$100 Plus Mileage

The 2026 New Hampshire legislative session has wrapped up its work for this year, meaning that Governor Kelly Ayotte now has the final word on dozens of pieces of legislation both chambers passed this session. Here are five that we’ve got our eye on at Citizens Count. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in part...

Transparency is a cornerstone of effective local governance, and in New Hampshire, the Right-to-Know law (RSA 91-A) empowers citizens to access public records and ensure their government remains accountable. From the ACLU’s discovery of a proposed immigration detention center in Merrimack, to Executive Councilor Janet Stevens’ recent request for details from the Berlin Police Department about the...

Every year, the New Hampshire Legislature passes hundreds of bills. Most of them travel a well-worn path: one chamber passes a bill, the other chamber agrees, and it heads to the governor's desk. But some bills hit a detour and end up in a room with a small group of legislators trying to hammer out a deal. That group of legislators is called a conference committee, and right now, there are several...

This year both the New Hampshire Legislature and U.S. Congress have been rocked by stories of misbehavior. When a legislator commits a crime, there is a clear process to determine wrongdoing, but the path forward is less clear when there are accusations of sexual misconduct, harassment, or verbal attacks. This article provides an overview of disciplinary options up for debate in the New Hampshire...

No one likes to think about dying—except, it seems, the New Hampshire Legislature. This year, Granite State lawmakers have introduced a trio of bills that rethink what happens to us after we shuffle off this mortal coil. From green burials to helping out our four-legged law enforcement officers, here is a look at how state law regarding dead bodies could change this year. Listen as hosts Anna Brow...

Sometimes New Hampshire’s Queen City gets criticized for the number of unhoused people within its borders. But according to state Senator Victoria Sullivan (R-Manchester), not all of those people are true Manchester residents. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced in partnership with Citizens Count, Granite State...

Waitlists for many mental health service providers in New Hampshire stretch for months, leaving some to propose a controversial alternative: artificial intelligence. Now, a bill in Concord is asking a critical question: what should be the role of AI in mental health—if any? Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast is produced i...

Following the COVID-19 shutdown, the New Hampshire House and Senate opened a new portal for individuals to register their opinions about bills online. As a nonprofit dedicated to making citizen engagement easier, Citizens Count set out to determine how these online submissions might impact committee votes. The data suggest that online testimony may be influential on lesser-known or less partisan b...

New Hampshire is the second most forested state in the country, yet our local timber industry struggles to compete against Canadian lumber because of how wood is classified. This year, legislators are considering three bills—HB 1204, SB 503, and SB 529 —aimed at redefining how New Hampshire wood is graded and sold. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $10...

There are several bills in the New Hampshire House and Senate looking to add restrictions on data centers in New Hampshire. These server warehouses are essential for the expanded use of artificial intelligence (AI), but they come with high energy demand as well as potential environmental impact. At the same time, some policymakers are hesitant to single out specific industries in state law. Listen...

If lawmakers get their way, 2026 could spell the end for one of New Hampshire’s oldest and quirkiest laws: the ban on collecting seaweed at night. This year, legislators will consider HB 1094, the latest attempt to scrub this odd prohibition from state statute. But why was it put there in the first place, and why have lawmakers repeatedly chosen to keep it in place over the years? Listen as hosts...

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda may be polarizing when it comes to policies around vaccines and autism, but there is bipartisan interest in his goal to ban artificial food dyes. This year New Hampshire legislators are bringing that mission to the state level. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar, of Citizens Count break it down in  $100 Plus Mileage. This podcast...

As we close out another legislative session in New Hampshire, we’re watching to see which of the remaining bills passed by the Legislature will be signed by Gov. Ayotte. If Gov. Ayotte signs these bills, they will become some of the newest laws in the Granite State, but their path from where they are now to the Governor’s desk isn’t as clear as you might think. Listen as hosts Anna Brown and Mike...

As another legislative session comes to a close, we’ve seen many bills passed by the New Hampshire Legislature and many more left by the wayside. Some of this year’s bills were “retained in committee,” which suggests the bills could be back next year. In this article, we’ll talk about what it means to be retained in committee and look at some bills from this session that could make a comeback.  Li...

New Hampshire is famous for our “Citizen Legislature,” where representatives are paid just $100 per year plus mileage for their service. Ideally this deters candidates from running for personal gain. However, state races are gaining more attention from interest groups, and some watchdogs are sounding the alarm over the influence of money in campaigns. Here at Citizens Count, we are dedicated to pr...

President Trump began his second term in office by signing executive orders on stage at his inauguration rally inside the Capital One Arena in Washington. Trump has gotten plenty of use out of his executive pen in the months since, and executive orders have come to define his governing style. But he is hardly the first president to rely heavily on executive fiat. This article looks at how executiv...

New Hampshire is known for its high volume of alcohol sales, thanks in part to the low-tax liquor stores along our state borders. Being labeled as the number one state for booze may not be a point of pride for Granite Staters, but it’s an important part of our state’s economy: taxes on liquor and beer provide 5% of unrestricted revenue in the state budget. This year lawmakers are working on severa...

In 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This year, cities, states, and the federal government are hard at work planning how they will celebrate. Granite Staters deserve to be proud of their revolutionary history; New Hampshire was the first of the 13 colonies to declare independence from England, six months before the signi...

Whether it’s a November election or a March town meeting, Granite Staters are used to roadside political signs popping up like an invasive species. State law allows signs along public rights-of-way with the landowner’s permission—but it’s not always obvious who owns the land, which leads to some heated debates. This year the New Hampshire House and Senate are considering legislation to clear up wh...

Many of the innovations that have come to define the technological age we live in—from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency mining—all have one thing in common: they demand large amounts of electricity. Tech companies and utilities are currently grappling with ways to meet this need. You’ve likely read headlines about proposals to power data centers using “small modular rectors” (SMRs) and ev...

In 2018 New Hampshire voters approved a constitutional Right of Privacy, but that didn’t give the Legislature, executive branch, or the courts much detail on how to handle citizens’ data. Since then, the New Hampshire Legislature has debated dozens of bills to restrict how businesses and the government store, use, disclose, and delete our personal information. This year the Legislature is looking...

There are many reasons a victim of a crime like sexual assault or domestic abuse might be afraid to come forward. Among them is the fear that, if they do not have strong enough evidence to back up their story, their assailant might sue them for defamation. A bill before the New Hampshire Legislature this year seeks to address this by prohibiting such defamation lawsuits against accusers. The bill...

On February 13, Gov. Kelly Ayotte provided her budget proposal to the state Legislature. She promised to prioritize funding for special education and law enforcement, but also promised roughly $150 million in budget cuts. Meanwhile, President Trump is overhauling federal funding, which makes up roughly one-third of New Hampshire’s budget. Now it’s up to the state Legislature to sort through compet...

The blue flag emblazoned with the New Hampshire state seal that currently flutters proudly above the State House could be in for a makeover—that is, if state legislators pass HB 210 or HB 176 this year. These bills look to redesign the official New Hampshire state flag. HB 210 would create a commission to study whether there should be a new flag, while HB 176 proposes a specific, new design featur...

Election season is here, and it’s hard to turn on the TV or pull up a news site without being bombarded by messaging from candidates and interest groups. Still, if you have a cause you care deeply about, now is a great time to advance that cause by getting involved in the electoral process. In this article, we’ll explore some concrete steps you can take to do just that. Listen as hosts Anna Brown...