HB 1103-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
04/26/2018 1794s
2018 SESSION
18-2458
05/04
HOUSE BILL 1103-FN
AN ACT relative to financial responsibility for voluntary services provided pursuant to a report of abuse or neglect that is "unfounded but with reasonable concern."
SPONSORS: Rep. Hinch, Hills. 21; Rep. K. Rice, Hills. 37; Rep. Spanos, Belk. 3; Rep. Berrien, Rock. 18; Rep. LeBrun, Hills. 32; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Carson, Dist 14
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill provides that voluntary services provided pursuant to a report of abuse and neglect that is unfounded but with reasonable concern shall be exempt from parental liability for reimbursement. The department may use available federal TANF reserve funds to pay for the services.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
04/26/2018 1794s 18-2458
05/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subparagraph; Child Protection Act; Liability for Expenses. Amend RSA 169-C:27, I by inserting after subparagraph (f) the following new subparagraph:
(g) Notwithstanding subparagraph (c), the state shall have no right of action against the parents or other people chargeable by law for the minor's support and necessities for voluntary services provided to the child, family, or household in a case that was unfounded but with reasonable concern, as defined in RSA 169-C:3, XXIX. In such cases, any services provided by the department may be paid from available TANF reserve funds.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.
18-2458
Amended 4/30/18
HB 1103-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2018-1794s)
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
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| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | Indeterminable Decrease | Indeterminable Decrease | Indeterminable Decrease | Indeterminable Decrease |
Expenditures | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ X ] Other - Cost recovery revenue; federal expenditures |
METHODOLOGY:
This bill removes the state's right of recovery for the cost of voluntary services provided to children and families in cases that are deemed "unfounded but with reasonable concern." The bill states that in such cases, any services provided by the Department of Health and Human Services may be paid from available Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) reserve funds, which are unspent federal TANF dollars available to the state for certain federally-approved purposes. The Department estimates the total cost of voluntary services at $1.5 million annually, of which a portion will be TANF eligible. While the bill is silent on the other, non-TANF, funding sources that might be used, the Department assumes state general funds will be used to pay for the share of costs that is not TANF-eligible. The Department further assumes that by removing the state's right of cost recovery, the bill will result in a small but indeterminable decrease in state revenues.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services