HB 632-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2009 SESSION
10/09
HOUSE BILL 632-FN
AN ACT relative to including fully certified police officers of the New Hampshire hospital campus force in group II of the retirement system.
SPONSORS: Rep. Welch, Rock 8; Rep. Charron, Rock 7; Rep. Burridge, Ches 3
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
This bill clarifies the status of the New Hampshire hospital police force and includes fully certified police officers of the New Hampshire hospital campus police force in group II of the New Hampshire retirement system.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
09-0415
10/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nine
AN ACT relative to including fully certified police officers of the New Hampshire hospital campus force in group II of the retirement system.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Department of Safety; Duties of Commissioner; New Hampshire Hospital Force. Amend RSA 21-P:4, XI to read as follows:
XI. Have the discretion to grant to [security] police officers of the New Hampshire hospital [security] campus police force such titles, ranks, and police powers as the commissioner deems necessary [up to and including that of ex officio constables] including the power of arrest for violations of the criminal and motor vehicle laws and the power to serve criminal process, and may limit such powers as deemed necessary. They shall have general police powers on the state office campus and New Hampshire hospital grounds and when [in hot pursuit of] attempting to apprehend a person who has committed a crime on the campus or escaped from the hospital, and when acting to transport a patient to or from the hospital, the court, or another mental health facility, or when acting to transport to or from a police station or correctional facility.
2 Department of Safety; Memorandum of Understanding; Hospital Police Force. Amend RSA 21-P:7-c to read as follows:
21-P:7-c Authority of Hospital [Security] Campus Police Force Officers; Memorandum of Understanding; Funding.
I. All [security] campus police officers of the hospital [security] campus police force shall possess such police powers as are granted to them by the commissioner of safety pursuant to RSA 21-P:4, XI. All officers of the hospital [security] campus police force hired after [the effective date of this paragraph] January 1, 2005 shall be required to [meet the training standards required generally of] be fully certified as police offers by the police standards and training council pursuant to RSA 188-F and in addition shall receive additional training in dealing with persons with mental illness as specified by the commissioner of safety after consultation with the chief executive officer of the New Hampshire hospital.
II. The commissioner of the department of health and human services shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the commissioner of safety for the purposes of delineating the functions, duties, and responsibilities of the department of safety in regard to the provision of security and dispatch services to the New Hampshire hospital. The memorandum of understanding shall include, but not be limited to: responding to emergencies within New Hampshire hospital, maintaining the security of the hospital buildings, insuring the safety of patients, staff, and visitors, apprehending involuntarily committed persons who leave the hospital without authorization, accepting custody of involuntary admissions, transporting patients for medical, legal, and other purposes, investigating cases of abuse, neglect, sexual assault, and other criminal conduct, providing training, and conducting searches and seizures of contraband. In addition, the department of safety shall provide dispatch services including, but not limited to: monitoring hospital access between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., operating and monitoring video security systems, receiving incoming communications, assessing the priority of the call and dispatching appropriate assistance, coordinating emergency preparedness procedures, receiving incoming fire calls and alarms, and operating the switchboard between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and at other times as needed.
III. Within the limits of funds budgeted for hospital [security] campus police force positions, the department of health and human services shall maintain the funding for the hospital [security] campus police force and pay the department of safety for providing these services.
3 New Subparagraph; Retirement System; Group II Permanent Policeman; New Hampshire Hospital Police Force Added. Amend RSA 100-A:1, VII by inserting after subparagraph (f) the following new subparagraph:
(g) A campus police officer of the New Hampshire hospital campus police force who:
(1) Has the responsibilities granted by the commissioner of safety under RSA 21-P:4, XI.
(2) Has full general arrest powers.
(3) As a job requirement is fully certified as a full-time police officer by the New Hampshire police standards and training council; and
(4) As a job requirement meets all physical, mental, educational, and other qualifications for continuing certification as a full-time police officer as established by the police standards and training council.
4 Retirement System; Group II; Exclusion of Security Officers Deleted. Amend RSA 100-A:1, VII-a (b) to read as follows:
(b) Any bingo or lucky 7 inspector, [security officer appointed pursuant to RSA 21-P:7-b,] any juvenile probation and parole officer, or any person employed in the bureau of trails of the department of resources and economic development; or
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.
LBAO
09-0415
Revised 03/12/09
HB 632 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to including fully certified police officers of the New Hampshire hospital campus force in group II of the retirement system.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The New Hampshire Retirement System states this bill may increase state expenditures by $14,700 in FY 2012 and by $15,300 in FY 2013 and each year thereafter. The Department of Safety states this bill will have an indeterminable effect on state expenditures in FY 2010 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue or on county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The New Hampshire Retirement System states this bill would amend Group II eligibility to include New Hampshire hospital campus police force members fully certified as full-time police officers, who under existing law are members of Group I. The System states there are currently 11 positions at the New Hampshire hospital security force, with 4 full-time certified officers, 3 part-time certified officers, and 4 vacancies. Under current circumstances, the proposed change would apply only to the 4 full-time officers, who would change from Group I members to Group II members. Overall, the small population affected by the bill would not modify employer contribution rates, however there would be an increased cost to the state to cover the members changing groups. Based on a supplemental valuation using June 30, 2008 data, the System’s actuary estimated the effect of such a change on employer contribution rates to be an increase of $14,700 in FY 2012 and $15,300 in FY 2013. This increase represents the covered payroll for the 4 full-time officers involved times the difference between the Group II employer contribution rate and the Group I employer contribution rate. The actuary states if any of the part-time officers become full-time or if any of the vacant positions are filled with full-time certified officers, employer contribution amounts for the state would increase by $3,700 per officer in FY 2012 and by $3,850 per officer in FY 2013. Because rates for FY 2010 and FY 2011 have already been set, this proposed change would have no fiscal impact on those years.
The Department of Safety states this bill would clarify the status of the New Hampshire hospital campus police force and would include fully certified police officers of the hospital campus police force in Group II of the retirement system. The Department states under current law, many campus police officers leave the hospital campus police force within the first year, after being trained and becoming fully certified police officers. They leave to accept positions with other police agencies where they are paid at least equally and become Group II members of the retirement system. The Department states these vacancies lead to a significant amount of overtime to provide coverage, and the changes in the proposed bill would increase retention, thus decreasing much of the overtime cost. The Department also states switching these officers from Group I to Group II would raise state expenditures, as Group II employer contribution rates are higher, however it estimates this rise in cost would be more than offset by the savings in overtime. The Department is unable to estimate the precise effects of the proposed changes.
This bill does not contain an appropriation.