---
type: "Bill"
title: "allowing the department of justice to authorize the preclosing use of a portion of a deposit held in escrow for the payment of certain construction customizations, upgrades, or change orders."
description: "allowing the department of justice to authorize the preclosing use of a portion of a deposit held in escrow for the payment of certain construction customizations, upgrades, or change orders."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 26"
citation: "New Hampshire SB 26 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Howard Pearl"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 19
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-07"
last_action: "2025-08-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d8099007-f052-475d-b6d3-97558ac70dcf"
source_url: "https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_docket.aspx?lsr=1070&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025"
source_hash: "e43184e3cc6db9553ca7778dc4ef4f748ea2e0f732e21bedad246fca7b96a338"
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 26 (2025) — allowing the department of justice to authorize the preclosing use of a portion of a deposit held in escrow for the payment of certain construction customizations, upgrades, or change orders.

## Version chain

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

1. **Amendment #2025-2905e** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2025&id=2025-2905e&txtFormat=amend)

## Sponsors

- Howard Pearl — primary (person)
- Alvin B See — cosponsor (person)
- Carol M McGuire — cosponsor (person)
- Daniel E. Innis — cosponsor (person)
- Keith R. Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Kevin G. Verville — cosponsor (person)
- Michael I Moffett — cosponsor (person)
- Scott R Bryer — cosponsor (person)
- Tara Reardon — cosponsor (person)
- Timothy Lang — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-07** Introduced 01/08/2025 and Referred to Commerce; SJ 2 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-09** Hearing: 01/14/2025, Room 100, SH, 10:15 am; SC 5
- **2025-03-12** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0906s, 03/20/2025; Vote 6-0; CC; SC 13 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-20** Committee Amendment # 2025-0906s, AA, VV; 03/20/2025; SJ 8
- **2025-03-20** Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0906s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/20/2025; SJ 8 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-03-28** Introduced (in recess of) 03/27/2025 and referred to Commerce and Consumer Affairs HJ 11 P. 109 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-04-16** Public Hearing: 04/22/2025 01:30 pm LOB 302-304
- **2025-04-30** Subcommittee Work Session: 05/06/2025 10:00 am LOB 302-304
- **2025-05-07** Subcommittee Work Session: 05/14/2025 10:30 am LOB 302-304
- **2025-05-21** Executive Session: 05/27/2025 01:15 pm LOB 302-304
- **2025-05-28** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1976h (NT) 05/27/2025 (Vote 16-0; CC) HC 27 P. 6 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-06-05** Amendment # 2025-1976h (NT): AA VV 06/05/2025 HJ 16 P. 2
- **2025-06-05** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2025-1976h: MA VV 06/05/2025 HJ 16 P. 2 `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2025-06-12** Sen. Innis Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 06/12/2025; SJ 16
- **2025-07-07** Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2025-2905e: AA VV (in recess of) 06/26/2025 HJ 18 P. 60
- **2025-07-08** Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2025-2905e Adopted, VV, (In recess of 06/26/2025); SJ 18 `amendment-passage`
- **2025-07-16** Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 06/26/2025); SJ 18 `enrolled`
- **2025-07-16** Enrolled (in recess of) 06/26/2025 HJ 18 P. 64
- **2025-08-04** Signed by the Governor on 08/01/2025; Chapter 291; Effective 08/01/2025 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d8099007-f052-475d-b6d3-97558ac70dcf`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).