New Hampshire House of Representatives
General Information
Party control:	Republican
Session start:	January 7, 2026
Session end:	June 30, 2026
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$100/year
Members
Total:	400
Democrats:	176
Republicans:	217
Other:	1
Vacancies:	6
Leadership
Speaker:	Sherman Packard (R)
Maj. Leader:	Jason Osborne (R)
Min. Leader:	Alexis Simpson (D)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheNew Hampshire House of Representatives is thelower chamber of theNew Hampshire General Court. Alongside theNew Hampshire State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the New Hampshire state government and works alongside thegovernor of New Hampshire to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New Hampshire House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives meets in the State House inConcord, New Hampshire.

This page contains the following information on the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New Hampshire House of Representatives as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the speaker include preserving order, enforcing and interpreting parliamentary rules, making committee appointments, and referring bills to the appropriate committee for review. The speaker only votes in the case of a tie.^[1]

Leadership and members

• House speaker:Sherman Packard (R)
• Majority leader:Jason Osborne (R)
• Minority leader:Alexis Simpson (D)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

New Hampshire legislators assume office on the first Wednesday in December in even-numbered years, one month and one day after the November elections.^[3]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in theNew Hampshire House of Representatives, a candidate must be:^[4]

• At least 18 years of age
• A registered voter
• A resident of the state for two years immediately preceding the election
• A resident of the town or ward the candidate is running to represent

Historical party control

Republicans won control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2020. In2024, they won a 221-177 majority with one independent and one vacancy.

The table below shows the partisan history of the New Hampshire House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, New Hampshire was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2007-2010
• Republican trifecta: 1992-1996, 2003-2004, 2017-2018, 2021-2023
• Divided government: 1997-2002, 2005-2006, 2011-2016, 2019-2020

Elections

Elections by year

New Hampshire state representatives servetwo-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. New Hampshire holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2026

Elections for theNew Hampshire House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isSeptember 8, 2026. The filing deadline isJune 12, 2026.

2024

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2024

Elections for theNew Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasSeptember 10, 2024. The filing deadline wasJune 14, 2024.

In the 2024 elections, Republicans increased their majority from 197-191, with 11 vacancies and one nonpartisan member, to 221-177, with one vacancy and one independent member.

2022

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for theNew Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for September 13, 2022. The filing deadline was June 10, 2022.

Heading into the 2022 election, Republicans held a 202-177 majority with one independent member and 20 vacancies. After the election, Republicans maintained their control with a 201-198 majority with one vacancy.

2020

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofNew Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for September 8, 2020. The filing deadline was June 12, 2020.

In the 2020 election, Republicans won control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives with a majority of 213-187.

2018

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for theNew Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2018. Thesemi-closed primary election took place on September 11, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasJune 15, 2018.^[5]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

2016

See also:New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theNew Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 10, 2016. All400 seats in theNew Hampshire House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, Republicans held a 230-157 majority with one Libertarian member and 12 vacancies.^[6] Republicans lost 10 seats in the election, giving them a 227-173 majority.

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theNew Hampshire General Court, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. Thegovernor and executive council must call a special election within 21 days of receiving proof of a vacancy or a request that a vacancy be filled.^[12][13][14]

See sources:New Hampshire Cons. Part II, Articles 16 and 34 andNew Hampshire Rev. Stat. Ann. § 661:8

District map

See also:New Hampshire state legislative districts

The state of New Hampshire has 228 legislative districts. The state Senate is made up of 24 senators elected from 24 districts. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 districts, making it the largest lower house in the nation, and the third largest parliamentary body in the world.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by thestate legislature. These lines are subject to veto by thegovernor.^[15]

State law requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous, and maintain the boundaries of towns, wards, or unincorporated places." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.^[15]

2020

See also:Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2020 census

On March 23, 2022, Gov.Chris Sununu (R) signed a new state house map into law. On May 6, Sununu signed a new state senate map into law. These maps took effect for New Hampshire's 2022 elections.

On Jan. 5, 2022, theNew Hampshire House of Representatives voted 186-168 to approve the state House map.^[16] On Feb. 16, theNew Hampshire State Senate voted 14-10 to approve the map.^[16] On Feb. 16, theNew Hampshire State Senate voted 14-10 to approve the map.^[16]

District map after the 2020 census

Click here to view the enacted state house map. This map took effect for New Hampshire's 2022 legislative elections.

2010

See also:Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2010 census

New Hampshire received its local Census data on March 22, 2011. The state's population increased 6.5 percent, with Coos County being the only county to face a decrease (-0.2 percent). Growth in the larger cities was as follows: Manchester grew by 2.4 percent, Nashua decreased by 0.1 percent, Concord grew by 4.9 percent, Derry decreased by 2.7 percent, and Dover grew by 11.5 percent.^[17]

At the time of redistricting, Republicans controlled the General Court, and the Democrats controlled the governorship. On March 23, 2012, GovernorJohn Lynch (D) signed into law a new Senate plan but vetoed the House map, citing a lack of representation in towns exceeding 3,000 people, which automatically required their own representative. The Legislature overrode the veto on March 28, 2012, and the Department of Justice approved the maps in May 2012, as required by theVoting Rights Act.

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in New Hampshire by year

2025

See also:2025 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on June 26, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 3, 2024, and adjourn on June 13, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2023, and adjourn on June 29, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 5, 2022, and adjourn on May 26, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021, and adjourn on June 24, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on June 30, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. 2019 See also:2019 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 2, 2019, through June 30, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 New Hampshire legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2018, through June 30, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 4, 2017, through June 22, 2017. The state House met on November 2 over the governor's veto of HB 86. 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 6 through June 1. Major issues in 2016 Major issues in the 2016 legislative session included Medicaid expansion, addressing the state's opioid crisis, and gambling.[18] 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 7 to July 1. Major issues in 2015 Major issues in the 2015 legislative session included taxes, workers’ compensation, filing the $50-million budget gap, minimum wage increases, and casinos.[19][20] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 8 through June 13. Major issues in 2014 Major issues in the 2014 legislative session included capital punishment, a proposed casino, raising fuel taxes for road improvement, Medicaid expansion, and a return of the state minimum wage.[21][22][23] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 2 to July 1. Major issues in 2013 Major issues in the 2013 legislative session included the state's budget deficit, education funding, state pensions, and abortion.[24] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 4 through June 27. Major issues in 2012 Major issues on the agenda included economic development, job creation, same-sex marriage, and gambling.[25] 2011 In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 5 through July 1.[26] 2010 In 2010, the legislature was in session from January 6 to July 1.[27]

About legislative sessions in New Hampshire

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[28] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

The Second Part of the New Hampshire Constitution establishes when theNew Hampshire General Court, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Article 3 of the Second Part states that the General Court is to convene annually on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in January. Additionally, in even-numbered years, the General Court is to meet on the first Wednesday of December for organizational purposes.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget,procedures for filling membership vacancies, andredistricting.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Hampshire are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

Authority:Executive Power, Article 44 of theNew Hampshire Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:New Hampshire state budget and finances

New Hampshireon

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[29]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inAugust.
2. State agencies submit their requests byOctober 1.
3. Public hearings are held inNovember.
4. Thegovernor submits his or her proposed budget to theNew Hampshire State Legislature byFebruary 15.
5. The legislature adopts a budget inMay. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
6. The biennial budget cycle begins inJuly.

New Hampshire is one of six states in which the governor cannot exerciseline item veto authority.^[29][30]

InNew Hampshire, the governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.^[29]

Committees

See also:List of committees in New Hampshire state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has 26 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the New Hampshire Constitution can be amended:

See also:Article 100 of the New Hampshire Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in New Hampshire

There are two paths to altering theNew Hampshire Constitution: Alegislatively referred constitutional amendment or aconstitutional convention.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for theNew Hampshire State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 240 votes in theNew Hampshire House of Representatives and 15 votes in theNew Hampshire State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

In New Hampshire, an amendment needs to receive support from two-thirds (66.67%) of the votes cast on the measure.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According to theNew Hampshire Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is toautomatically appear on the state's ballot every 10 years starting in 1972. New Hampshire is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

See also

Elections	New Hampshire State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2026 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2024 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2022 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020 New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2018	New Hampshire General Court New Hampshire State Senate Governor of New Hampshire New Hampshire Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2026,2025,2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• New Hampshire General Court
• New Hampshire State Senate
• New Hampshire House of Representatives

Footnotes

	v • e State ofNew Hampshire Concord (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy