Bill > HB175

This bill updates the definitions and regulations surrounding political expenditures and contributions in New Hampshire, specifically focusing on clarifying what constitutes a "coordinated expenditure" and establishing new contribution limits. The bill introduces a comprehensive and detailed definition of "coordinated expenditure" which includes scenarios such as republishing campaign materials, making expenditures consistent with a candidate's instructions, and spending money on communications that advocate for or against a candidate within 120 days of an election. It establishes specific criteria for determining when an expenditure is considered "coordinated," including factors like the placement of instructions, targeted audience information, and communication methods. The bill also creates new maximum contribution limits, capping individual contributions at $15,000 for candidate committees and $30,000 for political advocacy organizations and other political committees per election cycle. Additionally, the bill modifies existing definitions of "contribution" and "independent expenditure" to explicitly distinguish coordinated expenditures from independent ones, and provides guidelines for implementing "firewalls" to prevent information sharing between political entities. The goal appears to be increasing transparency and preventing indirect coordination between political spenders and candidates.

Government Affairs

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0156&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=HB175