HB 116 – AS INTRODUCED
2005 SESSION
05/10
HOUSE BILL 116
AN ACT relative to changes in eligibility for state programs.
SPONSORS: Rep. Weyler, Rock 8; Rep. Camm, Rock 8; Rep. Kurk, Hills 7; Rep. Dodge, Rock 9; Sen. Boyce, Dist 4; Sen. Green, Dist 6
This bill requires legislative approval to change the eligibility standards for any existing state program if the change is expected to increase spending by $500,000 or more. The bill also requires a state agency that proposes participation in a new or expanded federal program to provide the legislature with a report on the program’s scope, cost, and any available alternatives before committing the state to participation in the federal program.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
05-0205
05/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Five
AN ACT relative to changes in eligibility for state programs.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Budget and Appropriations; Regulation of Certain Expenditures; Limitation on Expansion of Program Eligibility. Amend RSA 9 by inserting after section 28 the following new section:
9:29 Limitation on Expansion of Program Eligibility by State Agency.
I. No state agency shall implement or authorize, without prior approval of the fiscal committee of the general court, any change to existing program eligibility standards that might be expected to increase state spending by $500,000 or more. Such approval shall be required if eligibility standards change for any reason, including as the result of changes in federal law or as a response to a court decision.
II. Prior to committing the state to participation in a new or expanded federal program, the agency responsible for implementing the program at the state level shall report to the fiscal committee of the general court on the program’s scope, cost, and any available program alternatives.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
05-0205
1/13/05
HB 116 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to changes in eligibility for state programs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Health and Human Services has determined this bill will increase state general fund expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2005 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue or county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department states this bill will require the department to expend administrative resources necessary to prepare presentations to the Fiscal Committee. The Department states it is unable to calculate the amount of resources necessary to bring program changes before the Fiscal Committee because it is not able to predict how many changes may be proposed in a given year or how much preparation would be necessary for each proposed program change presentation.