NH Statewide Independent Living Council

NH Politics

NH Politics

The NH SILC follows and monitors legislative bills that may impact individuals with disabilities in NH.

Bills Watched in 2019:

  • HB 255– Relative to shift differential pay for employees who work overnight. This bill requires an employer to pay a shift differential for employees working in a overnight shift. The bill was killed.
  • HB 171– Establishing a commission to study equal access and opportunity for students with disabilities to participate in curricular activities. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 291– Establishing a committee to study certain findings regarding hospice and palliative care. Nonconcurred by House. Passed/adopted with amendment by Senate.
  • HB 389- Requiring the secretary of state to prepare materials for businesses relative to service dogs. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 488- Requiring interpreters for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing at the state house campus. This bill requires that interpreters will be provided to persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing if the person wishes to talk with their senator or representative on the state house campus. Signed by Governor. Became law.
  • HB 531- Relative to the delivery of absentee ballots cast by elderly or disabled citizens. This bill allows family members and designated unrelated caregivers to deliver absentee ballots on behalf of voters who reside in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 539- Establishing a committee to study the implementation of Accessible ballots. This bill establishes a committee who will look into the implementation of the Accessible ballot in municipal elections. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 621- Establishing the state commission on aging. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 628- Relative to universal changing stations in certain places of public accommodation. This bill requires universal changing stations for adults with disabilities in new buildings and future renovations in public facilities with a capacity of 1,500 or more members of the public or stores of at least 40,000 square feet. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 692- Relative to dental care for Medicaid recipients. This bill will establishes a working group to prepare a plan for implementing adult dental benefits into Medicaid. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 696- Establishing a protective order for vulnerable adults. This bill expands the definition of abuse and establishes a mechanism for issuing protective orders for “vulnerable” adults such as for people with disabilities against caregivers. Vetoed by Governor and Veto sustained by House.
  • HB 725- Relative to certain standards for managed care organizations. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • SB 216- Establishing an autonomous vehicle advisory commission, establishing an autonomous vehicle testing pilot program, and providing requirements for automated vehicle deployment.  Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • SB 255- Relative to dementia training for direct care staff in residential facilities and community-based settings. This bill requires dementia training for direct care staff in residential facilities and community-based settings. Passed/adopted with amendment by Senate. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • SB 259- Expanding eligibility for Medicaid for employed adults with disabilities age 65 and over.  This bill requires the department of health and human services to submit an amendment to the state Medicaid plan to expand coverage under the MEAD program which provided Medicaid for employed adults, to individuals 65 years of age and older. Currently eligibility ends after age 64. Bill was laid on table in Senate. The purpose of this bill was moved to HB 2 when it was vetoed it was moved to HB 4.
  • SB 308- Relative to the health are workforce and making appropriating therefore. This bill requires an increase Medicaid providers rate by 5% in 2019 and an additional 7% in 2020, requires certain health care professionals to complete a survey collecting data on primary care workforce, requires DHHs to amend the income standard used for eligibility for “in and out” medical assistance, and permits the Department of Safety to contract with a  private agency to process background check applications and requires the DHH to accept and process background check application. Bill died on table by Senate.
  • HB 249- Permitting restaurant owners to allow dogs in restaurants. This bill died on table by House.
  • HB 721- Relative to special education in towns with no public schools. The bill requires the resident school district to provide and fund the education of an child with disabilities according to the children’s individualized education program when such child is attending a nonsectarian private school because there is no public school for the child’s grade level in the child’s resident district. Bill is in House’s committee.
  • SB 289- Relative to health and human services. This bill requires collection stations to be licensed and revises the responsibilities of an individual private home care service provider to include health support services, authorities reimbursement for a legally responsible relative who provides personal care services, and requires services provided to individuals with disabilities by area agencies and authorized agencies to comply with RSA-171-A and the federal requirements for home care service providers. Signed by Governor. Became law.

Bills Watched in 2018:

Image of Bill from "School house of Rock"

  • HB 1459– Relative to operating autonomous vehicles was killed.
  • HB 314-Relative to licensing requirements for autonomous vehicle testing and establishing an automated and connected vehicle testing and deployment commission. Bill was killed.
  • HB 1785–Changing “hearing impaired” to “deaf” or “hard of hearing” in the New Hampshire laws. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 1589-Relative to actions against tenants for a caregiver under an agreement for a person with disabilities. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 1816-Relative to Medicaid Managed Care. This bill  would stop any further implementation of Step 2 of Medicaid Managed Care, including CFI.  Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • HB 1807– Relative to exploitation of elderly, disabled, or impaired adults and establishing a protective order for vulnerable adults. Signed by Governor. Became Law.
  • SB 278– Relative to to exempting PCA from registering as medical technicians. This was tabled, removed from the calendar apparently deemed overly broad in an effort to address medication diversion.

NH Politics Resources

  1. NH General Court: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ . You can search up bills, see the legislative calendars, look up laws, etc.