New Hampshire State Senate

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New Hampshire State Senate
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Republican
Session start:   January 3, 2024
Session end:   June 28, 2024
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Legislature-dominant
Salary:   $100/year
Members
Total:  24
Democrats:  10
Republicans:  14
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:   TBD
Maj. Leader:   TBD
Min. Leader:   Donna Soucy (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Next election:  November 5, 2024

The New Hampshire State Senate is the upper chamber of the New Hampshire General Court. Alongside the New Hampshire House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the New Hampshire state government and works alongside the governor of New Hampshire to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New Hampshire State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Hampshire State Senate meets in the State House in Concord, New Hampshire.

  • All 24 seats in the New Hampshire State Senate were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Republican majority increased from 13-10 (with one vacancy) to 14-10.
  • All 24 seats in the state Senate were up for election in 2020. Republicans gained control of the chamber, flipping a 10-14 minority to a 14-10 majority.
  • New Hampshire has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

  • This page contains the following information on the New Hampshire State Senate.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New Hampshire State Senate as of January 2024:

    Party As of January 2024
         Democratic Party 10
         Republican Party 14
         Other 0
         Vacancies 0
    Total 24

    Members

    Leadership

    After November elections, the entire Senate meets in early December to elect a president, who is traditionally from the majority party. New Hampshire does not have a lieutenant governor, and so when the governor is away or unable to perform the duties of the office, the Senate president serves as acting governor. The Senate president assigns the other leadership positions within their party, and the minority party appoints its own leaders.[1][2]

    Leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    New Hampshire State Senate District 1 Carrie Gendreau Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 2 Timothy Lang Sr. Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 3 Jeb Bradley Republican 2009
    New Hampshire State Senate District 4 David Watters Democratic December 5, 2012
    New Hampshire State Senate District 5 Suzanne Prentiss Democratic December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 6 James Gray Republican 2016
    New Hampshire State Senate District 7 Dan Innis Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 8 Ruth Ward Republican 2016
    New Hampshire State Senate District 9 Denise Ricciardi Republican December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 10 Donovan Fenton Democratic December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 11 Shannon Chandley Democratic December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 12 Kevin Avard Republican December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 13 Lucinda Rosenwald Democratic December 5, 2018
    New Hampshire State Senate District 14 Sharon Carson Republican 2008
    New Hampshire State Senate District 15 Becky Whitley Democratic December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 16 Keith Murphy Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 17 Howard Pearl Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 18 Donna Soucy Democratic December 5, 2012
    New Hampshire State Senate District 19 Regina Birdsell Republican December 3, 2014
    New Hampshire State Senate District 20 Lou D'Allesandro Democratic 1998
    New Hampshire State Senate District 21 Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Democratic December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 22 Daryl Abbas Republican December 7, 2022
    New Hampshire State Senate District 23 William Gannon Republican December 2, 2020
    New Hampshire State Senate District 24 Debra Altschiller Democratic December 7, 2022


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2023
    SalaryPer diem
    $100/yearNo per diem is paid.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    New Hampshire legislators assume office on the first Wednesday in December in even-numbered years, one month and one day after the November elections.[3]

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To be eligible to serve in the New Hampshire State Senate, a candidate must be:[4]

    • At least 30 years of age
    • A registered voter
    • A resident of the state for seven years immediately preceding the election
    • A resident of the district for which the candidate is running

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the New Hampshire State Senate in 2020. In 2022, they won a 14-10 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the New Hampshire Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    New Hampshire State Senate election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 11 6 9 13 11 6 8 14 14 5 11 10 10 14 10 10
    Republicans 13 18 15 11 13 18 16 10 10 19 13 14 14 10 14 14

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, New Hampshire was under the following types of trifecta control:

    • Democratic trifecta: 2007-2010
    • Republican trifecta: 1992-1996, 2003-2004, 2017-2018, 2021-2023
    • Divided government: 1997-2002, 2005-2006, 2011-2016, 2019-2020

    New Hampshire Party Control: 1992-2024
    Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Thirteen years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor R R R R R D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R
    Senate R R R R R R R D S R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R D D R R R R
    House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D D R R R R D D R R R R

    Elections

    Elections by year

    New Hampshire state senators serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. New Hampshire holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2024

    See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the New Hampshire State Senate will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. A primary is September 10, 2024. The filing deadline is June 14, 2024.

    2022

    See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2022

    Elections for the New Hampshire State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for September 13, 2022. The filing deadline was June 10, 2022.

    Heading into the 2022 election, Republicans held a 13-10 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained one seat in the election, giving them a 14-10 majority.

    New Hampshire State Senate
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 10 10
         Republican Party 13 14
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 24 24

    2020

    See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of New Hampshire State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for September 8, 2020. The filing deadline was June 12, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, Republicans flipped four seats and gained control of the New Hampshire State Senate.

    New Hampshire State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 14 10
         Republican Party 10 14
    Total 24 24

    2018

    See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2018

    Elections for the New Hampshire State Senate took place in 2018. The semi-closed primary election took place on September 11, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 15, 2018.[5]

    In the 2018 elections, Democrats flipped four seats and gained control of the New Hampshire State Senate.

    New Hampshire State Senate
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 10 14
         Republican Party 14 10
    Total 24 24

    2016

    See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the New Hampshire State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 10, 2016. All 24 seats in the New Hampshire State Senate were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 13-10 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained one seat in the election, giving them a 14-10 majority.

    New Hampshire State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 10 10
         Republican Party 13 14
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 24 24

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the New Hampshire General Court, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The governor and executive council must call a special election within 21 days of receiving proof of a vacancy or a request that a vacancy be filled.[12][13][14]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: New Hampshire Cons. Part II, Articles 16 and 34 and New Hampshire Rev. Stat. Ann. § 661:8

    District map

    See also: New Hampshire state legislative districts

    The state of New Hampshire has 228 legislative districts. The state Senate is made up of 24 senators elected from 24 districts. The House is composed of 400 members coming from 204 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.



    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire

    In New Hampshire, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[15]

    State law requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous, and maintain the boundaries of towns, wards, or unincorporated places." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[15]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2020 census

    On March 23, 2022, Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed a new state house map into law. On May 6, Sununu signed a new state senate map into law. These maps took effect for New Hampshire's 2022 elections.

    On Jan. 5, 2022, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted 186-168 to approve the state House map.[16] On Feb. 16, the New Hampshire State Senate voted 14-10 to approve the map.[16] On Feb. 16, the New Hampshire State Senate voted 14-10 to approve the map.[16]

    District map after 2020 redistricting

    Click here to view the enacted state senate map. This map took effect for New Hampshire's 2022 legislative elections.


    2010

    See also: Redistricting in New Hampshire after the 2010 census

    New Hampshire received its local Census data on March 22, 2011. The state's population increased 6.5 percent, with Coos County being the only county to face a decrease (-0.2 percent). Growth in the larger cities was as follows: Manchester grew by 2.4 percent, Nashua decreased by 0.1 percent, Concord grew by 4.9 percent, Derry decreased by 2.7 percent, and Dover grew by 11.5 percent.[17]

    At the time of redistricting, Republicans controlled the General Court, and the Democrats controlled the governorship. On March 23, 2012, Governor John Lynch (D) signed into law a new Senate plan but vetoed the House map, citing a lack of representation in towns exceeding 3,000 people, which automatically required their own representative. The Legislature overrode the veto on March 28, 2012, and the Department of Justice approved the maps in May 2012, as required by the Voting Rights Act.

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Hampshire State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in New Hampshire by year

    2024

    See also: 2024 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions

    In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 3, 2024, and adjourn on June 28, 2024.

    2023

    See also: 2023 New Hampshire legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions

    In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2023, and adjourn on June 29, 2023.



    About legislative sessions in New Hampshire

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[28] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    The Second Part of the New Hampshire Constitution establishes when the New Hampshire General Court, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Article 3 of the Second Part states that the General Court is to convene annually on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in January. Additionally, in even-numbered years, the General Court is to meet on the first Wednesday of December for organizational purposes.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Hampshire are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 267 of the 400 members in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and 16 of the 24 members in the New Hampshire State Senate. New Hampshire is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    Authority: Executive Power, Article 44 of the New Hampshire Constitution.

    "Every bill which shall have passed both houses of the general court, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor, if he approves, he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it; if after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with such objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and, if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law."

    Role in state budget

    See also: New Hampshire state budget and finances
    New Hampshire on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    BudgetsCivil libertiesEducationElectionsEnergyEnvironmentHealthcarePensions

    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[29]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in August.
    2. State agencies submit their requests by October 1.
    3. Public hearings are held in November.
    4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the New Hampshire State Legislature by February 15.
    5. The legislature adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
    6. The biennial budget cycle begins in July.

    New Hampshire is one of only seven states in which the governor cannot exercise line item veto authority.[29]

    In New Hampshire, the governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.[29]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in New Hampshire state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Hampshire State Senate has 12 standing committees:


    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the New Hampshire Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article 100 of the New Hampshire Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in New Hampshire

    There are two paths to altering the New Hampshire Constitution: A legislatively referred constitutional amendment or a constitutional convention.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the New Hampshire State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 240 votes in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and 15 votes in the New Hampshire State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    In New Hampshire, an amendment needs to receive support from two-thirds (66.67%) of the votes cast on the measure.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to the New Hampshire Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 10 years starting in 1972. New Hampshire is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.

    The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

    State Interval Last question on the ballot Next question on the ballot
    New Hampshire 10 years 2022 2032



    2025 measures:

    See also: 2025 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2025.

    No measures to list

    2024 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2024 ballot by the legislature or that have made it approximately halfway through the process in the legislature for referral to the ballot in 2024.

    See also: New Hampshire 2024 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.
    New Hampshire Increase Mandatory Judicial Retirement Age AmendmentDemocratsRepublicans
    Senate:Required: Yes votes: (%)No votes: (%)Yes: ; No: Yes: ; No:
    House:Required: 238Yes votes: 321 (80.8%)No votes: 27 (6.8%)Yes: 158; No: 17Yes: 162; No: 10


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2024.
    New Hampshire Convening of State Legislature AmendmentDemocratsRepublicans
    Senate:Required: 14Yes votes: 24 (100%)No votes: 0 (0%)Yes: 10; No: 0Yes: 14; No: 0
    House:Required: Yes votes: (%)No votes: (%)Yes: ; No: Yes: ; No:

    See also

    Elections New Hampshire State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    New Hampshire State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. New Hampshire General Court, "About New Hampshire's Legislative Process," accessed June 9, 2014
    2. New Hampshire General Court, "New Hampshire Senate leadership," accessed June 9, 2014
    3. New Hampshire Constitution, "Part II, Article 3," accessed February 10, 2021
    4. New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed February 2, 2023
    5. New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Political Calendar 2018-2019," accessed November 9, 2017
    6. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed December 17, 2013
    7. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2008 Campaign Contributions," accessed August 14, 2013
    8. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2006 Campaign Contributions," accessed August 14, 2013
    9. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2004 Campaign Contributions," accessed August 14, 2013
    10. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2002 Campaign Contributions," accessed August 14, 2013
    11. Follow the Money, "New Hampshire 2000 Campaign Contributions," accessed August 14, 2013
    12. State of New Hampshire, "State Constitution-House of Representatives," accessed February 10, 2021 (Sections 12 and 16)
    13. State of New Hampshire, "State Constitution-Senate," accessed February 10, 2021 (Section 34)
    14. New Hampshire General Court, "Title LXIII: Elections," accessed February 10, 2021 (Title LXIII, Chapter 661:8)
    15. 15.0 15.1 All About Redistricting, "New Hampshire," accessed May 5, 2015
    16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 New Hampshire General Court, "HB50," accessed February 16, 2022
    17. U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers New Hampshire's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," accessed February 10, 2021
    18. New Hampshire Public Radio, "Guns, Gambling, Drugs and Medicaid Await Lawmakers," accessed January 6, 2016
    19. New Hampshire Business Review, "Taxes, workers’ comp at top of legislative agenda," January 8, 2015
    20. Vermont Public Radio, "New Hampshire Lawmakers Have Their Work Cut Out For Them," January 13, 2015
    21. The Associated Press, "Death, taxes, gambling face NH Legislature in 2014," January 5, 2014
    22. New Hampshire Business Review, "Nearly 300 bills being proposed in Concord could have an impact on business," January 10, 2014
    23. The Associated Press, "N.H. Legislature to convene 2014 session today," January 8, 2014
    24. Sentinel Source, "After a shake-up, N.H. legislators have new issues to tackle.," January 4, 2013
    25. Concord Monitor, "House GOP: Jobs the focus," January 4, 2012
    26. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    27. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 session dates for New Hampshire legislature," accessed June 9, 2014
    28. Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023