Citizen in a RepublicNH Bill Briefing
← All bills

HB 1044 · 2026 · House · Municipal and County Government Committee

Filling county commissioner vacancies

AI-generated

relative to the filling of vacancies in the office of a county commissioner.

Requires a vacancy in the office of county commissioner to be filled by members of the county convention and allows district-based voting where applicable.AI-generated

Status

Signed into law · May 12, 2026
  1. ✓Introduced
  2. ✓House
  3. ✓Senate
  4. ✓Governor
  5. ✓Law

Analysis

This bill requires a vacancy in the office of county commissioner to be filled by the members of the county convention.

From the bill's official ANALYSIS section.

Official record

Bill page — docket & status

gc.nh.gov · the authoritative source

Sponsors

Rep. Len TurcotteRPrime
  • Rep. Claudine BurnhamRClerk· Election Law
  • Sen. James GrayRChair· Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Also: Rep. Glenn BaileyR, Rep. David WalkerR, Rep. Susan DeRoyR, Rep. Michael HarringtonR, Rep. Aidan AnkarbergI, Rep. Samuel FarringtonR, Rep. Kelley PotenzaR, Rep. Michael GrangerR

Public testimony

22 signed in online · 5 wrote testimony

27% support73% oppose0% neutral

In their wordsVerbatim, exactly as submitted

“The vacancies should only be voted on by delegates in the district, just the the voters to whom this position represents (those is the district) were the only votes counted in selecting the representative.”
— C P, Rochestersupports
“Written Testimony in Support of HB 1044 AN ACT relative to the filling of vacancies in the office of a county commissioner Before the House Municipal and County Government Committee January 2026 Madam Chair and Members of the Committee, I submit this testimony as a…”
— Susan Rice, Rochestersupports
“This bill attempts to fix something that is not broken. Sullivan doesn’t need this. I could only cause confusion.”
— Joe Osgood, Claremontopposes
“Opposition Testimony on HB 1044: Relative to the Filling of Vacancies in the Office of County Commissioner I stand in strong opposition to HB 1044, which seeks to amend the procedures for filling vacancies in the office of county commissioners.…”
— Georgina Lambert, Belmontopposes

Verbatim excerpts of submitted testimony, quoted from the testimony tool.

Read the testimony · as of Aug 12, 2026

Hearings

  • 2026-01-139:30 amHouse Municipal and County GovernmentGP 154Public hearing
  • 2026-03-109:00 amSenate Election Law and Municipal AffairsSH 122-123Public hearing

Legislative history

  1. Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 1 P. 3
  2. Jan 13, 2026HousePublic Hearing: 01/13/2026 10:00 am GP 154
  3. Jan 13, 2026HouseExecutive Session: 01/13/2026 10:00 am GP 154
  4. Jan 20, 2026House: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0069h 01/20/2026 (Vote 18-0; CC) HC 5 P. 10
  5. Feb 5, 2026HouseAmendment # 2026-0069h: AA VV 02/05/2026 HJ 3 P. 13
  6. Feb 5, 2026HouseOught to Pass with Amendment 2026-0069h: MA VV 02/05/2026 HJ 3 P. 13
  7. Feb 5, 2026SenIntroduced 02/05/2026 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 4
  8. Mar 10, 2026SenHearing: 03/10/2026, Room 122-123, SH, 10:00 am; SC 9
  9. Mar 26, 2026Sen: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1205s, 03/26/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11
  10. Mar 26, 2026SenCommittee Amendment # 2026-1205s, AA, VV; 03/26/2026; SJ 7
  11. Mar 26, 2026SenOught to Pass with Amendment #2026-1205s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/26/2026; SJ 7
  12. Apr 9, 2026HouseHouse Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1205s (Rep. Pauer): MA VV 04/09/2026 HJ 10 P. 8
  13. Apr 23, 2026SenEnrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 04/23/2026); SJ 11
  14. Apr 23, 2026HouseEnrolled (in recess of) 04/23/2026 HJ 11 P. 82
  15. May 8, 2026HouseSigned by Governor Ayotte 05/08/2026; Chapter 48; eff. 07/07/2026

Coverage

No reporting linked yet.

Documents (PDF)

Bill text & amendments link direct to gc.nh.gov; committee reports stream from the state record.