New Hampshire 2026 Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 6 R · 4 D cosponsors

SB 642 — repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.

Last action — Signed by the Governor on 05/28/2026; Chapter 113; Effective 01/01/2027

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced November 25, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Kelly Ayotte (Republican) on May 29, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 10 sponsors

    1 primary, 9 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 R · 4 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill repeals the institutional review board for human subjects protection.

This bill removes the existing committee responsible for overseeing the protection of human subjects in research. By doing so, it eliminates the institutional review board designed to ensure ethical standards in studies involving human participants.

Summary

repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

15 added · 39 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the final version of SB 642, the bill repeals the committee responsible for protecting human subjects in research, along with the related rulemaking authority that was previously held by the commissioner of health and human services. This change removes oversight that was intended to safeguard individuals participating in research studies. The repeal is aimed at streamlining processes, but it raises concerns about the potential risks to human subjects without the protections that the committee provided. The bill is set to go into effect on January 1, 2027.

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Latest
SB 642-FN - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES 02/05/2026 0383s SESSION 26-2094 12/09 SENATE BILL 642-FN AN ACT repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
CHAPTER 113 SB 642-FN - FINAL VERSION 02/05/2026 0383s SESSION 26-2094 12/09 SENATE BILL 642-FN AN ACT repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
SB 642-FN - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES 02/05/2026 0383s 26-2094 12/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
CHAPTER 113 SB 642-FN - FINAL VERSION 02/05/2026 0383s 26-2094 12/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
1 Repeal.
113:1 Repeal.
2 Effective Date.
113:2 Effective Date.
LBA 26-2094 3/19/26 SB 642-FN- FISCAL NOTE AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2026-0383s) AN ACT repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
Approved:
FISCAL IMPACT:
May 28, 2026 Effective Date:
This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
January 01, 2027
Estimated State Impact FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029 Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0 Revenue Fund(s) None Expenditures* $0 ($29,500) ($59,000) ($59,000) Funding Source(s) General Fund Appropriations* $0 $0 $0 $0 Funding Source(s) None *Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill METHODOLOGY:
This bill repeals the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, and with it the administrative support functions provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Department states that administrative support is currently provided through a contract with the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester at an annual cost of $63,000 per year.
The Department anticipates that the bill will result in a net savings of $59,000 per year, as $4,000 each year will still be needed to comply with federal rules regarding maintenance of records.
Although statute currently allows for the establishment of fees to fund administrative support for the committee, the Department indicates that such support is currently generally funded.
The resulting cost reduction will therefore be a general fund savings.
Since the bill as amended takes effect January 1, 2027, this fiscal note assumes that only half of the savings will be realized in FY27.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services
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Action History

  1. Signed by the Governor on 05/28/2026; Chapter 113; Effective 01/01/2027

  2. Enrolled (in recess of) 05/14/2026 HJ 13

  3. Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 05/14/2026); SJ 13

  4. Ought to Pass: MA VV 04/09/2026 HJ 10 P. 17

  5. Committee Report: Ought to Pass 03/18/2026 (Vote 12-1; RC)

  6. Executive Session: 03/18/2026 01:40 pm GP 231

  7. Public Hearing: 03/18/2026 01:40 pm GP 231

  8. Introduced (in recess of) 02/19/2026 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 5 P. 127

  9. Committee Amendment # 2026-0383s, AA, VV; 02/05/2026; SJ 3

  10. Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0383s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 02/05/2026; SJ 3

  11. Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0383s, 02/05/2026; Vote 4-0; CC; SC 4

  12. Hearing: 01/28/2026, Room 103, SH, 09:30 am; SC 3

  13. Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 1

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 405 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (405)

405 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 405 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 642 do?
repealing the committee for the protection of human subjects institutional review board.
Who sponsors SB 642?
SB 642 is sponsored by Victoria Sullivan (Republican), Tim McGough (Republican), Howard Pearl (Republican), Donovan Fenton (Democrat), Timothy Lang (Republican), Suzanne Prentiss (Democrat), Bill Gannon (Republican), Regina Birdsell (Republican), David Watters (Democrat), and Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 642?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced November 25, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 642?
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