NH HB1740

Repeals and reenacts RSA 173-B to overhaul New Hampshire's domestic violence protection system, requiring mandatory law enforcement response to abuse reports including investigation, evidence collection, and report forwarding to prosecutors within 24 hours

Requires civil protective order petitions to be filed exclusively in superior court and only after criminal charges are pending with a judicial finding of probable cause, eliminating standalone civil protective orders without underlying criminal proceedings

Establishes mandatory arrest within 12 hours when probable cause exists for domestic violence offenses, regardless of whether the abuse was witnessed by officers

Creates a rebuttable presumption that protected persons have reasonable fear of imminent harm, making defensive force (including deadly force) against a restrained party presumptively justified as self-defense when the restrained party violates the protective order at prohibited locations

Establishes a Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Training and Support Fund administered by the Department of Justice, funded through civil contempt fines, legislative appropriations, and grants, with expenditures estimated at $200,000-$700,000+ in FY 2027