The New Hampshire state motto may be “Live Free or Die,” but House Bill 1703 (HB1703) would make the state’s bike owners “pay fee or get fined.” This news comes a little over a week after New Jersey passed a new law requiring all e-bike owners to be licensed, registered, and insured. It’s hard not to draw parallels, but unlike the New Jersey law, the New Hampshire Bill does not appear to be motivated by safety; rather, it was proposed as a means to increase funding for transportation projects.
From the Analysis section of proposed House Bill 1703: “This bill establishes a required annual registration fee for all bicycles and electric bicycles operating on state or municipally funded paths, trails, and roadways which bicycles and electric bicycles are permitted to be ridden on. The bill also establishes a penalty for failure to register and directs funds from said fees and penalties to the commissioner of the department of transportation for the creation and maintenance of bicycle routes, lanes, paths, or trails in the state.”
You can read the full HB1703 proposal here.
In its proposed form, HB1703 would require ALL bike and e-bike owners to pay an annual $50-per-bike registration fee. That blanket requirement would include everything from kids’ bikes to class 3 electric commuters, and everything in between. Additionally, cyclists who fail to register their bicycles with the DMV would be subject to a $100 fine per violation. Per the quote from the HB1703 proposal, all of the funds generated would be used “for the creation and maintenance of bicycle routes, lanes, paths, or trails in the state.”
The primary sponsor of HB1703 is Rep. Thomas Walsh, who is the Chairman of the state’s Transportation Committee. According to reporting by New Hampshire Public Radio, Walsh said the proposal was a way to address a huge funding gap in its long-term transportation plan. And, similar to motor vehicles, bike registration fees could help pay for cycling infrastructure projects, rather than diverting funds from the general transportation budget.
At the same time, the proposal noted that it would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 in fiscal year 2027 to create the registration program and staff it. That would undoubtedly eat up a large portion of the funds generated right out of the gate, while potentially negatively impacting the finances of many cyclists across the state.
In the past few days, the HB1703 proposal received significant criticism and pushback from the public. Critics of the bill argued that it would add an additional financial burden on many people who are already having a difficult time in the current economic environment. Others said we should encourage people of all ages to get outside, citing health and environmental benefits, and that this fee would potentially disincentivize biking by creating another hurdle for cyclists or would-be cyclists to jump over.
At a public hearing on Tuesday, January 27th, Rep Walsh was quoted in an article by the Concord Monitor as saying, “If you’re expecting me to jump up and down and defend the way this bill is currently written, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I will take responsibility for the confusion of the intent.”
According to the Concord Monitor article, Walsh said the bill was never meant to require registration for children’s bicycles. He was quoted as saying, “The bill was simply proposing a reasonable user fee for those who choose this new bicycle infrastructure that we are creating when there is state money involved, very similar to the way we deal with [Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles] and snowmobiles.”
The Concord Monitor article goes on to say that because of its flaws and opposition, Walsh doesn’t think HB1703 has much of a chance of moving forward. In that article, Walsh says, “Personally, because of all these things, I don’t see the bill moving forward either.“
For now, it sounds like the people of New Hampshire have spoken. While it isn’t over yet, HB1703 appears likely to die in committee. It seems like New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” spirit is still alive and well.
