Bill Text - HB1496 (2012)

Relative to the certification of county correctional personnel for purposes of the New Hampshire retirement system.


Revision: Dec. 14, 2011, midnight

HB 1496-FN – AS INTRODUCED

2012 SESSION

12-2390

10/04

HOUSE BILL 1496-FN

AN ACT relative to the certification of county correctional personnel for purposes of the New Hampshire retirement system.

SPONSORS: Rep. J. Gail Barry, Hills 16

COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration

ANALYSIS

This bill removes the requirement that the New Hampshire Association of Counties certify county correctional personnel for inclusion in group II of the 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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

12-2390

10/04

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve

AN ACT relative to the certification of county correctional personnel for purposes of the New Hampshire retirement system.

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

1 Retirement System; Definitions; Group II; County Correctional Personnel. Amend RSA 100-A:1, VII(c)(2) to read as follows:

(2) As a job requirement are fully certified as correctional personnel [by the New Hampshire Association of Counties] after successful completion of a course of training approved by the police standards and training council;

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

12-2390

11/29/11

HB 1496-FN - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT relative to the certification of county correctional personnel for purposes of the New Hampshire retirement system.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The New Hampshire Association of Counties states this bill may have an indeterminable impact on county expenditures in FY 2012 and each year thereafter. There will be no impact on state, county, and local revenues, or state and local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    The New Hampshire Association of Counties states currently in order to be eligible for Group II in the New Hampshire Retirement System, county correction officers must be certified by the Association. The Association states it currently operates a 5-week academy under a curriculum approved by the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council, as well as performs administrative support including certifications, annual reviews of fitness requirements, eligibility determinations for officers trained at other equivalent programs, and maintains all backup certification information data and documentation. The current fee for academy attendance, certification, annual reviews, consideration of requests for suspensions or terminations, and maintenance of all records and data is a one time charge of $500. The Association states this bill would allow a facility to not only train its own officers but to also certify them, however only a couple of counties may be large enough and have enough new officers at one time to run an academy. The Association states Hillsborough County currently trains its officers but submits them for certification through the Association’s Certification Board. The Association states if counties continue to submit certification requests to the Association’s Certification Board county expenditures would remain the same, but to the extent a county would engage another entity to run its academy or provide certification and administrative services, county expenditures may either increase or decrease.

    The New Hampshire Retirement System states this bill would remove the requirement that the New Hampshire Association of Counties certify correctional personnel for inclusion in Group II of the retirement system. The System states this bill would neither increase membership in the retirement system nor affect the payroll on which employer and member contributions are reported and therefore this bill will have no fiscal impact on the assets or liabilities of the retirement system.