This bill amends existing laws regarding petitioned articles at annual or special town and school board meetings. It introduces provisions that allow the written application for a petitioned article to identify a primary petitioner, who will be granted a minimum of 10 minutes to introduce their warrant articles during the meeting. If no primary petitioner is specified in the application, the first registered voter listed will automatically be designated as the primary petitioner. This change is reflected in the amendments to RSA 39:3 for town meetings and RSA 197:2 and RSA 197:6 for school district meetings.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that the selectmen or school board must insert the petitioned article into the meeting warrant upon receiving the required number of registered voter signatures, with minor textual changes allowed that do not alter the article's intended effect. The bill also emphasizes that no special town or school district meetings can be held on biennial election days, ensuring that the process for petitioned articles is streamlined and that primary petitioners have a clear opportunity to present their articles. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39:3, 197:2, 197:6, 40:7
As Amended by the Senate: 39:3, 197:2, 197:6, 40:7
Version adopted by both bodies: 39:3, 197:2, 197:6, 40:7
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 39:3, 197:2, 197:6, 40:7