New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

New Hampshire House Bill HB257

Introduced

1/7/25

Refer

1/7/25

Report Pass

2/11/25

Report DNP

2/11/25

Report Pass

11/13/25

Engrossed

1/15/26

Refer

1/15/26

Refer

4/7/26

Caption

Relative to the crime of endangering the welfare of a child or incompetent.

Impact

The introduction of HB 257 will amend existing statutes to classify different levels of criminal neglect of a child, imposing various penalties. A class A felony charge would apply if neglect resulted in the child's death, while a class B felony would be given if the neglect led to serious bodily injury or repeat offenses. Lower-level violations could result in a class A misdemeanor charge. This new classification could significantly influence both the judicial system and child protection services by increasing the legal consequences for negligent behavior towards children.

Summary

House Bill 257, titled 'Charlotte's Law', aims to establish the offense of criminal neglect of a child under New Hampshire law. The bill defines criminal neglect as the failure of a person responsible for a child's welfare to provide necessary care, food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and protection from harmful substances, thereby posing a serious risk to a child's health. The definition emphasizes that neglect must occur for reasons other than poverty, indicating that financial constraints are not classified as neglect under this law.

Contention

Potential points of contention surrounding HB 257 include debates on the bill's implications for parents dealing with socioeconomic hardships and whether such a law might disproportionately affect disadvantaged families. Opponents may argue that the bill could lead to criminal charges against parents who might struggle to provide for their children due to financial constraints. Additionally, there may be concerns regarding the bill's enforcement and whether the law would adequately define what constitutes necessary care versus parental discretion, which could lead to variability in its application across different cases.

Companion Bills

NH HB257

Carry Over Establishing the crime of criminal neglect of a child.

Previously Filed As

NH SB23

Expanding the crime of endangering the welfare of a child.

NH HB257

Establishing the crime of criminal neglect of a child.

NH HB473

Criminalizing multiple forms of exposing children to controlled substances and allowing law enforcement to take a child into protective custody for screening and testing in an instance of suspected or actual criminal exposure to controlled substances.

NH HB143

Relative to the issuance of no trespass orders on municipal or school district property, the responsibility of local school districts to provide meals to students during school hours, and reimbursing schools for meals provided to students at no cost, and relative to expanding the crime of endangering the welfare of a child.

NH SB22

Relative to disclosure of criminal history and criminal records to the child care licensing unit of the department of health and human services.

NH SB258

Establishing crimes related to the fraudulent use of gift cards.

NH SB300

Criminalizing the creation of child intimate visual representations.

NH SB142

Establishing the department of children's services and juvenile justice.

NH SB263

Criminalizing and creating a private right of action for the facilitation, encouragement, offer, solicitation, or recommendation of certain acts or actions through a responsive generative communication to a child, and relative to the termination of tenancy at the expiration of the tenancy or lease term.

NH HB194

Relative to the crime of interference with custody.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.