---
type: "Bill"
title: "establishing a procedure for the department of environmental services to transfer ownership of dams to municipalities or other interested parties."
description: "establishing a procedure for the department of environmental services to transfer ownership of dams to municipalities or other interested parties."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 539"
citation: "New Hampshire SB 539 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Keith R. Murphy"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 21
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2023-12-14"
last_action: "2024-07-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/10a05d28-2aef-44d8-aa0f-54781f43ed0a"
source_url: "https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=2854&sy=2024&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2024"
source_hash: "e11a8d3a2b2944e2ee3c8d9dd24373762b89e59490dc530431b88151b1faaa51"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nh"]
---

# New Hampshire SB 539 (2024) — establishing a procedure for the department of environmental services to transfer ownership of dams to municipalities or other interested parties.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment #2024-1638h** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2024&id=2024-1638h&txtFormat=amend)
2. **latest version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2024&id=1945&txtFormat=html)

## Sponsors

- Keith R. Murphy — primary (person)
- Carol M. McGuire — cosponsor (person)
- Daniel E. Innis — cosponsor (person)
- David H. Watters — cosponsor (person)
- Howard Pearl — cosponsor (person)
- Jason M. Osborne — cosponsor (person)
- Jeb Bradley — cosponsor (person)
- Joe H. Alexander — cosponsor (person)
- Lisa R Mazur — cosponsor (person)
- Lou D'Allesandro — cosponsor (person)
- Regina Birdsell — cosponsor (person)
- Sharon M. Carson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-12-14** To Be Introduced 01/03/2024 and Referred to Energy and Natural Resources; SJ 1 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2023-12-21** ==CANCELLED== Hearing: 01/04/2024, Room 103, SH, 09:30 am; SC 49
- **2024-01-24** Hearing: 01/30/2024, Room 103, SH, 09:15 am; SC 5
- **2024-03-21** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2024-1258s, 04/05/2024, Vote 5-0; SC 13 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-05** Committee Amendment # 2024-1258s, AF, VV; 04/05/2024; SJ 8
- **2024-04-05** Ought to Pass: MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 04/05/2024; SJ 8 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2024-04-09** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2024-1462s, 04/11/2024, Vote 7-0; SC 14A `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-11** Committee Amendment # 2024-1462s, AA, VV; 04/11/2024; SJ 9
- **2024-04-11** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2024-1462s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 04/11/2024; SJ 9 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2024-04-12** Introduced 04/12/2024 and referred to Resources, Recreation and Development HJ 11 P. 103 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2024-04-16** Public Hearing: 04/24/2024 11:00 am LOB 305
- **2024-04-24** Executive Session: 04/24/2024 11:00 am LOB 305
- **2024-04-24** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2024-1638h (NT) 04/24/2024 (Vote 19-0; CC) HC 17 P. 12 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-05-02** Amendment # 2024-1638h (NT): AA VV 05/02/2024 HJ 12 P. 17
- **2024-05-02** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2024-1638h: MA VV 05/02/2024 HJ 12 P. 17 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2024-05-02** Referred to Ways and Means 05/02/2024 HJ 12 P. 18 `referral-committee`
- **2024-05-03** Referral Waived by Committee Chair per House Rule 47(f) 05/03/2024 HJ 12
- **2024-05-30** Sen. Avard Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 05/30/2024; SJ 16
- **2024-07-11** Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/13/2024); SJ 18 `enrolled`
- **2024-07-15** Enrolled (in recess of) 06/13/2024 HJ 16 P. 51
- **2024-07-30** Signed by the Governor on 07/26/2024; Chapter 0301; Effective 07/01/2024 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/10a05d28-2aef-44d8-aa0f-54781f43ed0a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).