HB 348 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

8Jan2026... 0154h

2025 SESSION

25-0684

05/11

HOUSE BILL 348

AN ACT relative to eligibility for local assistance.

SPONSORS: Rep. Rhodes, Ches. 17; Rep. Lynn, Rock. 17; Rep. McFarlane, Graf. 18; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. Sweeney, Rock. 25; Rep. Berry, Hills. 44; Rep. Bogert, Belk. 5; Rep. Roy, Rock. 31; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Abbas, Dist 22

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

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ANALYSIS

This bill provides that municipalities may establish a residency requirement of up to 90 days for local assistance.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

8Jan2026... 0154h 25-0684

05/11

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT relative to eligibility for local assistance.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Eligibility for Local Assistance. Amend RSA 165:1 to read as follows:

165:1 Who Entitled; Local Responsibility.

I. Whenever a person in any town is poor and unable to support himself, he or she shall be relieved and maintained by the overseers of public welfare of such town, [whether or not he has residence there. For the purposes of this chapter the term "residence" shall have the same definition as in RSA 21:6-a] in accordance with this chapter.

II. The local governing body, as defined in RSA 672:6, of every town and city in the state shall adopt written guidelines relative to general assistance. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) The process for application for general assistance.

(b) The criteria for determining eligibility for general assistance, which may require an individual to provide proof of residency prior to being approved for such assistance. Acceptable evidence of an individual's residence may include a lease, car registration, utility bill, or any government-issued document with an address matching the stated residence.

(1) Special consideration may be provided to non-residents who have left their town of origin due to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking.

(2) The governing body may, at its discretion, authorize the local assistance administrator to provide emergency assistance to a non-resident for up to 72 hours to allow application and communication coordination with the town of origin.

(d) The process for the application of rents under RSA 165:4-b, if the municipality uses the offset provisions of RSA 165:4-a.

(e) A statement that qualified state assistance reductions under RSA 167:82, VIII may be deemed as income, if the local governing body has permitted the welfare administrator to treat a qualified state assistance reduction as deemed income under RSA 165:1-e.

(f) A monthly local assistance limit of not less than 50 percent of the federal poverty level.

III. Whenever a town provides assistance under this section, no such assistance shall be provided directly to a person or household in the form of cash payments.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.