SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2021 SESSION
21-0891
06/05
SENATE BILL 142-FN
AN ACT adopting omnibus legislation relative to certain study commissions.
SPONSORS: Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ANALYSIS
This bill adopts legislation:
I. Reestablishing the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in first
responders. This bill also requires first responders to have mental health training focusing on post-
traumatic stress disorder.
II. Relative to the commission to study barriers to increased land development in New
Hampshire.
III. Reestablishing the commission to study grandfamilies in New Hampshire.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
21-0891
06/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT adopting omnibus legislation relative to certain study commissions.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 1 Sponsorship. This act consists of the following proposed legislation:
2 Part I. LSR 21-0891, relative to the commission to study post-traumatic stress disorders in
3 first responders, sponsored by Sen. Birdsell, Prime/Dist. 19.
4 Part II. LSR 21-0929, relative to the commission to study barriers to increased land
5 development in New Hampshire, sponsored by Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Prime/Dist. 21; Sen. Watters,
6 Dist. 4; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist. 13; Sen. Whitley, Dist. 15; Sen. Bradley, Dist. 3; Sen. Hennessey, Dist.
7 1; Sen. Kahn, Dist. 10; Sen. Prentiss, Dist. 5; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist. 20; Sen. Sherman, Dist. 24;
8 Sen. Soucy, Dist. 18; Rep. DiLorenzo, Rock. 17.
9 Part III. LSR 21-0968, reestablishing the commission to study grand families in New
10 Hampshire, sponsored by Sen. Carson, Prime/Dist. 14.
11 2 Legislation Enacted. The general court hereby enacts the following legislation:
12
13 PART I
14 Relative to the Commission to Study Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in First Responders.
15 1 New Section; Commission to Study the Incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in First
16 Responders Reestablished. Amend RSA 281-A by inserting after section 17-c the following new
17 section:
18 281-A:17-d Commission to Study the Incidence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in First
19 Responders Reestablished.
20 I.(a) There is reestablished the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress
21 disorder in first responders and whether such disorder should be covered under workers'
22 compensation. The members of the commission shall be as follows:
23 (1) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
24 (2) Three members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall be from the
25 labor, industrial and rehabilitative services committee, one of whom shall be from the executive
26 departments and administration committee, and one of whom shall be from the state-federal
27 relations and veterans affairs committee, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
28 (3) The labor commissioner, or designee.
29 (4) The commissioner of safety, or designee.
30 (5) The insurance commissioner, or designee.
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 2 -
1 (6) A representative of the New Hampshire Municipal Association, appointed by the
2 association.
3 (7) A representative of the New Hampshire Association of Counties, appointed by
4 the association.
5 (8) A representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire,
6 appointed by the alliance.
7 (9) A fire chief, appointed by the New Hampshire Association of Fire Chiefs.
8 (10) One member appointed by the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
9 (11) One member appointed by the New Hampshire Police Association.
10 (12) A representative of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire, appointed
11 by that organization.
12 (13) A representative of the New Hampshire Association of Emergency Medical
13 Technicians, appointed by the association.
14 (14) A representative of the New Hampshire Public Risk Management Exchange,
15 appointed by that organization.
16 (15) An attorney, appointed by the New Hampshire Association for Justice.
17 (b) Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate
18 when attending to the duties of the commission.
19 II.(a) The commission shall study:
20 (1) Costs associated with training and resources, application of training, and
21 operation of the presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders is occupationally
22 caused.
23 (2) Whether a first responder's death from suicide is a line of duty death.
24 (3) Life insurance payouts for first responders who die of suicide.
25 (4) Life insurance payouts for retired first responders who die of suicide.
26 (5) Federal line of duty deaths by suicide.
27 (6) Cost and administration of resiliency training.
28 (7) The need for culture change to enable first responders to openly address PTSD
29 issues without impacting their careers.
30 (8) Discuss the intersection of benefits provided by Workers' Compensation and the
31 New Hampshire Retirement System when a first responder retires because of PTSD and whether
32 additional benefits are warranted, including a retirement insurance subsidy.
33 (b) The commission may solicit input from any person or entity the commission deems
34 relevant to its study.
35 III. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members.
36 The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the senate member. The first meeting of the
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 3 -
1 commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Nine members of the
2 commission shall constitute a quorum.
3 IV. On or before November 1, 2021, the commission shall submit an interim report of its
4 findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the
5 speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state
6 library and shall submit a final report on or before November 1, 2022.
7 2 New Section; Mental Health Training for First Responders. Amend RSA 106-L by inserting
8 after section 7 the following new section:
9 106-L:7-a Mental Health Training for First Responders.
10 I. No person shall be appointed as a first responder unless such person has satisfactorily
11 completed mental health training focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder at the fire academy
12 operated by the department of safety. Subsequently, all first responders shall take annual online
13 training, and live course training every 5 years.
14 II. Mental health training focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder shall available
15 annually at no cost to first responders through retirement.
16 3 Effective Date. Part I of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
17 Part II
18 Relative to the Commission to Study Barriers to Increased Land Development in New Hampshire.
19 1 New Section; Office of Strategic Initiatives; Commission to Study Barriers to Increased
20 Density of Land Development in New Hampshire. Amend RSA 4-C by inserting after section 8-a the
21 following new section:
22 4-C:8-b Commission to Study Density of Land Development in New Hampshire.
23 I. There is established a commission to study barriers to increased density of land
24 development in New Hampshire. The membership of the commission shall be as follows:
25 (a) Two members of the senate, one of whom shall serve on the election law and
26 municipal affairs committee and one of whom shall serve on the energy and natural resources
27 committee, appointed by the senate president.
28 (b) Two members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall serve on the
29 municipal and county government committee and one of whom shall serve on the environment and
30 agriculture committee, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
31 (c) Two public members, appointed by the governor.
32 (d) The director of the office of strategic initiatives, or designee.
33 (e) The commissioner of the department of environmental services, or designee.
34 (f) The commissioner of the department of business and economic affairs, or designee.
35 (g) The executive director of the New Hampshire housing finance authority, or designee.
36 (h) The executive director of New Hampshire Legal Assistance, or designee.
37 (i) The executive director of Housing Action NH, or designee.
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 4 -
1 (j) One representative of the New Hampshire Municipal Association, appointed by the
2 association.
3 (k) One representative of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, appointed by
4 the association.
5 (l) One representative of the New Hampshire Association of Regional Planning
6 Commissions, appointed by the association.
7 (m) One representative of the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association,
8 appointed by the association.
9 (n) One representative of the housing subcommittee of the Governor's Millennial
10 Advisory Council, chosen by the council.
11 (o) One person to represent conservation interests, chosen jointly by the Society for the
12 Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the Nature Conservancy, and the New Hampshire Association
13 of Conservation Commissions.
14 (p) One representative of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, appointed by the
15 association.
16 (q) One member of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Hampshire,
17 appointed by the council.
18 (r) The president of the NH Planners Association, or designee.
19 II. The commission shall study issues related to the density of land development in New
20 Hampshire. The commission's duties shall include revisiting the actions of the commission
21 established in 2019, 300, and shall specifically include but not be limited to:
22 (a) Determining minimum standards of residential development density by considering
23 the availability of public water and sewer infrastructure or other appropriate alternatives and
24 account for variability of environmental conditions.
25 (b) Considering possible property tax incentives to promote residential density
26 development, particularly workforce housing.
27 (c) Exploring possible methods of enforcement of the share community responsibility of
28 workforce housing under RSA 674.
29 (d) Studying the impacts of development, specifically impacts on school enrollment and
30 property values.
31 (e) Examining potential model ordinances to support municipalities in their planning
32 work.
33 (f) Recommending any proposed legislation resulting from the work of the commission.
34 III. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members.
35 The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named senate member. The first
36 meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Seven
37 members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. The senate election law and municipal
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 5 -
1 affairs committee staff shall provide clerical, administrative, and research services to the
2 commission as may be needed.
3 IV. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when
4 attending to the duties of the commission.
5 V. The commission shall submit an interim report of its findings and any recommendations
6 for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives,
7 the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2021
8 and shall submit a final report on or before November 1, 2022.
9 2 Repeal. RSA 4-C:8-b, relative to the commission to study density of land development in New
10 Hampshire, is repealed.
11 3 Effective Date.
12 I. Section 2 of Part II of this act shall take effect November 1, 2022.
13 II. The remainder of Part II of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
14 Part III
15 Reestablishing the Commission to Study Grandfamilies in New Hampshire.
16 1 New Section; Commission to Study Grandfamilies in New Hampshire. Amend RSA 170-G by
17 inserting after section 17-a the following new section:
18 170-G:17-b Commission to Study Grandfamilies in New Hampshire.
19 I. There is established a commission to study grandfamilies in New Hampshire. The
20 membership of the commission shall be as follows:
21 (a) One member of the senate, appointed by the senate president.
22 (b) Three members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall serve on the
23 health, human services and elderly affairs committee, one of whom shall serve on the committee
24 responsible for children and family law, and one of whom shall serve on the finance committee,
25 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
26 (c) The commissioner of the department of health and human services, or designee.
27 (d) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee.
28 (e) One representative of the division of family assistance, department of health and
29 human services, appointed by that division.
30 (f) One representative of the division for children, youth and families, department of
31 health and human services, appointed by that division.
32 (g) One representative of MomsRising, appointed by that organization.
33 (h) One representative of the Family Assistance Advisory Council, appointed by the
34 council.
35 (i) One representative of Waypoint, formerly Child and Family Services of New
36 Hampshire, appointed by that organization.
 SB 142-FN - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 6 -
1 (j) One representative of a family resource center, appointed by Family Support New
2 Hampshire.
3 (k) One representative of Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire,
4 appointed by that organization.
5 (l) One representative of New Futures, appointed by that organization.
6 (m) One representative of National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire,
7 appointed by that organization.
8 (n) One representative of the NH Head Start Directors Association, appointed by the
9 association.
10 (o) One public school principal, appointed by the New Hampshire Association of School
11 Principals.
12 (p) One pediatrician licensed in New Hampshire, appointed by the New Hampshire
13 Pediatric Society.
14 (q) One member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, appointed by the association.
15 (r) One representative of AARP, appointed by that organization.
16 (s) One representative of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, appointed
17 by the association.
18 (t) Three grandparent caregivers, appointed by the Family Assistance Advisory Council.
19 (u) One representative of a community health center in New Hampshire, appointed by
20 the governor.
21 II. The commission shall address