This bill proposes to amend the definition of an abused child in the Child Protection Act (RSA 169-C) to include cases where a child is subjected to drug treatments or surgery in an attempt to alter their sex assigned at birth, with the exception of rare cases involving ambiguous genitalia. Ambiguous genitalia is defined as a medical condition where a child's gender at birth is unclear due to indistinct male or female genitals. The bill specifies that this addition would be classified under a new subparagraph (g), following the existing subparagraph (f) which references acts prohibited by RSA 632-A:10-d.

The fiscal note attached to the bill indicates that the financial impact on the state, county, and local governments is indeterminable. It is unclear how many additional child abuse cases may arise due to this change, and consequently, the potential costs associated with litigation or additional charges are also indeterminable. The bill outlines potential costs for various legal proceedings, including those for violation and misdemeanor level offenses, complex felony cases, and appeals, as well as costs associated with public defenders and assigned counsel. The bill also notes the average and marginal costs of incarcerating an individual, as well as the average cost of supervising an individual on parole or probation. The effective date of the act would be 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 169-C:3