ShareThisThe Legislative Process
The New Hampshire Legislature’s website provides information on the status and the language of specific legislation. Starting at the General Court’s home page, you can find links to the House, the Senate, and information about legislation. The site also features “Find Your Representative/Senator”, leading to other links useful in identifying and contacting members of the legislature. House and Senate committee rosters can also be accessed from this home page, by clicking on the House or Senate links to “Committees.”
To look up a specific bill, several search tools exist. The simplest of these is the “Quick Search” link. Simply enter the bill number, without inserting a space between HB (House Bill) or SB (Senate Bill) and the bill number. (For example, enter SB123.) This Quick Search feature provides access to the text of the bill (for actual bill language, sponsor names and committee referral) and the bill’s docket (for information on hearings, work sessions and actions taken on the bill). “Advanced Bill Search” and “Bill Text Search” functions are also available from the General Court’s home page.
To look at House or Senate Calendars, which list upcoming committee hearings, bills to be voted on in upcoming sessions, and other legislative activities, start at the General Court’s home page and select the link to House or Senate “Calendars and Journals.” The House Calendar contains committee reports with their vote recommendations to the full House (including minority reports in the case of some split votes). The Senate Calendar shows committee votes, without the detailed majority and minority reports shown in the House version.
The House and Senate Journals are a record of actions taken by the full House and Senate, including roll call votes.
Audio of House and Senate debate is available from the General Court website. From the home page, select “Streaming Media” and then the House or Senate audio link to hear live, streamed debate or archived audio files of earlier sessions.
For a thorough overview of the process, visit the Understanding the Legislative Process page. In addition, NHMA has also created How a Bill Becomes a Law, an illustration available for download in PDF format.
For additional questions or legislative concerns, contact the Government Affairs staff by calling 800.852.3358, ext. 384 or by e-mail governmentaffairs@nhlgc.org.