Rep. Katelyn Kuttab

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Hampshire's child support guidelines to better reflect modern family arrangements by clarifying definitions and adjusting calculations. It formally defines terms like "eligible child care costs," "parenting time," and "substantially similar incomes" to provide clearer standards for courts and parents. The law introduces a new framework where child support obligations may be reduced or eliminated if both parents have similar incomes and share parenting time equally, while still allowing for adjustments in cases of significant health needs, long distances, or abuse. These changes aim to ensure that child support orders are fair and do not leave one parent with a higher adjusted income than the other when both are actively involved in raising the children. The provisions will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the membership rules for the state advisory committee on the education of students with disabilities, which advises on policies affecting children with disabilities from birth through age 26. The legislation expands the committee by adding specific seats for representatives from health and human services, correctional facilities, and advocacy organizations, while also requiring one member from the House Education Committee. A key provision mandates that a majority of the committee must consist of individuals with disabilities or their parents, ensuring that those directly impacted lead the group. Appointments for these roles will be made by the governor, with some specific members recommended by relevant agencies or organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the scope of who can legally provide psychotherapy services in New Hampshire by clarifying the requirements for exemption from stricter licensing rules. It specifically allows individuals working as employees or consultants for various mental health facilities to practice if their employers offer clinical supervision and assume full professional and legal responsibility for the care provided. The change applies to a wide range of settings, including outpatient private practices and nonprofit agencies, ensuring that qualified staff in these environments can deliver mental health services under the organization's oversight. The law takes effect on September 1, 2024, sixty days after its official passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the state's child care scholarship program to prioritize applications from current child care employees and eliminate waiting periods for those who reapply after being denied due to missing information. It also mandates that child care providers contracted for preventive and protective services begin training in trauma-informed care starting July 1, 2021. Additionally, the law clarifies that child care services provided as preventive or protective measures are available to grandparents who serve as legal guardians or primary caretakers for their grandchildren. These changes aim to improve access to care for specific worker groups and caregivers while enhancing staff training standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that vote counting and tabulation occur openly in public at polling places and central locations, ensuring the process is not paused or delayed until finished. It mandates that election officials keep all ballots at least four feet away from the guardrail during this public viewing and makes all generated documents available for public inspection once results are announced. Additionally, the law specifies that printed results from voting machines must be posted for public review within 60 minutes of the final ballot being processed if applicable. These changes directly affect election administrators and observers by enforcing transparency and immediate access to election data.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new definitions and rules for prior authorization processes used by health insurance carriers and utilization review entities in New Hampshire. It requires these organizations to create written clinical review criteria based on current medical standards and to update them at least every two years with input from practicing providers. The law mandates that prior authorization requirements be clearly published on carrier websites in plain language and that providers receive at least 60 days' notice before any new restrictions take effect. Additionally, the bill ensures that medical necessity decisions are made by qualified health care providers under the direction of a licensed medical director.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the maximum amount of money that can be awarded to surviving spouses and children in wrongful death cases involving loss of companionship and family relationships. Previously capped at $150,000 for spouses and $50,000 for children, the new limits are set at $500,000 and $300,000 respectively. The law allows courts to consider these damages alongside other losses like pain and suffering, while still applying rules that reduce payouts if the deceased or the claimant was partially at fault. These changes take effect on January 1, 2025, and apply to lawsuits filed in probate courts regarding decedents' estates.

Maddy summaryThis law allows non-lawyer paraprofessionals to provide legal services in New Hampshire courts, removing previous restrictions that limited their practice to specific judicial settings. It establishes a pilot program that begins on January 1, 2030, during which the state Supreme Court must submit interim and final reports to legislative leaders assessing how well the program works. The legislation also sets the effective date for these changes to start immediately upon signing, ensuring the new rules are in place before the pilot program commences.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new process allowing litigants to challenge court rulings if they believe a judge's misconduct directly caused an unfavorable decision. To qualify for relief, a party must file a petition within three years of the ruling and 180 days after the misconduct finding is made public, provided they have not already lost a similar legal battle on this issue. A senior judge will review the petition to decide if there is a reasonable likelihood that the misconduct influenced the outcome, with the power to dismiss the case or vacate the ruling and send it for a rehearing by a different judge. The decision by the senior judge on whether misconduct was causal is final and cannot be appealed, though any new ruling resulting from a rehearing can be appealed normally.

Maddy summaryThis 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.