Bill Text: NH HB134 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Extending the public employees labor relations act to employees of the general court and relative to the duties of the joint committee on legislative facilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-16 - Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 03/16/2023 House Journal 9 P. 21 [HB134 Detail]

Download: New_Hampshire-2023-HB134-Introduced.html

HB 134-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2023 SESSION

23-0008

05/04

 

HOUSE BILL 134-FN

 

AN ACT extending the public employees labor relations act to employees of the general court and relative to the duties of the joint committee on legislative facilities.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Schultz, Merr. 29; Rep. Edgar, Rock. 29

 

COMMITTEE: Legislative Administration

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill establishes the legislature as a public employer under the public employee labor relations act and establishes procedures for collective bargaining by nonpartisan employees.

 

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

23-0008

05/04

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three

 

AN ACT extending the public employees labor relations act to employees of the general court and relative to the duties of the joint committee on legislative facilities.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Legislative Facilities Committee.  Amend RSA 17-E:5 to read as follows:

17-E:5  House and Senate Subcommittees.  The house members, with the speaker as chairperson, shall be a subcommittee for legislative management for the house; and the senate members, with the president as chairperson, shall be a subcommittee for legislative management of the senate.  All individual transfers within the house or senate appropriations in excess of $75,000 and all salaries of legislative attaches and other employees, covered by a collective bargaining agreement under RSA 273-A, or otherwise specifically provided by statute shall require the approval of the respective subcommittee.  The salaries as determined hereunder shall be a charge upon the appropriation made for the legislature.

2  New Subparagraph; Public Employee Labor Relations Board; Board of the Public Employer.  Amend RSA 273-A:1, II(a) by inserting after subparagraph (2) the following new subparagraph:

(3)  The board of the public employer for the legislature means the joint committee on legislative facilities established in RSA 17-E.  Joint employees of the house of representatives and senate shall negotiate with the joint committee on legislative facilities.  Employees of the house of representatives or the senate shall negotiate with their respective committees or subcommittees.   

3  Public Employees Labor Relations Board; Definitions.  Amend RSA 273-A:1, X to read as follows:

X.  "Public employer'' means the state and any political subdivision thereof, the legislative and judicial [branch] branches of the state, any quasi-public corporation, council, commission, agency or authority, the state community college system, and the state university system.

4  New Section; Public Employee Labor Relations Board; Bargaining by Legislative Employees.  Amend RSA 273-A by inserting after section 9-b the following new section:

273-A:9-c  Bargaining by Legislative Employees.  

I.  In this section, "nonpartisan employee" means an employee whose purpose is to serve the institution of the general court rather than to shape and implement policies that reflect the positions of elected officials.  Nonpartisan employees shall include employees in the following offices: general court administrative office, legislative budget assistant, legislative services, legislative operations, health services, general court technology services, visitors center, protective services, chief operating officer, speaker's office, house clerk's office, house sergeant-at-arms office, house committee services, senate president's office, senate clerk's office, senate research office, senate committee services, senate administrative assistants, senate legislative aides, and senate legislative assistants.

II.  All cost items and terms and conditions of employment affecting legislative employees generally shall be negotiated by the legislature, represented by the joint committee on legislative facilities, with a single employee bargaining committee comprised of exclusive representatives of all interested bargaining units.  Negotiations regarding terms and conditions of employment unique to individual bargaining units shall be negotiated individually with the representatives of those units by the committee.

III.  The joint committee on legislative facilities may designate an official legislative negotiator who shall serve at the pleasure of the committee.

5  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2024.

 

LBA

23-0008

10/3/22

 

HB 134-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT extending the public employees labor relations act to employees of the general court and relative to the duties of the joint committee on legislative facilities.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

   Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Funding Source:

  [ X ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [    ] Other

 

 

 

 

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes the legislature as a public employer under the public employee labor relations act and establishes procedures for collective bargaining by nonpartisan employees. The bill has an indeterminable impact to expenditures under the General Fund due to several unknown factors including employee compensation, benefits, or other terms of employment which may be negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement. Also unknown are employee grievances, if any, that may also be processed under the collective bargaining procedures.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Legislative Branch

 

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