The bill SB 134-FN proposes amendments to provide additional retirement benefits to Group II members—specifically permanent policemen or firemen—who retire due to injuries from violent acts while on duty. It sets conditions for eligibility, such as the injury being a result of a purposeful, hostile, and violent attack with a deadly weapon, and the incapacity being likely permanent. The bill also allows for a hearing if benefits are initially denied and sets the retirement allowance to the greater of the member's last 12 months of earnable compensation or $75,000 annually. It includes retrospective application for members who retired on or after July 1, 2018, and amends the law to include violent accidental disability beneficiaries in certain provisions, adjusting survivor benefits and medical benefits accordingly. Insertions to the law include the inclusion of these beneficiaries in specific provisions, while deletions include the removal of the word "or" before the new insertion of "violent accidental disability" in the context of retirement allowance payments.

Additionally, the bill suspends the issuance of new landfill permits until July 1, 2028, to align with the state's solid waste goals, although it does not affect the expansion of existing landfills permitted before December 1, 2022. The fiscal note indicates that the New Hampshire Retirement System cannot estimate the impact on state revenue but expects an increase in employer pension rates for police and fire employees. The actuary estimates an increase in the actuarial accrued liability of $10.4 million, amortized over 20 years. The bill's effective dates are staggered, with sections 1-9 effective on July 1, 2024, and the remainder 60 days after passage. The bill acknowledges insufficient funding for estimated expenditures and does not authorize new positions for implementation. The bill also highlights potential conflicts in determining benefit eligibility and the impact on state expenditures and revenues, which remain indeterminable.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 100-A:6, 100-A:6-a, 21-I:3
As Amended by the Senate: 100-A:6, 100-A:6-a, 21-I:3
As Amended by the Senate (2nd): 100-A:6-a, 100-A:6, 100-A:12, 100-A:52, 100-A:55, 21-I:30
As Amended by the House: 100-A:6-a, 100-A:6, 100-A:12, 100-A:52, 100-A:55, 21-I:30