April 25 Housing Matters Newsletter

Welcome to the Housing Matters Newsletter! 

As followers of our newsletter and Housing Matters Zoom meetings know, this is a state budget year with significant implications for housing in New Hampshire, including homeless shelter contracts, the Affordable Housing Fund, the Housing Champions program, and more.

The Senate Finance Committee announced this week that the public hearing on the budget will be held on Tuesday, May 6, at 1:00 pm in Representatives Hall at the State House. Next week, we will include more information on how to submit testimony online and what to expect if you are planning to attend in person.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee will begin revenue presentations on Wednesday, starting with the Department of Revenue Administration. The Ways and Means Committee is tasked with making revenue projections for the next two fiscal years, which determines the total dollar amount the Senate Finance Committee has to appropriate for spending priorities and state programs.

These are an important few weeks for the next state budget.

As always, if you have questions about the legislation we mention in the newsletter or housing-related proposals that aren’t included, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, and you want to receive future updates, you can sign up here.

Best,
Nick Taylor

House Ways and Means Committee: Tuesday, April 29th, LOB Room 202-204

10:00 am — Senate Bill 291, relative to the religious use of land property tax exemption.

• What The Bill Does: This bill allows places of public worship to develop up to six units of residential housing on their land.
• Why It Matters: Religious institutions that seek to serve their community by providing housing on their land often run into regulatory barriers. This bill will reduce those barriers and provide additional housing in New Hampshire.

The Senate Commerce Committee will enter into Executive Session at 9:30 am (potentially after the 11 am hearing as well) to make recommendations on pending legislation. This may include HB 577 (ADUs), HB 631 (Homes Near Jobs), and HB 685 (Manufactured Housing). All three proposals received an ought-to-pass recommendation from the Senate Subcommittee on Housing. 

The House of Representatives will meet for session next Thursday, May 1st. The House will consider SB 284, which, as amended, would limit parking requirements to no more than one spot per unit. The bill does not prohibit developers or property owners from building more parking if they need it. 

The Senate will meet for session next Thursday, May 1st. The Senate does not have any priority housing bills on the floor.

The House did not meet for session this week.

The Senate did not meet for session this week.

According to the latest University of New Hampshire Granite State poll, housing is once again the most important problem facing New Hampshire. This reinforces data from Saint Anselm College, Housing Action NH, and others that continue to find New Hampshire voters want action on housing policy.  

The University of New Hampshire also tests public opinion in Maine and Vermont, and while housing is a high-priority issue in both of those states, it’s seen by a higher percentage of Granite Staters as the most important problem.

This week, Housing Action NH joined Senator Maggie Hassan for a roundtable discussion on housing affordability and the impact of recent federal funding cuts.