New Hampshire 2026 Session Status: Introduced 2 R cosponsors

HB 1396 — relative to vacancies in state offices.

Last action — Died on Table, Session ended 08/19/2026 HJ 16

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

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced December 04, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low 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

Not enough signal yet

Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

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 addresses how to fill vacancies in state offices.

This bill outlines the process for addressing vacancies in state offices. It aims to establish clear procedures for filling these positions.

Summary

relative to vacancies in state offices.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

Compared against the N.H. Revised Statutes Annotated as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes that vacancies in the office of state representative will not be filled, parallel to the existing law regarding delegate vacancies.

  • RSA 661:10

    the vacancy shall not be filled. → the vacancy shall not be filled.

    The bill clarifies that a vacancy in the office of state representative, like that of a delegate, shall not be filled.

  • RSA 661:8

    If a vacancy occurs in the office of state representative from a single town or ward district, the vacancy may be filled following the provisions of RSA 655:81 and RSA 655:82 in the same manner as a state general election is held. → If a vacancy occurs in the office of state representative or delegate to a state party convention, the vacancy shall not be filled.

    The bill eliminates the provision allowing vacancies in the state representative position to be filled, aligning it with the treatment of delegate vacancies.

Action History

  1. Died on Table, Session ended 08/19/2026 HJ 16

  2. Lay HB1396 on Table (Rep. Berry): MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 161

  3. Minority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate

  4. Majority Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0984h 03/03/2026 (Vote 9-8; RC) HC 10 P. 43

  5. Executive Session: 03/03/2026 10:00 am GP 158

  6. Public Hearing: 01/27/2026 01:00 pm GP 158

  7. Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Election Law HJ 1 P. 18

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 413 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (413)

413 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 413 →

"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

elections
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 1396 do?
relative to vacancies in state offices.
Who sponsors HB 1396?
HB 1396 is sponsored by Ross Berry (Republican) and Joe Sweeney (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1396?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced December 04, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1396?
Track HB 1396 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 1396

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 1396

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 →