This bill modifies the rules and funding for the Youth Development Center settlement fund, which provides compensation to former residents who experienced abuse while in state care. It updates legal definitions to clearly specify what counts as sexual, physical, or other abuse and introduces a new category for "egregious sexual abuse" that may qualify for additional compensation. The legislation establishes an independent, neutral attorney as the administrator to oversee the claims process, while ensuring the fund remains separate and is continually funded until 2032.
This bill establishes a legislative committee to study how restorative justice models could be used as an alternative accountability system for juveniles under eighteen who commit misdemeanor offenses or hate crimes. The committee, composed of four state legislators, will gather evidence-based best practices and collaborate with state agencies and advocates to develop specific recommendations for new laws. By November 1, 2024, the group must submit a report detailing its findings and proposed legislation to state officials and the governor. The bill does not change current laws or create new programs immediately but instead sets up a process to evaluate and potentially implement restorative justice practices in the future.
This bill restructures the Higher Education Commission in New Hampshire by updating its membership composition to include representatives from public universities, community colleges, private four-year colleges, for-profit institutions, and the general public. Key provisions establish a new role for private postsecondary career school representatives and require the commission to maintain equitable representation based on gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. The commission will continue to regulate higher education institutions and private career schools, administer financial aid programs, and oversee veteran education services without receiving compensation for their service. The changes take effect 60 days after the bill is passed.
This bill extends the life of the Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education by updating reporting deadlines to include a final report due in 2027. The commission is tasked with tracking how Holocaust and genocide education is implemented across schools, specifically monitoring instruction by grade level, curriculum, and hours taught. It must submit regular reports to state officials, including the governor and legislative leaders, detailing its findings and any suggestions for new laws. The changes take effect immediately upon the bill's passage.
HB 1155 prohibits life and long-term care insurance companies in New Hampshire from denying coverage, canceling policies, or charging higher premiums to individuals solely because they have donated an organ or tissue. The law also forbids insurers from making organ donation a condition for receiving or keeping an insurance policy. These protections apply to all such policies offered, issued, or renewed in the state on or after July 1, 2024, ensuring that living organ donors are not discriminated against by insurance providers.
This bill establishes a new council to study how electric vehicles and their lithium-ion batteries affect first responders, the environment, building codes, and property safety. The council will include representatives from state agencies, fire organizations, police, auto dealers, and towing companies to investigate issues like fire response challenges, pollution, and code updates. Members must meet within 45 days of the law taking effect and will submit an interim report by November 2024 and a final report by November 2025. The council can ask for input from any relevant person or group and needs seven members present to make decisions.
This bill allows high school students to serve as unpaid members of their local school board, directly involving students in district governance. It requires the student government to organize elections where the student body votes for up to three representatives and establishes a process for students to submit proposals to the board. Serving a one-year term, these student members must attend at least one board meeting per month but cannot run or vote if they are graduating during their term. The law takes effect 60 days after passage, beginning on August 13, 2024.
This bill allows hotel guests to carry one alcoholic drink from the hotel bar or restaurant to their room, provided they do not take it into a vehicle. The law clarifies that hotels are not required to offer this service but cannot forbid it if they choose to allow it, while also permitting hotels to designate specific areas where carrying alcohol is prohibited. It updates existing regulations to explicitly permit this practice and does not change the monthly deposit requirements for the liquor commission. The changes take effect 60 days after the bill is passed.
This bill directs the New Hampshire Department of Energy to report annually by November on how the renewable energy fund is used, including details on net metering capacity and group host registrations. It expands the department's authority to create new incentive and rebate programs for renewable energy projects located in political subdivisions, such as towns and cities, without being subject to the same funding limits as other projects. Additionally, the legislation updates how funds are distributed between residential and nonresidential sectors, requiring a specific portion of money to support low- and moderate-income households and public housing residents. The bill also repeals previous rules regarding small residential renewable generation incentives to align with these new funding priorities.
This bill updates child support guidelines to ensure that a parent's time in prison is never counted as voluntary unemployment when calculating their income. By explicitly excluding incarceration from the definition of voluntary unemployment, the law prevents courts from reducing child support payments based on the assumption that a parent chose to be in prison. Starting January 1, 2025, judges will no longer have the discretion to treat imprisonment as a reason to lower a parent's reported earnings for support purposes. The change applies to all parents subject to child support orders, ensuring that incarceration does not automatically result in reduced financial obligations to their children.
This bill establishes a state registry within the department to track all reported cases of autism spectrum disorder in New Hampshire and gather data for service planning. It requires physicians, psychologists, and other qualified health care providers to report new diagnoses to the department, including specific details like the child's date of birth and zip code, while assigning each case a unique code that does not reveal the child's name or address. The bill ensures that all reported information remains confidential and protects providers from liability for sharing it, while also mandating that entries be removed from the registry once a child turns 18.
HB 1046 requires boat owners who are not the vessel operator to notify law enforcement and file an accident report if the operator fails to do so after an incident involving death, injury, or property damage exceeding $2,000. The bill mandates that the operator must immediately stop, assist those involved, and exchange information, while also submitting a written report to the Department of Safety within 15 days. If the operator is unable or unwilling to comply with these duties, the owner must take over the responsibility to report the accident to police and the state department. Failure to meet these notification and reporting requirements can result in criminal penalties, ranging from a class A misdemeanor to a felony depending on the severity of the incident.
