New Hampshire is at a crossroads. Rising housing costs, workforce shortages, and the growing difficulty young families face in finding an affordable place to live demand bold, practical action. This legislative session, both the House and Senate have come together with a unified commitment to deliver just that.
Our shared goal: to bring stability, fairness, and opportunity back to New Hampshire’s housing market. Together, we’ve championed a package of bipartisan reforms—including SB163, SB166, and SB173—that tackle the crisis from multiple angles: regulatory modernization, consumer protection, and tax equity.
These efforts represent not just the work of one chamber but a coordinated push by legislators across the board. They reflect a collaborative approach between the House and Senate to meet the moment with meaningful policy that addresses real challenges facing Granite Staters today.
Across the state, housing development is often delayed or denied due to outdated policies like arbitrary moratoria, even when projects comply with local regulations. SB163, which has been carefully reviewed and supported by House and Senate members alike, addresses this issue head-on.
The bill eliminates obsolete authority, allowing municipalities to impose blanket moratoria while still preserving essential local tools like phased development and growth ordinances. It strikes the right balance, ensuring public safety by allowing moratoria in cases of genuine water supply concerns, while also preventing unnecessary roadblocks to housing production.
Another key reform, SB166, protects buyers of manufactured homes in resident-owned communities (ROCs). Modeled after consumer protections in condo purchases, this bill ensures buyers receive vital governance and financial information before signing on the dotted line.
This common-sense measure is supported by advocates, legal experts, and the real estate community alike, and strengthens trust in a vital part of our affordable housing landscape. The House Housing Committee has played a key role in advancing this policy, ensuring it reflects the transparency and fairness all homebuyers deserve.
Affordable housing providers operate on razor-thin margins under the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. But inconsistent property tax assessments have threatened the financial stability of these developments, putting strain on the very providers working to serve low-income families, veterans, and seniors.
With support from both chambers, SB173 establishes a clear, uniform tax assessment formula based on actual rental income. This ensures predictability for housing providers, protects municipal revenue, and promotes continued investment in critical affordable housing developments.
These three bills are not standalone efforts. They are part of a shared strategy, developed and refined through cooperation between the House and Senate, to bring forward solutions that work. Together, we’re cutting red tape where it hinders progress, ensuring fairness where it’s lacking, and empowering residents to build stable, successful lives.
In an era when housing debates often divide, these bipartisan efforts have united lawmakers and stakeholders alike. Because these reforms aren’t about politics—they’re about people. About families trying to stay in their communities, seniors seeking security, and businesses depending on a strong workforce.
As vice chair of the House Housing Committee, I’m proud of the teamwork that’s gone into crafting these policies. We’re proving that when legislators work together, we can move New Hampshire forward—not just with ideas, but with action.
And we’re not keeping this progress to ourselves. We’re working hard to spread the word—sharing the success of our housing reforms with stakeholders, communities, and constituents across the state—so that more Granite Staters can see and feel the impact of this good work. And we’re just getting started.
