Bill Text - HB151 (2012)

(New Title) repealing the laws relative to marital masters.


Revision: Jan. 6, 2012, midnight

HB 151 – AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

4Jan2012… 2586h

2011 SESSION

11-0128

09/04

HOUSE BILL 151

AN ACT repealing the laws relative to marital masters.

SPONSORS: Rep. Rowe, Hills 6; Rep. Ulery, Hills 27; Rep. Itse, Rock 9; Rep. Gorman, Hills 23

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill repeals the laws relative to marital masters on April 5, 2016, which is the date on which the last current marital master contracts expire. The bill also clarifies that no marital master contracts shall be entered into or renewed by the state on or after the effective date of this act.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

4Jan2012… 2586h

11-0128

09/04

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven

AN ACT repealing the laws relative to marital masters.

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

1 Board of Family Mediator Certification; Marital Master Deleted. Amend RSA 328-C:4, I(b) to read as follows:

(b) One full-time [marital master] justice, appointed by the administrative judge of the judicial branch family division.

2 Performance of Notarial Acts; Marital Master Deleted. Amend RSA 456-B:3, I(b) to read as follows:

(b) A judge, [marital master,] clerk, deputy clerk, register of probate, or deputy register of probate of any court of this state; or

3 Judicial Branch Family Division; Marital Masters Deleted. Amend RSA 490-D:1 to read as follows:

490-D:1 Judicial Branch Family Division Established. The general court hereby organizes, constitutes, and establishes the judicial branch family division. The goals of the family division are the respectful treatment of all citizens by justices[, marital master,] and other family division staff, the prompt and fair resolution of family issues by justices [and marital masters specially selected and trained to deal effectively with such issues], the use of alternative dispute resolution to reduce the adversarial nature of proceedings involving families, and the assignment of all family matters of a single family to one family division justice [or marital master] located in a family division court that is geographically accessible to the family.

4 Judicial Branch Justices and Marital Masters Expenses; Marital Masters Deleted. Amend RSA 491:6-a to read as follows:

491:6-a Superior Court Justices [and Marital Masters]; Expenses. The justices [and marital masters] shall be entitled to receive their actual personal expenses when absent from their assigned court in the performance of their official duties. The justices [and marital masters] shall not be reimbursed for mileage to commute from the justice’s [or marital master’s] residence to their assigned court except for any mileage in excess of 50 miles each way.

5 Arbitration of Domestic Relations Cases; Marital Masters Deleted. Amend RSA 542:11, VI to read as follows:

VI. The arbitrator’s decision and findings shall be submitted to the superior court [and shall have the same effect as the report of a marital master].

6 Harm or Threats to Certain Government Officials; Marital Masters Deleted. Amend RSA 631:4-a, I-II to read as follows:

I. A person is guilty of a class A felony if he or she causes bodily injury to, or commits any other crime against, a sitting member of the general court, an executive councilor, a past or present governor, member of the judiciary, [marital master,] or member of their immediate family, for the purpose of influencing such official’s action or in retaliation for action taken as a part of an official’s government duties.

II. A person is guilty of a class B felony if he or she threatens bodily injury or threatens to commit any other crime against a sitting member of the general court, an executive councilor, a past or present governor, member of the judiciary, [marital master,] or member of their immediate family, for the purpose of influencing such official’s action or in retaliation for action taken as a part of an official’s government duties.

7 Repeal. RSA 490-D:7 through 490-D:9, relative to marital masters, are repealed.

8 Marital Master Contracts. No new marital master contracts shall be entered into by the state and no existing marital master contracts shall be renewed by the state on or after the effective date of this section.

9 Effective Date.

I. Section 8 of this act shall take effect upon its passage.

II. The remainder of this act shall take effect April 5, 2016.