This bill proposes to amend the definition of an abused child in RSA 169-C, the Child Protection Act, by adding sexual reassignment to the list of actions that constitute child abuse. Specifically, it would include drug treatments or surgery aimed at altering the sex assigned to a child at birth as a form of abuse, except in cases where the child has ambiguous genitalia, which refers to a medical condition where the child's gender is not clearly male or female at birth. The bill is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

The fiscal note attached to the bill indicates that the financial impact on the state, county, and local governments is indeterminable. The Department of Health and Human Services does not have sufficient information to assess the potential fiscal impact on child abuse cases and related litigation costs. The bill may also affect the New Hampshire judicial and correctional systems, but there is no method to determine how many additional charges would be brought as a result of the bill to determine the impact on expenditures. Costs associated with various levels of offenses and appeals are provided, but the overall financial implications remain uncertain.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 169-C:3