HB1368 (2008) Detail

Establishing a financial benefit for returning New Hampshire national guard and army reserve unit members and make an appropriation therefor.


HB 1368-FN-A – AS INTRODUCED

2008 SESSION

08-2562

09/04

HOUSE BILL 1368-FN-A

AN ACT establishing a financial benefit for returning New Hampshire national guard and army reserve unit members and making an appropriation therefor.

SPONSORS: Rep. Carson, Rock 3

COMMITTEE: Finance

ANALYSIS

This bill requires the adjutant general to provide each New Hampshire resident who was activated from a New Hampshire national guard or army reserve unit to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan with a $1,000 check immediately upon his or her return from active duty service.

This bill makes an appropriation to the adjutant general for the purposes of the bill.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

08-2562

09/04

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight

AN ACT establishing a financial benefit for returning New Hampshire national guard and army reserve unit members and making an appropriation therefor.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; Active Duty Financial Benefit. Amend RSA 110-B by inserting after section 37-a the following new section:

110-B:37-b Active Duty Financial Benefit. The adjutant general shall pay a $1,000 benefit to each New Hampshire resident who was activated from a New Hampshire national guard or army reserve unit to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan immediately upon his or her return from active duty service.

2 Appropriation; Adjutant General. The sum of $300,000 is hereby appropriated to the adjutant general for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, for the purposes of paying the financial benefit authorized in section 1 of this act. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.

LBAO

08-2562

11/21/07

HB 1368-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT establishing a financial benefit for returning New Hampshire national guard and army reserve unit members and making an appropriation therefore.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Adjutant General’s Department states this bill will increase state general fund expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue or county and local expenditures.

      This bill appropriates $300,000 from the general fund in FY 2009 to the Adjutant General’s Department for the purpose of paying the financial benefit established in this bill.

METHODOLOGY:

    The Adjutant General’s Department states this bill requires the Department to pay a $1,000 benefit to each New Hampshire resident who was activated from a NH National Guard or Army Reserve unit to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan upon return from active duty service. The Department states it is not able to determine how many such payments it will be required to make in each fiscal year. If each of the 2,900 New Hampshire National Guard members is deployed once, payments would total $2,900,000. Some members have been deployed two or three times. This bill appropriates $300,000 from the general fund in FY 2009 to the Department for the purpose of paying the financial benefit established in this bill.

    The Department further indicates its current state business office staff would not be able to absorb the administration of the payments, and would require two additional accounting technicians (labor grade 12). The Department states three full-time personnel administered the former Vietnam bonus program. Costs associated with additional personnel are as follows:

                      FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012

    Salary $48,594 $50,388 $52,454 $54,444

    Benefits (48.3%) $23,471 $24,337 $25,335 $26,296

    Equipment $4,000 - - -

    Current Expense/Travel $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000

    TOTAL $80,065 $78,725 $81,789 $84,740

    This bill does not establish additional positions at the Adjutant General’s Department.