Revision: March 19, 2019, 1:16 p.m.
HB 437 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
19Mar2019... 1019h
2019 SESSION
19-0696
05/01
HOUSE BILL 437
AN ACT establishing a commission to study parental alienation.
SPONSORS: Rep. Rice, Hills. 37; Rep. Berrien, Rock. 18; Rep. Mulligan, Graf. 12; Rep. DeSimone, Rock. 14
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a commission to study parental alienation. The bill is a request of the committee to study parental alienation in New Hampshire, established in 2018, 229 (SB 489).
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19Mar2019... 1019h 19-0696
05/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
AN ACT establishing a commission to study parental alienation.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Commission to Study Parental Alienation. Amend RSA 461-A by inserting after section 24 the following new section:
461-A:25 Commission to Study Parental Alienation Established. There is established a commission to study parental alienation.
I. The members of the commission shall be as follows:
(a) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(b) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(c) One representative of the judicial branch family division, appointed by the administrative judge of the circuit court.
(d) One representative of the office of the governor, appointed by the governor.
(e) One guardian ad litem, appointed by the guardian ad litem board.
(f) One psychiatrist or psychologist, with experience in family law matters, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(g) One elementary school counselor, appointed by the president of the senate.
(h) One representative of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, appointed by the coalition.
II. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.
III. The commission shall:
(a) Define the term parental alienation.
(b) Study the relationship between parental alienation and child abuse and neglect, domestic abuse, violent crime, substance abuse, and mental illness.
(c) Examine causes, costs, and effects of parental alienation in New Hampshire.
(d) Identify preventative measures that may be used to prevent or minimize the effects of parental alienation.
(e) Solicit testimony from any organization or individual with information the commission deems relevant to its study.
IV. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Six members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
V. The commission shall submit an interim report of its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2019. The commission shall submit a final report on or before November 1, 2020.
2 Repeal. RSA 461-A:25, relative to the commission to study parental alienation, is repealed.
I. Section 2 of this act shall take effect November 1, 2020.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.