.
Relative to the residential ratepayers advisory board.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Mixed
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
The bill emphasizes the consumer advocate's duty to achieve lowest possible costs for residential ratepayers, potentially benefiting household utility bills, though actual cost impact depends on how the advocate prioritizes this mandate against other objectives.
Your Community
The restructured board adds dedicated representation for elderly, disabled, low-income, and low-income housing residents, potentially strengthening advocacy for vulnerable populations' utility access and affordability.
Your Freedom
The bill adds explicit language about maximizing customer freedom and autonomy in utility service, and increases oversight of the consumer advocate through expanded board composition and removal authority.
Status
Enrolled (in recess of) 04/23/2026 House Journal 11 P. 82
Sponsor
Ross Berry (R)
The Short Version
This bill restructures the residential ratepayers advisory board to oversee the consumer advocate office, expanding board membership from 9 to 9 members with specific representation for elderly, disabled, low-income, small business, and environmental interests. It grants the board power to recommend the consumer advocate's reappointment or removal, and directs the advocate to prioritize lowest possible costs and customer autonomy for residential utility customers.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Residential utility ratepayers, particularly elderly and disabled residents
- ▲ Low-income households and residents of low-income housing
- ▲ Small business owners with utility concerns
- ▲ Advocates for environmental concerns in utility regulation
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ No fiscal impact identified in the fiscal note
- ▼ Potentially the consumer advocate office if the board uses removal authority to constrain operations
Bill statuses as of October 7, 2026. Check LegiScan or NH General Court for the latest.
This bill was auto-scored using AI analysis of the bill text and legislative data. Scores may be refined as we review more bills.