HB74 Defining the term citizen for the purposes of the right to know law and including preliminary drafts circulated to a quorum of a majority of a public body as disclosable documents.
Defining the term citizen for the purposes of the right to know law and including preliminary drafts circulated to a quorum of a majority of a public body as disclosable documents.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Mixed
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
No direct financial impact on taxpayers or household costs identified in the bill text.
Your Community
Increased transparency of government deliberations strengthens public oversight of local and state decision-making processes.
Your Freedom
Expands citizens' and press freedom to access government records and deliberative documents, enhancing transparency and accountability.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 01/07/2026 House Journal 1 P. 74
Sponsor
Jess Edwards (R)
The Short Version
This bill expands the Right to Know Law by defining 'citizen' to include out-of-state press and NH residents, and requires disclosure of preliminary drafts circulated to a quorum or majority of public bodies. It increases public access to government deliberation documents that were previously not required to be released.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ NH residents seeking government transparency and information
- ▲ Press organizations, including out-of-state media reporting on NH issues
- ▲ Citizens and advocacy groups monitoring public body decisions
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Public bodies may face increased administrative burden compiling and disclosing preliminary drafts
- ▼ Government officials may experience reduced deliberative privacy during document drafting stages
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.