Reviewed by Survivor Rights Center · Updated 2026-07-16
Figures compiled from New Hampshire Public Radio and Concord Monitor coverage published in mid-July 2026.
Civil protective orders for sexual assault survivors in New Hampshire had generally required showing some qualifying relationship with the person accused, an approach borrowed from domestic violence protective order law, where a relationship between the parties is central to the claim.
That structure left a hole for survivors assaulted by an acquaintance, coworker, or a stranger with no ongoing relationship to the survivor. Those survivors could still pursue criminal charges, but many found they did not qualify for the same kind of civil protective order available to someone assaulted by a partner or family member.
HB 1651 removes the relationship requirement for this category of protective order, so a survivor's eligibility no longer turns on how well they knew the person who assaulted them. The bill is framed by supporters as closing a gap that left some survivors without a civil remedy simply because of who committed the assault.
The bill also adds a separate protection: agencies must disclose where a survivor's rape kit is being kept, what condition it is in, and for how long it will stay in storage. Both pieces are aimed at giving survivors more information and more legal options, independent of whether a criminal case is ever filed.
News coverage this week tied HB 1651 to several companion measures signed around the same time. One requires licensing for massage businesses, a step regulators say will make it easier to identify operations connected to trafficking. Another broadens the legal definition used in domestic violence cases to capture coercive control, isolating a survivor from family and friends, and the nonconsensual sharing of private images.
A fourth companion bill strengthens enforcement of court-ordered restitution owed to survivors and takes effect on a later date, June 1, 2027. Taken together, the package reflects a broader push in Concord this year around survivor protections, though each bill stands on its own and has its own effective date.
None of these changes are in effect yet. HB 1651's new protective-order eligibility rule and its evidence-kit notice requirement both begin on January 1, 2027, so survivors seeking a protective order today are still operating under the current relationship-based rule until that date arrives.
Survivors who currently have a sexual assault evidence kit on file do not need to wait for the new law to ask about its status; law enforcement and the agency holding the kit can generally be contacted directly. HB 1651 will formalize that as a right once it takes effect, rather than creating the ability to ask for the first time.
A plain-language look at what each part of the package is meant to do once its effective date arrives.
Not yet. HB 1651 does not take effect until January 1, 2027, so the current relationship-based eligibility rule still applies until then.
No. HB 1651 and its companion bills address civil protective orders, evidence-kit notice, licensing, and restitution enforcement. None of them adjust the criminal statute of limitations.
A domestic violence order generally requires a qualifying relationship between the parties. HB 1651 creates a separate path for sexual assault survivors that does not depend on that relationship.
Survivors can already contact the law enforcement agency or lab holding their kit to ask about its status; HB 1651 will make disclosure a formal requirement once it takes effect, rather than creating that option for the first time.
This article is general educational information, not legal advice. Confirm specifics with a licensed attorney in your state — most consult for free. If you need support now, the RAINN hotline is 800-656-4673, 24/7.
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