The New Hampshire House of Representatives debates legislation in the State House Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Earlier in the day representatives voted to reject an attempt to resurrect the death penalty. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin)
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted down a bill that would’ve reinstituted the death penalty half a decade after the state chose to do away with it.
The House rejected it as part of the consent agenda, which means it did not debate the bill and voted on it alongside several other bills, after the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety unanimously recommended it be voted down. The committee cited data showing that since the death penalty was repealed, murder rates haven’t increased; concerns about new advancements in DNA testing disproving recent previous murder convictions; and moral objections, among other reasons.
House Bill 1413, which was sponsored by Belmont Republican Rep. Douglas Trottier, came after Gov. Kelly Ayotte publicly supported reinstating the death penalty.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.