New Hampshire 2026 Session Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 4 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 1438 — enabling mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.

Last action — Refer to Interim Study, MA, VV; 04/23/2026; SJ 10

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

This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 04, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

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

Advancing 52% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (4 D · 1 R) — 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.

Summary

(New Title) enabling mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

13 added · 11 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill HB 1438 changes the requirement for mental health caseworkers from being mandatory reporters of animal abuse to allowing them the option to report suspected cases. This means that caseworkers now have the discretion to decide whether to report instances of animal abuse that they learn about from their clients, rather than being obligated to do so. This change is significant because it considers the confidentiality of the client-counselor relationship while still enabling potential reporting of animal abuse, which can help protect vulnerable animals.

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HB 1438 - AS INTRODUCED SESSION 26-2620 08/09 HOUSE BILL 1438 AN ACT requiring mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
HB 1438 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE 11Mar2026...
1024h SESSION 26-2620 08/09 HOUSE BILL 1438 AN ACT enabling mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
Executive Departments and Administration ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ANALYSIS This bill requires mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
Executive Departments and Administration ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── AMENDED ANALYSIS This bill enables mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
HB 1438 - AS INTRODUCED 26-2620 08/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT requiring mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
HB 1438 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE 11Mar2026...
1024h 26-2620 08/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT enabling mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
A person licensed under this chapter having knowledge of or suspecting in good faith that any animal has been subjected to cruelty, neglect, exploitation, or is living in hazardous conditions, through information from a client that would normally be protected confidential information, shall report or cause a report to be made to a law enforcement officer or to the field services office with the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A person licensed under this chapter having knowledge of, or suspecting in good faith, that any animal has been subjected to cruelty, neglect, exploitation, or is living in hazardous conditions through information from a client that would normally be protected confidential information may report, or cause a report to be made, to a law enforcement officer or to the field services office with the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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Action History

  1. Refer to Interim Study, MA, VV; 04/23/2026; SJ 10

  2. Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 04/23/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 15A

  3. Hearing: 04/09/2026, Room 100, SH, 01:40 pm; SC 13

  4. Introduced 03/12/2026 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 7

  5. Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-1024h: MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 42

  6. Amendment # 2026-1024h: AA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 42

  7. Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1024h (NT) 03/03/2026 (Vote 15-1; CC) HC 10 P. 20

  8. Executive Session: 03/03/2026 01:00 pm GP 159

  9. Public Hearing: 01/21/2026 01:00 pm GP 231

  10. Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 1 P. 20

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 410 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (410)

410 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 410 →

"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

public-safety 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 HB 1438 do?
(New Title) enabling mental health caseworkers to report instances of animal abuse by their clients.
Who sponsors HB 1438?
HB 1438 is sponsored by Diane Kelley (Republican), Efstathia Booras (Democrat), Ellen Read (Democrat), Christal Lloyd (Democrat), and Jonah Wheeler (Democrat).
What is the current status of HB 1438?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 04, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 1438?
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