Bill Text: NH HB1397 | 2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relative to the length of terms for Rockingham county officers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-07-07 - Signed by Governor Sununu 07/01/2022; Chapter 283; eff. 08/30/2022 House Journal 14 [HB1397 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2022-HB1397-Amended.html
HB 1397 - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
05/05/2022 1948s
2022 SESSION
22-2680
12/11
HOUSE BILL 1397
SPONSORS: Rep. Dolan, Rock. 5; Rep. Thomas, Rock. 5
COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a 4-year term for the county treasurer, county sheriff, county register of deeds, and county attorney in Rockingham county. This bill also requires that Gunstock area commission members be elected by the voters and amends the duties of the county commission.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
05/05/2022 1948s 22-2680
12/11
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 County Attorneys; Length of Term. Amend RSA 7:33 to read as follows:
7:33 Election; Temporary Vacancies. There shall be a county attorney for each county, who shall be a member of the New Hampshire bar, elected biennially by the voters of the county; provided that, at the 2022 state general election, and at each subsequent state general election, the county attorney for Rockingham county shall be chosen in the county by the voters for a 4-year term. If the county attorney is absent at any term of court or unable to discharge the duties of the office, the superior court, acting as a body, shall appoint a county attorney, who shall be a member of the New Hampshire bar, for the time being and allow said appointee such compensation for his or her services as set by the county delegation.
2 Elected for 2-Year Term. Amend RSA 653:1, V to read as follows:
V. One sheriff, one county attorney, one county treasurer, one register of deeds, and one register of probate by the voters in each county; provided that, at the 2022 state general election, and at each subsequent state general election, any such officer in Rockingham county shall be chosen in the county by the voters for a 4-year term;
3 Gunstock Area Commission; Commission Member Elections. RSA 1959, 399:4 as amended by 2020, 18:1 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
399:4 Commission Member Elections. Members of the commission shall be chosen by election held in conjunction with the state general election, provided that the members' elections shall be non-partisan with candidates listed on a ballot that may be part of the regular ballot at the discretion of the secretary of state. Members of the commission shall be chosen for 6-year terms. The November 2022 election shall fill any vacancy occurring in 2022 and 2023. The November 2024 election shall replace those commissioners whose terms expire in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 election shall replace the commissioner whose term expires in 2026. All future election cycles will continue with this sequence (2-2-1.) Currently serving commissioners are eligible to run for re-election during this transition. Each member shall continue in office until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, and each member shall be subject to removal for cause by a vote of the county commissioners after public hearing. No commissioner may serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
4 Gunstock Area Commission; Vacancies. RSA 1959: 399:8 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
399:8 Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs in said commission, it shall be filled by a candidate appointed by majority vote of the county commissioners until the next general election, at which time the voters will elect a commissioner to serve the unexpired remainder of the term.
5 New Paragraph; Gunstock Area Commission; Quarterly Report. Amend RSA 1959, 399:14 as amended by 2020, 18:2 by inserting after paragraph (f) the following new paragraph:
(g) At the beginning of each quarter, by the 15th of the month, the commission shall submit a financial and operations report to the following entities: the county delegation, the county commissioners, and the clerk of every town and city in Belknap county. The report shall include, but shall not be limited to, a summary of profits or losses and the status of all capital projects.
6 Gunstock Area Commission; Reference Changes. Amend RSA 1959, 399:17-18 to read as follows:
399:17 Powers of the County Commissioners. As long as this chapter shall be in effect[, and upon the appointment of a commission by the appointive agency], the county commissioners of Belknap county shall be relieved of all duties and responsibilities with respect to the operation and maintenance of the area.
399:18 Present Assets, Loans and Other Obligations. [Upon the appointment of a commission by the appointive agency, all] All money [then] held by the county of Belknap for the account of the area, shall be considered transferred to the commission for the purposes of this chapter, which shall include any accounts which are kept as capital reserve accounts, or accounts known as Belknap county recreational area fund, and any obligation for the payment of any outstanding serial notes or bonds or any other current bills at such time shall be considered to have been transferred to the commission and shall be payable out of future revenues.
I. Section 1 of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
