Bill Text: NH HB629 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Funding the operation maintenance and repair of state dams.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-16 - Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Resources, Recreation and Development House Journal 3 [HB629 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-HB629-Introduced.html
HB 629-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0635
08/09
HOUSE BILL 629-FN
AN ACT funding the operation maintenance and repair of state dams.
SPONSORS: Rep. Leishman, Hills. 33; Rep. Harrington, Straf. 18; Rep. Ouellet, Coos 3
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
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ANALYSIS
This bill funds the operation, maintenance, and repair of state dams by an annual assessment on properties maintained by state dams and a boater registration fee.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0635
08/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT funding the operation maintenance and repair of state dams.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Vessel Registration and Numbering; Registration Fees. Amend RSA 270-E:5, II to read as follows:
II. In addition to the fees required by paragraph I there shall be the following registration fees:
(a) $5 [collected] for each registration processed by an authorized agent of the department who is not an employee of the department. The fees collected under this [paragraph] subparagraph shall be collected and retained by the authorized agent as compensation for processing the registration.
(b) $5 for each registration specified in paragraph I. The fees collected under this subparagraph shall be paid into the dam maintenance fund established under RSA 482:55.
2 Annual Registration Fee; Shoreline. Amend RSA 482:8-a to read as follows:
482:8-a Annual Registration Fee.
I. Annual registration fees for dams shall be payable to the department on January 1 of each calendar year. Yearly dam registration fees shall be based on classification as follows: Low hazard potential = $400; Significant hazard potential = $750; High hazard potential = $1,500. If the hazard classification designated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a dam differs from the classification designated by the department, the annual dam registration fees shall be based on the classification designated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission except that a dam which is classified as a non-menace dam by the department shall be exempt from the annual dam registration fee for as long as the dam is classified by the department as a non-menace dam. Revenues from this annual registration are to be collected by the department and deposited in the dam maintenance fund established in RSA 482:55 to be used for the inspection of dams.
II. On April 1, the department shall annually assess a fee of $1.58 per foot of linear shoreline upon all taxable waterfronts maintained by a state-owned dam. The moneys collected from such fee shall be deposited in the dam maintenance fund established in RSA 482:55 to be used for the operation, maintenance, and repair of state-owned dams.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
25-0635
1/2/25
HB 629-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT funding the operation maintenance and repair of state dams.
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $8,030,000 | $8,030,000 | $8,030,000 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | RSA 482:55 Dam Maintenance Fund | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | $303,000 | $304,000 | $314,000 | ||
Funding Source(s) | RSA 482:55 Dam Maintenance Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
| ||||||
Estimated Political Subdivision Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
County Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
County Expenditures | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Local Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Local Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Less than $10,000 | Indeterminable Less than $10,000 | Indeterminable Less than $10,000 | ||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill amends RSA 270-E:5, II to introduce a $5.00 fee for each boat registration and amends RSA 482:8-a to establish a fee of $1.58 per foot of linear shoreline on all taxable waterfronts maintained by state-owned dams. Revenue generated from these fees would be deposited into the Dam Maintenance Fund, established under RSA 482:55, and dedicated to the operation, maintenance, and repair of state-owned dams.
The Department of Environmental Services estimates this bill will generate approximately $8,030,000 annually for the state’s Dam Maintenance Fund through two primary revenue sources. First, a fee of $1.58 per foot of shoreline on bodies of water impounded by state-owned dams would affect an estimated 4,790,000 feet of shoreline, resulting in approximately $7,500,000 in annual revenue. Second, applying a $5.00 fee to an average of 105,923 annual boat registrations, based on a three-year average from the NH Department of Motor Vehicles, would generate an additional $530,000 annually.
These combined revenues are projected to total approximately $8,030,000 per year and are expected to continue beyond fiscal year 2028.
To administer the shoreline fee program, the Department anticipates the need for three additional full-time staff positions: one Business Administrator II and two Accountant II roles, an estimated increase of $303,000 in FY 2026, $304,000 in FY 2027 and $314,000 in FY 2028. These positions are necessary to manage an estimated 24,000 invoices generated annually under the program. The associated expenditures for these positions are outlined in the following table and are expected to persist beyond fiscal year 2028 but would assume to be included in the Department’s FY 2028 – FY 2029 budget request.
Estimated Start Date July 1, 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 |
New Business Administrator II | $111,000 | $112,000 | $116,000 |
2 x New Accountant II | $192,000 | $192,000 | $198,000 |
Total | $303,000 | $304,000 | $314,000 |
The Department does not anticipate any impact on revenues or expenditures for Counties or Local Municipalities through fiscal year 2028 and beyond. However, there may be an indeterminable local expenditure impact, estimated at less than $10,000 per a year. This potential cost arises from the need for municipal parcel data to administer the shoreline fee program. Coordination between the Department and municipal staff for data collection and verification may result in minor expenditures, which could extend beyond fiscal year 2028.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Environmental Services and Department of Revenue Administration
