This bill amends RSA 169-B and RSA 169-D, which pertain to delinquent children and children in need of services, respectively. It expands the definition of "out-of-home placement" to include placement with fictive kin (individuals who are not related by birth or marriage but have an emotionally significant relationship with the child), child care institutions, psychiatric residential treatment programs, or other programs certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The bill specifies that a child may be placed in these settings as a result of a delinquent petition or when they are in need of services.

The bill also includes changes to the procedures for the release of minors prior to arraignment, adjudicatory hearing, and dispositional hearing, allowing for placement with fictive kin or in the newly defined out-of-home placement options. Additionally, it amends the schedule for the inspection of facilities that detain minors, changing the dates when the lock-up log is to be provided to the DHHS from January 1 and July 1 to October 1 and April 1, beginning October 1, 2024. Finally, the bill repeals sections related to the rebuttable presumption of harm under the Child Protection Act, with these repeals taking effect on June 30, 2024, while the remainder of the act becomes effective on June 14, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 169-B:2, 169-B:11, 169-B:19, 169-B:15-a, 169-D:2, 169-D:10, 169-D:13, 169-D:17
Version adopted by both bodies: 169-B:2, 169-B:11, 169-B:19, 169-B:15-a, 169-D:2, 169-D:10, 169-D:13, 169-D:17
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 169-B:2, 169-B:11, 169-B:19, 169-B:15-a, 169-D:2, 169-D:10, 169-D:13, 169-D:17