This bill proposes the transfer of ownership and management responsibilities for four specific rail corridors—the Presidential (Pondicherry Section), Ammonoosuc Rail Trail, New Littleton-Bethlehem Segment, and Cheshire Rail Trail—from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR). It establishes a four-year pilot program aimed at rehabilitating, maintaining, and improving a total of 83 miles of rail corridors and associated trails, which will be managed by the Bureau of Trails in consultation with the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition. The bill also creates two new funds: the Rail Trails Program Fund, for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the rail trails, and the Emergency Trail Repair Fund, specifically allocated for direct trail work. The bill appropriates $250,000 for each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027, for the Rail Trails Program Fund, and $1 for each of those years for the Emergency Trail Repair Fund, with the act set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Furthermore, the bill establishes two nonlapsing funds administered by the Bureau of Trails: the Rail Trails Project Fund, funded by private contributions and appropriated funds for a rail trail pilot project, and the Emergency Trail Repair Fund, which will receive a $1,000,000 annual transfer from the Rail Trails Project Fund. It authorizes the issuance of $7.2 million in state general obligation bonds to support the state's share of the rail trail project, with appropriations of $3.6 million for each of the fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The bill also stipulates that 6% of the funding will come from private contributions and potential fee increases for hike safe cards under RSA 206:26-bb, although the Fish and Game Department clarifies that it does not plan to use hike safe card revenue for the rail trail pilot. Overall, the legislation aims to address the lack of dedicated funding for the maintenance and improvement of recreational rail trails managed by the DOT, providing financial relief to state agencies and municipalities while ensuring that larger maintenance issues are adequately addressed.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 215-A:3, 6:12
As Amended by the Senate: 215-A:3, 6:12