---
type: "Bill"
title: "relative to changing the term \"physician assistant\" to \"physician associate.\""
description: "relative to changing the term \"physician assistant\" to \"physician associate.\""
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 285"
citation: "New Hampshire SB 285 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["David Rochefort"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 20
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-24"
last_action: "2025-06-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/809e434a-149d-4d62-8cda-a62649d15113"
source_url: "https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_docket.aspx?lsr=1075&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025"
source_hash: "afdbf5f87088fa066a27602be390bb1ca350860a2aa50b44548d8bd6379530eb"
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 285 (2025) — relative to changing the term "physician assistant" to "physician associate."

## Version chain

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

1. **Amendment #2025-1623h** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2025&id=2025-1623h&txtFormat=amend)

## Sponsors

- David Rochefort — primary (person)
- Erica J Layon — cosponsor (person)
- Howard Pearl — cosponsor (person)
- Jess Edwards — cosponsor (person)
- Keith R. Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Pat Long — cosponsor (person)
- Peter B Schmidt — cosponsor (person)
- Regina Birdsell — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-24** Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 3 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-05** Hearing: 03/19/2025, Room 103, SH, 09:00 am; SC 12
- **2025-03-19** Committee Report: Rereferred to Committee, 03/27/2025, Vote 4-1, CC SC 14
- **2025-03-27** SB 285 was Removed from the Consent Calendar; 03/27/2025; SJ 9
- **2025-03-27** Rereferred to Committee, MF, VV; 03/27/2025; SJ 9 `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-27** Sen. McGough Moved Ought to Pass; 03/27/2025; SJ 9 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-27** Sen. McGough Floor Amendment # 2025-1374s, AA, VV; 03/27/2025; SJ 9
- **2025-03-27** Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-1374s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/27/2025; SJ 9 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-03-28** Introduced (in recess of) 03/27/2025 and referred to Executive Departments and Administration HJ 11 P. 113 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-08** Public Hearing: 04/16/2025 01:45 pm LOB 306-308
- **2025-04-21** Executive Session: 04/16/2025 01:45 pm LOB 306-308
- **2025-04-21** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1623h 04/17/2025 (Vote 15-0; CC) HC 22 P. 9 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-01** Amendment # 2025-1623h: AA VV 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 6
- **2025-05-01** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-1623h: MA VV 05/01/2025 HJ 13 P. 6 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-05-08** Sen. Pearl Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 05/08/2025; SJ 12
- **2025-06-09** Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/05/2025); SJ 16 `enrolled`
- **2025-06-09** Enrolled (in recess of) 06/05/2025 HJ 16 P. 167
- **2025-06-18** Signed by the Governor on 06/17/2025; Chapter 0105 `executive-signature`
- **2025-06-18** I. Sections 7 & 8 Effective 01/01/2027
- **2025-06-18** II. Remainder Effective 06/17/2025

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/809e434a-149d-4d62-8cda-a62649d15113`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).