Revision: Jan. 18, 2019, 2:49 p.m.
SB 118 - AS INTRODUCED
2019 SESSION
19-0941
05/01
SENATE BILL 118
AN ACT establishing a child fatality review committee.
SPONSORS: Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Rep. Hinch, Hills. 21; Rep. Berrien, Rock. 18; Rep. Guthrie, Rock. 13; Rep. Rice, Hills. 37
COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a standing child fatality review committee.
This bill is a request of the department of health and human services.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19-0941
05/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
AN ACT establishing a child fatality review committee.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subdivision; Child Fatality Review Committee. Amend RSA 21-M by inserting after section 19 the following new subdivision:
Child Fatality Review Committee
21-M:20 Child Fatality Review Committee Established.
I. There is established a standing child fatality review committee to conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary reviews of preventable infant, child, and youth deaths in New Hampshire for the purpose of identifying factors associated with the deaths and to make recommendations for system changes to improve services for infants, children, and youth.
II. The objectives of the child fatality review committee shall be to:
(a) Describe trends and patterns of child deaths in New Hampshire, including sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) and sudden death in the young (SDY).
(b) Identify and investigate the prevalence of risks and risk factors among the populations of deceased children.
(c) Evaluate the service and system responses for children and families and to offer recommendations for improvement of those services.
(d) Improve the sources of data collection by developing protocols for autopsies, death scene investigations and complete recording of cause of death on all death certificates.
(e) Enable state agencies, law enforcement, health care providers and community-based organizations to more effectively prevent, investigate and potentially prosecute child fatalities.
III. The child fatality review committee shall consist of the following members:
(a) The attorney general, or designee.
(b) The chief medical examiner, or designee.
(c) The director of maternal and child health, division of public health services, department of health and human services, or designee.
(d) The director of the injury prevention program, division of public health services, department of health and human services, or designee.
(e) The director of the division for children, youth and families, department of health and human services, or designee.
(f) The director of the division for behavioral health, department of health and human services, or designee.
(g) The director of the division of family assistance, department of health and human services, or designee.
(h) The commissioner of the department of safety, or designee.
(i) The commissioner of the department of education, or designee.
(j) One representative of the administrative office of the courts, appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court.
(k) The director of the office of the child advocate, or designee.
(l) A member of the New Hampshire Pediatric Society, appointed by the society.
(m) An early childhood education specialist, appointed by the attorney general.
(n) A maternal and child health specialist, appointed by the attorney general.
(o) A representative of a child advocacy organization, appointed by the attorney general.
(p) A psychiatrist or psychologist licensed in this state, appointed by the attorney general.
(q) A representative of a parent advocacy organization, appointed by the attorney general.
(r) An epidemiologist from a New Hampshire college or university, appointed by the attorney general.
(s) A domestic violence specialist, appointed by the attorney general.
(t) A representative of a statewide law enforcement officers advisory council, appointed by the attorney general.
(u) A representative of a family resource center or home visiting program, appointed by the attorney general.
(v) A member of the public, appointed by the attorney general.
IV. Members of the child fatality review committee appointed under subparagraphs (a)-(k) shall serve a term coterminous with their term in office. Members appointed under subparagraphs (l)-(v) shall serve a 6-year term, provided that initial appointments shall be for staggered terms of one to 6 years. The child fatality review committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the attorney general, or his or her designee, and shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section.
(b) The committee may create additional subcommittees focused on specific populations. These subcommittees shall be subject to the same protections and responsibilities as the child fatality review committee.
(c) Members of the committee shall sign confidentiality statements that prohibit any unauthorized dissemination of information except when disclosures may be necessary to enable the committee to carry out its duties under this chapter. No material shall be used for reasons other than for which it was intended.
V. The child fatality review committee shall:
(a) Meet no fewer than 6 times per year to conduct reviews of child fatalities, including sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) and sudden death in the young (SDY).
(b) Utilize case identification with the sole purpose of notification and data collection among state agencies. Each of the state agencies represented on the committee shall share relevant case information regarding decedents known to or enrolled in state agency programs or services.
(c) Study the adequacy of statutes, rules, training, and services to determine what changes are needed to decrease the incidence of preventable child fatalities and, as appropriate, take steps to implement these changes.
(d) Educate the public regarding the incidence and causes of child fatalities and the public's role in preventing these deaths.
(e) Complete an annual statistical report on the incidence and causes of child fatalities in this state during the past fiscal year and submit a copy of this report, including its recommendations for action, to the governor, the senate president, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the health and human services oversight committee established in RSA 126-A:13. The committee shall submit the report on or before November 15 of each year.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.