The bill amends the definitions, membership criteria, and confidentiality provisions for critical incident stress management teams. It updates the terminology and specifies the composition of these teams, which now include trained volunteers, peer support group members, and a broader range of emergency response/public safety workers. The bill requires team members to maintain certification standards set by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) or a similar organization and mandates registration with the ICISF and the commissioner of safety. Insertions in the bill include the requirement for team registration and the inclusion of retired personnel as team members, while deletions include the removal of the word "or" and the phrase "or receiving" in confidentiality provisions.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies the types of communications that are not deemed confidential during crisis intervention, such as explicit threats of harm, abuse or neglect indications, and information about past or present intentional crimes where the statute of limitations has not expired. It also establishes the Rural and Underserved Area Educator Incentive Program within the New Hampshire Department of Education to address educator shortages by offering retention grants to eligible educators in rural and economically disadvantaged schools. The program is funded with a nominal sum of $1 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and the bill is set to take effect 60 days after its passage, with an effective date of October 01, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 153-A:17-a
As Amended by the House: 153-A:17-a
As Amended by the Senate: 153-A:17-a, 172:1, 172:2-a, 172:2-c, 126-A:4
Version adopted by both bodies: 153-A:17-a
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 153-A:17-a