HB 1681-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2010 SESSION
10/01
HOUSE BILL 1681-FN
AN ACT including education support personnel in employees participating in the New Hampshire retirement system.
SPONSORS: Rep. Weed, Ches 3; Rep. K. Roberts, Ches 3; Rep. Rice, Merr 12
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
This bill requires school districts that participate in the retirement system to include education support personnel as well as paraprofessionals and other support positions as employees for purposes of membership in the state 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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10-2554
10/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT including education support personnel in employees participating in the New Hampshire retirement system.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Retirement System; Participation; School Districts; Education Support Personnel. Amend RSA 100-A:20, I-a to read as follows:
I-a. The governing body of any school district that has elected pursuant to paragraph I to have its employees participate in the retirement system [may also elect to have] shall include as employees who participate in the New Hampshire retirement system:
(a) Persons who are employed in paraprofessional or support positions requiring direct involvement with students, such as the positions of classroom, academic, teacher, special education, library, or health aide/assistant, and who meet the minimum participation standards for full-time teachers as provided in rules adopted by the board of trustees.
(b) Education support personnel, including kitchen/cafeteria staff, school nurses, office assistants, secretarial staff, technicians, custodial staff, security, bookkeeping/administrative staff, who meet the minimum participation standards as provided in rules adopted by the board of trustees.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
10-2554
Revised 01/13/10
HB 1681 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT including education support personnel in employees participating in the New Hampshire retirement system.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The New Hampshire Retirement System and the New Hampshire Municipal Association state this bill may increase local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2010 and each year thereafter. There is no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue or on state and county expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The New Hampshire Retirement System and the New Hampshire Municipal Association state this bill would require school districts that elect to provide System coverage to their non-teacher employees to apply the minimum participation requirements (30 hours per week) for the Teacher classification of members when determining System eligibility for paraprofessional or support positions requiring direct involvement with students. The System states, under current law, if a school district elects System coverage for its non-teacher employees (145 of 165 districts in the state do so), it has the option of applying the minimum participation requirements of either the Teacher classification (30 hours per week) or the Employee classification (35 hours per week) in determining eligibility for its paraprofessional and support positions. The System states only 15 of the 145 districts currently choose to adhere to the Teacher classification requirements, with the 130 remaining districts choosing the Employee classification requirements, so this bill represents a potential expansion of employees covered by the System as those 130 districts would be required to drop their participation minimums for paraprofessionals and support personnel from 35 hours per week to 30 hours per week. The System states employer contribution rates have been set through FY 2013, but districts with additional employees eligible for System coverage as a result of this bill will see an expenditures increase in the form of higher employer retirement contribution amounts beginning with the first pay period after the effective date of the bill. The System also states the proposed bill may increase employer contribution rates starting in FY 2014. The System does not have sufficient data to reasonably estimate the specific increase amounts. The System points out districts will still have the choice on whether or not to cover non-teacher employees. The System also points out if districts do elect to cover non-teacher employees, then all employees of the district would already be covered under current law, including those in the titles listed in paragraph (b) in section 1 of the proposed bill, provided they meet the minimum participation requirements for the Employee classification.