Committee advances SB 644 to tighten FBI‑compatible background checks for waste facility permits

Senator Howard Pearl introduced Senate Bill 644 to amend state law so New Hampshire can perform multistate criminal background checks for applicants and key owners of solid and hazardous waste facility permits. Pearl said corrections were needed after prior statutory tweaks in 2023 failed to meet FBI requirements for access to federal criminal databases.

Mike Wimsatt, service director of the Waste Management Division at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, testified in support and said the underlying background‑check requirement has existed for roughly 40 years. Wimsatt said the current language had resulted in ambiguous or overly broad interpretations by applicants and that DES, the Department of Justice and the Department of Safety have worked to narrow the covered roles and produce FBI‑compatible language.

Committee members pressed on the bill’s definitions of "owner," "member," and corporate officers and asked whether the list could capture hundreds of passive owners. Wimsatt said in practice DES has not encountered widespread examples of hundreds of owners in facilities subject to these checks and that the drafting seeks to capture leadership-level roles rather than all passive investors. He also confirmed the bill applies to existing facilities when ownership changes trigger permit modifications that require new background checks.

After discussion the committee voted to move SB 644 out of committee. A motion to "move 6 44 pass" was made and seconded by Senator Rosenwall; the committee voice vote recorded "aye" with no opposing votes in the transcript and the item was placed on consent for further handling.