Bill > SB626

This bill modifies New Hampshire's right-to-know law by restricting public record access requests to only citizens who can prove they are domiciled or maintain a permanent residence in the state. Specifically, the bill defines "citizen" as a natural person with a permanent residence in New Hampshire and requires individuals requesting governmental records to provide documentation proving their state residency, such as through voter registration or identification. The bill also includes an exemption for news organizations located outside of New Hampshire, allowing them to continue making record requests. Under this proposed legislation, government bodies and agencies would only be required to make governmental records available for inspection and copying to individuals who can demonstrate their New Hampshire residency status. The bill would take effect immediately upon passage and is expected to have a minimal fiscal impact of less than $10,000 annually. This change would significantly alter the current right-to-know process by limiting public record access to state residents and requiring specific documentation to prove residency before a request can be processed.

Justice

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=1305&inflect=2