Bill Text: NH SB506 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Limiting amendments to warrant articles.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 13-2)
Status: (Passed) 2018-06-29 - Signed by the Governor on 06/25/2018; Chapter 0325; Effective 08/24/2018 [SB506 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2018-SB506-Introduced.html
SB 506 - AS INTRODUCED
2018 SESSION
18-2884
06/08
SENATE BILL 506
AN ACT limiting amendments to warrant articles.
SPONSORS: Sen. Giuda, Dist 2; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. French, Dist 7; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Innis, Dist 24; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Rep. Chandler, Carr. 1; Rep. Hinch, Hills. 21; Rep. Weyler, Rock. 13; Rep. Souza, Hills. 43
COMMITTEE: Public and Municipal Affairs
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ANALYSIS
This bill prohibits amendments to petitioned warrant articles except for minor grammatical corrections.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
18-2884
06/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
AN ACT limiting amendments to warrant articles.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Town Meetings; Petitioned Warrant Articles. Amend RSA 39:3 to read as follows:
39:3 Articles. Upon the written application of 25 or more registered voters or 2 percent of the registered voters in town, whichever is less, although in no event shall fewer than 10 registered voters be sufficient, presented to the selectmen or one of them not later than the fifth Tuesday before the day prescribed for an annual meeting, the selectmen shall insert in their warrant for such meeting the petitioned article with only such minor [textual] grammatical changes as may be required. Such corrections shall not in any way change the intent of the article as presented in the original language of the petition. For the purposes of this section, the number of registered voters in a town shall be the number of voters registered prior to the last state general election. The right to have an article inserted in the warrant conferred by this section shall not be invalidated by the provisions of RSA 32. In towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants upon the written application of 50 or more voters or 1/4 of the voters in town, whichever is fewer, and in towns with 10,000 or more inhabitants upon the written application of 5 percent of the registered voters in the town, so presented not less than 60 days before the next annual meeting, the selectmen shall warn a special meeting to act upon any question specified in such application. The checklist for an annual or special town meeting shall be corrected by the supervisors of the checklist as provided in RSA 654:25-31. Those persons qualified to vote whose names are on the corrected checklist shall be entitled to vote at the meeting. The same checklist used at a recessed town meeting shall be used at any reconvened session of the same town meeting. In no event shall a special town meeting be held on the biennial election day.
2 New Subparagraph; Use of Official Ballot. Amend RSA 40:13, IV by inserting after subparagraph (c) the following new subparagraph:
(d) No petitioned warrant article shall be amended except for minor grammatical corrections. Such corrections shall not in any way change the intent of the article as originally presented. An amendment that changes the dollar amount of an appropriation in a warrant article shall not be deemed to violate this subparagraph.
3 School Meetings; Warrant and Articles. Amend RSA 197:6 to read as follows:
197:6 Warrant and Articles. Upon the written application of 25 or more voters or 2 percent of the voters of the school district, whichever is less, although in no event shall fewer than 10 registered voters be sufficient, presented to the school board or one of them not later than 30 days before the date prescribed for the school district meeting or the second Tuesday in March, whichever is earlier, the school board shall insert in the school district warrant for such meeting the petitioned article with only such minor textual changes as may be required. No article may be inserted after posting of said warrant. Petitioned articles shall not be amended except for minor grammatical corrections. Such corrections shall not in any way change the intent of the article as presented in the original petition. The right to have an article inserted in the warrant conferred by this section shall not be invalidated by the provisions of RSA 32.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
