SB626 Restricting right-to-know requests to persons domiciled or maintaining a permanent residence in New Hampshire and requiring proof of domicile or residency to file right-to-know requests.
Restricting right-to-know requests to persons domiciled or maintaining a permanent residence in New Hampshire and requiring proof of domicile or residency to file right-to-know requests.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Harmful
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
No direct financial impact on residents.
Your Community
Weakens government transparency by restricting who can request public records, potentially hiding wrongdoing from outside scrutiny.
Your Freedom
Significantly undermines the right to know by adding residency barriers and creating a chilling effect on government accountability.
Status
Pending Motion Committee Amendment # 2026-1055s; 03/12/2026; Senate Journal 6
Sponsor
William Gannon (R)
The Short Version
Restricts public records (right-to-know) requests to NH residents only and requires proof of residency. Would limit government transparency by blocking non-residents, journalists, and researchers from accessing public records.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Government officials who want less scrutiny
- ▲ Entities preferring less public oversight
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Journalists and watchdog organizations
- ▼ Non-resident property owners in NH
- ▼ Transparency and accountability advocates
- ▼ All NH residents who benefit from external oversight
Bill statuses as of May 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.