House Housing Committee: Tuesday, February 11th, Legislative Office Building Room 305 10:00 am — Full Committee Work Session What’s A Work Session: Legislative committees will often hold work sessions for bills that they believe are good ideas, but need further discussion and amendments prior to receiving a recommendation by the committee. What Bills Are They Reviewing: HB 296, relative to issuing building permits along private roads; HB 382, removing authority for municipalities to regulate mandatory on-site parking requirements; HB 577, relative to modifying the definition of ADUs; HB 631-FN, permitting residential building in commercial zoning by right; HB 685, permitting in all residentially zoned areas by right the construction of manufactured housing; HB 342, relative to the approval process for new construction.
Senate Commerce Committee: Tuesday, February 11th, State House Room 100
10:00 am —Senate Bill 86, relative to the housing finance authority’s affordable housing guarantee program. - What The Bill Does: This bill establishes an affordable housing loan guarantee program at New Hampshire Housing. This will help lower lending costs for qualified below-market-rate projects.
- Why It Matters: It is increasingly difficult to make the economics work for below-market-rate housing. This loan guarantee will provide another tool to help address that challenge.
10:15 am — Senate Bill 279, establishing the housing champion business loan program and making appropriations to the department of business and economic affairs and the business finance authority. - What The Bill Does: This bill appropriates $5 million to the Department of Business and Economic Affairs to continue the Housing Champions Program and establishes a new business loan program at the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority that can be accessed by Housing Champion communities.
- Why It Matters: The Housing Champions program is an incentive-based program established in the previous legislative session that provides grants to communities that take pro-housing steps. In December 2024, 18 communities received the inaugural housing champions designation making them eligible for these funds.
Senate Transportation Committee: Tuesday, February 11th, LOB Room 101
1:00 pm — Senate Bill 153, relative to the issuance of permits for the alteration of driveways exiting onto public ways. - What The Bill Does: This bill creates a 90-day timeline for the Department of Transportation to review and issue permits for multifamily developments that are classified as a major traffic generator.
- Why It Matters: Housing developers often wait months for permits to be reviewed and issued with no clear timeline in place. This legislation would establish a clear timeline for approvals.
Senate Ways and Means Committee: Wednesday, February 12th, State House Room 100
9:30 am — Senate Bill 291, relative to the religious use of land property tax exemption. - What The Bill Does: This bill allows churches and places of worship to develop housing and residential programs 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.
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