New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

New Hampshire Senate Bill SB162 Compare Versions

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11 SB 162-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
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55 03/13/2025 0744s
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77 2025 SESSION
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99 25-1044
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1515 SENATE BILL162-FN
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1919 AN ACTrelative to restrictions on acquisition of ownership, controlling, and occupancy interests in real property by certain foreign principals on or around certain military installations, and criminal penalties and civil forfeiture procedures for illegal acquisition.
2020
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2323 SPONSORS:Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. McGough, Dist 11
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2727 COMMITTEE:Commerce
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3535 ANALYSIS
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3939 This bill restricts foreign principals from countries of concern, or their agents, from acquiring ownership, controlling, or occupancy interests in real property within 10 miles of a protected facility.
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4343 This bill also establishes an affidavit filing requirement to confirm eligibility for acquiring such property interests and introduces criminal penalties and a forfeiture procedure for violations.
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5151 Explanation:Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
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5353 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
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5555 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
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5757 03/13/2025 0744s25-1044
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5959 11/06
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6363 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
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6767 In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
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7171 AN ACTrelative to restrictions on acquisition of ownership, controlling, and occupancy interests in real property by certain foreign principals on or around certain military installations, and criminal penalties and civil forfeiture procedures for illegal acquisition.
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7575 Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
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7979 1 New Subdivision; Ownership or Lease of Real Property by Foreign Principals from Foreign Countries of Concern. Amend RSA 477 by inserting after section 477:22-a the following new subdivision:
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8181 Ownership or Lease of Real Property by Foreign Principals from Foreign Countries of Concern
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8383 477:22-b Definitions. In this subdivision:
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8585 I. "Company” or "development" means a sole proprietorship, organization, association, corporation, partnership, trust, venture, group, subgroup, or any other entity or organization, including its subsidiary or affiliate, that exists for profit-making purposes or to otherwise secure economic advantage.
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8787 II. “Foreign country of concern” means the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including any agencies, institutions, instrumentalities, ruling political parties, or any other entity exercising significant control over any of these listed countries.
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8989 III. “Foreign principal” means:
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9191 (a) The government or any government official, in any capacity, of a foreign country of concern.
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9393 (b) A company, development, or other entity organized under the laws of, or having its principal place of business in, a foreign country of concern.
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9595 (c) Any natural person who is an employee or agent of a foreign country of concern.
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9797 IV. "Protected facility" means the buildings, fixtures, and land contained on or within the perimeters of the following:
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9999 (a) New Hampshire National Guard in Concord, New Hampshire.
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101101 (b) New Hampshire Army Aviation Support Facility in Concord, New Hampshire.
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103103 (c) Readiness Center of the 197th Artillery Brigade in Manchester, New Hampshire.
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105105 (d) Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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107107 (e) New Boston Space Force Station in New Boston, New Hampshire.
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109109 (f) Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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111111 V. "Real property" means land, buildings, fixtures, and all other improvements to land.
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113113 VI. “Within 10 miles of a protected facility” means real property within 10 miles of a protected facility, measured as the shortest distance between any portion of the real property’s perimeter and any portion of the protected facility’s perimeter.
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115115 477:22-c Ownership, Control, and Occupancy; Prohibitions.
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117117 I. No foreign principal may acquire any ownership or controlling interest in real property within 10 miles of any protected facility by any means, including but not limited to, purchase, grant, contract, eminent domain, or demise.
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119119 II. No foreign principal may lease or otherwise enter into a contract to occupy or control, or allow another foreign principal or agent to occupy or control, any real property within 10 miles of a protected facility.
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121121 477:22-d Qualified Renter/Purchaser Affidavit Required.
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123123 I. Every person or entity who leases or acquires an ownership or controlling interest in property within 10 miles of a protected facility shall file with the office of the attorney general, within one business day of closing, or, in the case of a lease, within one business day of the delivery of keys, access codes, or other methods of access to the premises, a notarized qualified renter/purchaser affidavit signed under penalty of perjury, attesting that the person acquiring an ownership or controlling interest, or leasing the property:
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125125 (a) Is not a foreign principal or an agent of a foreign principal, as defined in this subdivision;
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127127 (b) Has read and understands both the prohibitions in this subdivision and the penalties for violations of the terms of this subdivision; and
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129129 (c) Is not prohibited from purchasing or leasing the property under this subdivision.
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131131 II. A failure to submit the qualified renter/purchaser affidavit to the attorney general’s office does not affect the title or insurability of the title for the real property, or subject the listing, brokering, closing, or leasing agent to civil or criminal liability, unless the agent has actual knowledge that the transaction will result in a violation of this section so long as the agent has complied with the notice requirement in RSA 477:4-i. Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude the attorney general's office from initiating a forfeiture action in accordance with RSA 477:22-f.
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133133 III. Failure to submit a required affidavit under this section shall result in a $500 civil penalty. Prior to an action against a natural person to impose the civil penalty, the attorney general shall give notice and provide 60 days to cure the violation. No opportunity to cure shall be offered to an entity in RSA 477:22-b, as knowledge of the filing requirement under this section shall be imputed.
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135135 477:22-e Illegal Acquisition of Property by a Foreign Principal.
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137137 I. Acquisition of property in violation of RSA 477:22-c is a:
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139139 (a) Class A misdemeanor, when committed by a natural person.
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141141 (b) Class B felony, when committed by an entity defined in RSA 477:22-b, I.
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143143 II. The attorney general's office may refer a violation of this section for prosecution to the county attorney's office in the county in which the subject property is located.
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145145 III. The attorney general's office may pursue a forfeiture action according to RSA 477:22-f against a person or entity convicted of an offense under paragraph I of this section.
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147147 477:22-f Forfeiture of Real Property.
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149149 I. The department of justice may bring a forfeiture action according to this section against a person or entity who secured any ownership interest in real property in violation of this subdivision and who is convicted of an offense under RSA 477:22-e, I regarding that subject property.
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151151 II. Real property that is the subject of a conviction under RSA 477:22-e, I may be seized by the state and forfeited as provided in this section. Property seized under this section may be held by the state to secure it prior to forfeiture proceedings.
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153153 III. The state may seize the subject property by filing in the registry of deeds in the county where the property is located a notice of attachment stating that the state has attached the identified property pursuant to this section.
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155155 IV. The state shall have a lien on any property subject to forfeiture under this section upon seizure of such property. Upon forfeiture, the state's title to the property relates back to the date of seizure.
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157157 V. Within 30 days of the seizure of any real property under paragraph II, the attorney general shall file a petition in the superior court of the county in which the property was seized, requesting forfeiture of the property. The court shall issue an order of notice requiring the state to send by certified mail a copy of the petition to all owners of the property, including those with partial ownership or controlling interests, and to other persons appearing to have an interest in the property. If no such petition is filed within 30 days of the seizure of the property, the property shall be returned to its owners.
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159159 VI. Within 30 days of receipt of the attorney general's petition for forfeiture, the court shall schedule a hearing. This hearing shall be conducted as a civil action. The court may order forfeiture of the property seized under paragraph II if the state establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that (a) the ownership or controlling interest in the property was acquired in violation of this section, and (b) that the person or entity holding their interest in the property knew or should have known that they acquired their interest in violation of this chapter.
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161161 VII. If forfeiture is granted, the attorney general shall provide for the disposition of the forfeited property in any manner not prohibited by law, including retention of the property for official use by law enforcement or other public agencies, or by sale at public auction. The attorney general shall pay the reasonable expenses of the seizure, forfeiture proceeding, and sale of property from the proceeds of any public auction of forfeited items or from any penalty obtained under this chapter. All outstanding recorded liens on any property forfeited shall be paid in full within a reasonable time following the court proceedings.
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163163 477:22-g Rulemaking. The attorney general shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to:
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165165 I. The contents and filing requirements for the qualified renter/purchaser affidavit; and
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167167 II. Other provisions of this subdivision that the attorney general determines require administrative rules.
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169169 2 New Section; Notification of Qualified Renter/Purchaser Affidavit Requirement. Amend RSA 477 by inserting after section 4-h the following new section:
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171171 477:4-i Notification of Qualified Renter/Purchaser Affidavit Requirement.
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173173 In any purchase and sale agreement, lease agreement, or rental agreement involving real property within 10 miles of a protected facility as defined in RSA 477:22-b, before signing an agreement to sell, transfer, lessee, or rent such real property the seller, lessor, or landlord, or the seller, lessor, or landlord’s agent, shall provide written notice to the buyer, lessee, or tenant that the buyer, lessee, or tenant is required to file a qualified renter/purchase affidavit with the attorney general’s office pursuant to RSA 477:22-d.
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175175 3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.
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179179 LBA
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183183 3/14/25
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187187 SB 162-FN- FISCAL NOTE
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189189 AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0744s)
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193193 AN ACTrelative to restrictions on acquisition of ownership, controlling, and occupancy interests in real property by certain foreign principals on or around certain military installations, and criminal penalties and civil forfeiture procedures for illegal acquisition.
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197197 FISCAL IMPACT:
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200200 Estimated State Impact
201201 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028
202202 Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0
203203 Revenue Fund None
204204 Expenditures* Indeterminable
205205 Funding Source General Fund
206206 Appropriations* $0 $0 $0 $0
207207 Funding Source None
208208 *Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill
209209 Estimated Political Subdivision Impact
210210 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028
211211 County Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0
212212 County Expenditures Indeterminable
213213 Local Revenue $0 $0 $0 $0
214214 Local Expenditures Indeterminable
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220220 Estimated State Impact
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224224 FY 2025
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226226 FY 2026
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228228 FY 2027
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230230 FY 2028
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232232 Revenue
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234234 $0
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236236 $0
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238238 $0
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240240 $0
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242242 Revenue Fund
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244244 None
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246246 Expenditures*
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248248 Indeterminable
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250250 Funding Source
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252252 General Fund
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254254 Appropriations*
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256256 $0
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258258 $0
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260260 $0
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262262 $0
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264264 Funding Source
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266266 None
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268268 *Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill
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272272 Estimated Political Subdivision Impact
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276276 FY 2025
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278278 FY 2026
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280280 FY 2027
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282282 FY 2028
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284284 County Revenue
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286286 $0
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288288 $0
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290290 $0
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292292 $0
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294294 County Expenditures
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296296 Indeterminable
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298298 Local Revenue
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300300 $0
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302302 $0
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304304 $0
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306306 $0
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308308 Local Expenditures
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310310 Indeterminable
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314314 METHODOLOGY:
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316316 This bill adds, deletes, or modifies a criminal penalty, or changes statute to which there is a penalty for violation. Therefore, this bill may have an impact on the judicial and correctional systems, which could affect prosecution, incarceration, probation, and parole costs, for the state, as well as county and local governments. A summary of such costs can be found at: https://gencourt.state.nh.us/lba/Budget/Fiscal_Notes/JudicialCorrectionalCosts.pdf
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320320 This could possibly result in an increase in civil cases in the Superior Court, however, there is no way to predict how many such actions would occur so any such increase is indeterminable. The Judicial Branch has provided average cost information for civil cases in the Superior Court:
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324324 NH Judicial Branch Average Civil Case Estimates
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328328 Judicial Branch Average Cost FY 2025 FY 2026
329329 Superior Court Complex Civil Case $1,430 $1,473
330330 Superior Court Routine Civil Case $535 $552
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332332 Judicial Branch Average Cost
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336336 FY 2026
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338338 Superior Court
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340340 Complex Civil Case
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342342 $1,430
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344344 $1,473
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346346 Superior Court
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348348 Routine Civil Case
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350350 $535
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352352 $552
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356356 Common Civil Case Fees
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360360 Superior Court Fees As of 2/12/2020
361361 Original Entry Fee $280
362362 Third-Party Claim $280
363363 Motion to Reopen $160
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365365 Superior Court Fees
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367367 As of 2/12/2020
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369369 Original Entry Fee
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371371 $280
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373373 Third-Party Claim
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375375 $280
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377377 Motion to Reopen
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379379 $160
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385385 AGENCIES CONTACTED:
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387387 Judicial Branch, Judicial Council, Department of Justice, Department of Corrections, New Hampshire Association of Counties, and New Hampshire Municipal Association