This Week at the State House (Week of 1/13/25)

The 2025 legislative season has officially begun in New Hampshire, marked by Governor Kelly Ayotte's swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural sessions of both the House and Senate last week.

Throughout the legislative session, New Futures will provide weekly Monday updates highlighting key hearings, upcoming votes, and opportunities for civic engagement that align with our 2025 Policy Priorities. To explore these priorities in detail and discover ways to participate in the legislative process, please visit our Current Legislation page.

This session promises to be particularly active, with legislators filing over 1,100 bills. While many of these bills have not yet been released publicly, several are already scheduled for hearings this week.

Take action on bills with hearings this week:

Hearings on Tuesday, January 14

1:15 PM: SB 14 - Oppose Mandatory Minimum Sentencing (Senate Judiciary, State House Room 100)

SB 14 would require a minimum sentence of 3.5 to 7 years for some fentanyl-related offenses. Mandatory minimum sentences remove individuals from their communities, restrict access to needed treatment, and weaken our state’s efforts to overcome the ongoing addiction crisis.

1:30 PM: SB 15 - Oppose Mandatory Minimum Sentencing (Senate Judiciary, State House Room 100)

SB 15 would require a minimum sentence of 10 years for the distribution of a substance that results in death. These bills would cause further harm to individuals in need of treatment and would undermine the progress New Hampshire has made in increasing access to treatment for substance use disorder.

For more information about these issues and other priority legislation, visit new-futures.org/current-legislation.