HB611 Relative to repayment regarding appointed counsel for indigent criminal defendants.
Relative to repayment regarding appointed counsel for indigent criminal defendants.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Harmful
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
Low-income defendants who are acquitted or not convicted will now face repayment obligations they previously avoided, creating new debt burdens on financially vulnerable individuals and families.
Your Community
The bill will cost the General Fund $176k-$214k annually in net expenses (after collections), redirecting state resources away from other services despite the collection effort.
Your Freedom
Requiring repayment regardless of conviction outcome creates an additional financial penalty on individuals using their constitutional right to counsel and may create barriers to seeking legal representation.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 01/07/2026 House Journal 1 P. 72
Sponsor
Buzz Scherr (D)
The Short Version
This bill requires courts to collect court-appointed counsel fees from all indigent criminal defendants regardless of conviction status, reverting to a prior policy. The state projects it will cost $176k-$214k annually in administrative expenses while collecting only $450k-$650k in revenue, creating a net drain on the General Fund while increasing financial obligations on low-income defendants and their families.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ The state General Fund indirectly if/when the Office of Cost Containment eventually becomes profitable (stated timeline is uncertain)
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Low-income and indigent defendants, particularly those acquitted or whose charges are dismissed, who will be required to repay counsel fees they previously were not required to repay
- ▼ Families of defendants who may be held liable for juvenile defendant repayment
- ▼ The General Fund, which will absorb $176k-$214k in net losses in FY 2026-2027 before any potential future profitability
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.