This bill amends the existing law governing the Enhanced 911 system fund by instituting stricter guidelines for fund usage. The new legal language specifies that funds must be exclusively allocated for expenditures that directly support 911 call delivery and dispatch operations, including operational expenses, technology, and personnel costs. It prohibits the use of these funds for subsidizing commercial wireless infrastructure unrelated to 911 services, general public safety expenditures not tied to 911 operations, and administrative overhead not directly related to service delivery. Additionally, the bill mandates the Department of Safety to maintain a separate accounting of all revenues and expenditures from the fund, enhancing transparency and accountability.

Furthermore, the bill introduces enforcement mechanisms to address unauthorized use of E911 funds, allowing citizens to file complaints that may lead to investigations by the New Hampshire Department of Justice. Agencies found to have misused funds must repay the amount within a year or face penalties. The legislation also grants the Department of Safety's Division of Emergency Services and Communications (DESC) independence in managing the fund, enabling them to initiate audits and publish reports without prior approval. The bill restricts fund expenditures to those that support the transmission, routing, processing, and dispatching of 911 calls, thereby eliminating DESC's ability to use these funds for multipurpose systems. The fiscal impact of these changes is indeterminable, as they may shift costs to alternative funding sources and affect shared systems that support both 911 operations and other public safety functions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 106-H:14, 106-H:3, 106-H:5
HB1777 text: 106-H:14, 106-H:3, 106-H:5