New Hampshire 2026 Session Status: Passed House 8 R cosponsors

HB 1286 — relative to the practice of dentistry and when radiographic examinations are required.

Last action — Inexpedient to Legislate, MA, VV === BILL KILLED ===; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

  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 01, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

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

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

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

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

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

Prognosis

Advancing 38% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (8 R).

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) relative to the practice of dentistry and when radiographic examinations are required.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

16 added · 12 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Bill HB 1286 clarifies that dentists can treat patients who refuse a radiographic examination, such as an x-ray, and now requires patients to sign a waiver of liability in such cases. The key change is that the original language used "recommended x-ray" and has been updated to "radiographic examination," which broadens the scope of procedures covered. This modification matters because it allows greater flexibility for dentists in managing patient care while also protecting them from potential legal consequences if a patient declines recommended imaging.

→
Previous
Latest
HB 1286 - AS INTRODUCED SESSION 26-2796 05/09 HOUSE BILL 1286 AN ACT relative to the practice of dentistry and when x-rays are required.
HB 1286 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE 11Mar2026...
0914h SESSION 26-2796 05/09 HOUSE BILL 1286 AN ACT relative to the practice of dentistry and when radiographic examinations are required.
Executive Departments and Administration ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ANALYSIS This bill provides that a dentist may treat a patient who declines to have a recommended x-ray and the dentist in such cases may require the patient to sign a waiver of liability.
Executive Departments and Administration ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── AMENDED ANALYSIS This bill provides that a dentist may treat a patient who declines to have a radiographic examination and the dentist in such cases shall require the patient to sign a waiver of liability.
HB 1286 - AS INTRODUCED 26-2796 05/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT relative to the practice of dentistry and when x-rays are required.
HB 1286 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE 11Mar2026...
0914h 26-2796 05/09 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six AN ACT relative to the practice of dentistry and when radiographic examinations are required.
Notwithstanding RSA 317-A:17, II(j), a dentist may treat a patient who has declined to have an x-ray recommended by the dentist unless doing so would violate the dental standard of care.
Notwithstanding RSA 317-A:17, II(j), a dentist may treat a patient who has declined to have a radiographic examination.
In such cases, the dentist may require the patient to sign a waiver of liability, indicating that the patient waives the right to sue the dentist in the event that the lack of an x-ray results in unforeseen injury to the patient.
In such cases, the dentist shall require the patient to sign a waiver of liability, indicating that the patient waives the right to sue the dentist in the event that the lack of a radiographic examination results in unforeseen injury to the patient.
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Inexpedient to Legislate, MA, VV === BILL KILLED ===; 05/07/2026; SJ 11

  2. Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate; Vote 5-0; CC; 05/07/2026; SC 17

  3. Hearing: 04/01/2026, Room 103, SH, 09:20 am; SC 12

  4. Introduced 03/12/2026 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 7

  5. Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0914h: MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 41

  6. Amendment # 2026-0914h: AA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 41

  7. Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0914h (NT) 03/03/2026 (Vote 14-2; CC) HC 10 P. 19

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

  9. Public Hearing: 01/22/2026 11:00 am GP 153

  10. Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 1 P. 14

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 406 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (406)

406 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 406 →

"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

healthcare labor
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 1286 do?
(New Title) relative to the practice of dentistry and when radiographic examinations are required.
Who sponsors HB 1286?
HB 1286 is sponsored by Matt R Sabourin dit Choinière, Mike Drago (Republican), Robert Wherry (Republican), Katy Peternel (Republican), Melissa Litchfield (Republican), Diane Pauer (Republican), Juliet Harvey-Bolia (Republican), Sayra DeVito (Republican), and Tom Mannion (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1286?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 01, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 1286?
Track HB 1286 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 1286

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HB 1286

Last checked for changes about 1 month ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →