Revision: March 27, 2020, 6 p.m.
HB 1290-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
5Mar2020... 0444h
2020 SESSION
20-2103
04/06
HOUSE BILL 1290-FN
AN ACT relative to voting by a public employee organization.
SPONSORS: Rep. Read, Rock. 17; Rep. King, Hills. 33; Rep. Guthrie, Rock. 13; Rep. Gay, Rock. 8; Rep. Kenney, Straf. 6; Rep. Buchanan, Merr. 15; Rep. Schuett, Merr. 20; Rep. Ellison, Merr. 27
COMMITTEE: Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill allows an employee organization to conduct an election by mail ballot.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
5Mar2020... 0444h 20-2103
04/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty
AN ACT relative to voting by a public employee organization.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Public Employee Labor Relations; Elections. Amend RSA 273-A:10 by inserting after paragraph IX the following new paragraph:
X. An employee organization may elect to have all votes cast by mail ballot in any election ordered by the board under this chapter. The employee organization shall provide notice of this election in a filing to the board submitted at least 24 hours prior to the board's pre-election conference.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
20-2103
Amended 3/11/20
HB 1290-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE (AMENDMENT #2020-0444h)
AN ACT relative to voting by a public employee organization.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ X ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
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| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
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COUNTY: |
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Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
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LOCAL: |
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Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
METHODOLOGY:
This bill allows an employee organization to conduct an election by mail ballot. The Public Employee Labor Relations Board conducts bargaining unit representation elections under RSA 273-A:10, and the Board's administrative rules; Pub 301 and Pub 303. The Board conducts elections on site at the workplace. Under the current rules, "mail ballot" elections are allowed if eligible voters are dispersed across the state and in situations where there are a multitude of work-sites or no central work-site. This bill would amend RSA 273-A:10 giving an employee organization the right to obtain a "mail ballot" election in the case of any board ordered election if the employee organization requests a mail ballot election at least 24 hours prior to the board's pre-election conference.
The Board indicates the impact on state, county, and local revenues and expenditures is difficult to assess and depends upon a number of unknown factors. There are common administrative costs for both on-site and "mail ballot" election such as the Board's preparation of election paperwork and ballots. "Mail ballot" elections include additional costs of $1.80 per eligible employee for postage and additional paper and envelopes. Mail ballot elections do not include the staff mileage and toll reimbursement expenses incurred for on-site elections. Depending on the number of eligible voters and the distance between the employer's workplace and the Board's office in Concord, a "mail ballot" election could be less expensive in some cases and more expensive in others. The difference will be nominal in most cases. Employer costs in a "mail ballot" election will likely include mileage and toll reimbursements incurred for an employer representative's travel to the Board's office in Concord where ballots are counted.
It is assumed the fiscal impact of the bill would not occur until FY 2021.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Public Employee Labor Relations Board