HB 1080 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
21Mar2024... 0944h
2024 SESSION
24-2354
11/08
HOUSE BILL 1080
AN ACT relative to the legislative youth advisory council.
SPONSORS: Rep. J. Nelson, Rock. 13; Rep. DeSimone, Rock. 18; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19
COMMITTEE: Legislative Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill refines existing practices and procedures of the legislative youth advisory council.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
21Mar2024... 0944h 24-2354
11/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to the legislative youth advisory council.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Legislative Youth Advisory Council. RSA 19-K is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
19-K:1 Legislative Youth Advisory Council Established.
A legislative youth advisory council is established to enable young people the ability to review legislation and make recommendations on legislation as viewed from the perspective of youth. Three elected members of the house of representatives will be appointed to assist the youth council to review current legislative service requests in each year of a legislative term. The focus shall be to identify legislation that affects youth in the areas of education, science and technology, transportation, labor, and substance misuse. Once legislation is identified, the council should discuss the legislation with the legislation's primary and co-sponsors to seek their views in order to advise the legislative committees. The council shall submit an annual report with recommendations for future legislation as outlined in RSA 19-K:3, VI.
19-K:2 Membership
The council shall consist of 17 members including 4 members of the general court that will serve as non-voting members of the council, and 13 youth members. The youth membership shall be between the ages of 14 and 22, with any secondary school-aged member attending traditional public, public charter, private schools, or home-schools, or participating in a program that leads to a high school equivalency certificate, and any postsecondary school-aged member being a New Hampshire resident enrolled in a postsecondary education or participating in New Hampshire's workforce.
I. The president of the senate shall appoint one senate member.
II. The speaker of the house shall appoint the following members:
(a) Ten secondary students;
(b) Three postsecondary students; and
(c) Three members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall be the youngest member of the majority party, or their designee, one of whom shall be the youngest member of the minority party, or their designee, and one of whom shall be a member from either party serving in an overall advisory position.
III. Over the course of the legislative 2-year term, the speaker of the house shall make 13 youth appointments to the legislative youth advisory council that represent a wide range of geographic areas and educational experiences. Council appointments shall, at minimum, represent all 10 counties in New Hampshire. The legislative members appointed to the council shall serve a period of time coterminous with their legislative term. They may be reappointed if they continue to meet the qualifications. No youth council member who has served prior to the effective date of this law can serve an additional 2-year term. The new council year begins on December 1 every year. In the first year of the council under this act, 6 non-legislative youth members shall be appointed to one-year terms, and 7 shall be appointed to 2-year terms, with any non-legislative youth member having served previously on the council being eligible only for reappointment to a one-year term. For each new council year, new appointees may serve either a one-year or 2-year term. The speaker of the house will appoint youth council members in a timely manner and in the earliest possible time frame. The legislative members of the council will be appointed by the speaker of the house and the senate president soon after the legislators have taken their oath of office.
IV. If a member misses 3 consecutive meetings without cause, the council may request that the appointing authority appoint a replacement member within 30 days. Upon appointment of the replacement, the prior appointment shall terminate, and the replacement shall serve for the remainder of the prior member's term.
19-K:3 Duties
The council shall perform the following duties:
I. Advise the legislature, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on proposed or pending legislation, state budget expenditures and legislative study committees, commissions, and task forces on issues of concern to youth in the areas of education, science and technology, transportation, labor, and substance misuse.
II. Conduct an annual seminar for council members regarding leadership, government, and the legislature.
III. Read the oath of office and study the New Hampshire and United States Constitutions to foster foundational understanding of government.
IV. Meet no fewer than 4 times per year on issues of concern to youth in the areas of education, science and technology, transportation, labor, and substance misuse, as the council deems necessary. Two of these meetings shall be in person. All other meetings may be remote. At the discretion of the co-chairs, regional meetings may be established.
V. Communicate with other councils.
VI. File an annual report of activities, including any recommendations for proposed legislation with the speaker of the house, the senate president, the governor, the secretary of state, the house clerk, and the state library on or before November 1 of each year.
19-K:4 Council Administration
I. The legislative council members representing the youngest member of the majority party and minority party of the house of representatives, or their designee, shall serve as co-chairs of the council and shall call the first meeting of the council, as soon as practicable, upon being sworn into office by the governor. At this time the co-chairs will gather and evaluate recommendations for appointments from schools, colleges, community leaders, the governor, the secretary of state, and members of the general court and present them to the speaker of the house. The legislative co-chairs shall reach out to schools and organizations with a request for candidates and provide the Legislative Youth Advisory Council document that details the characteristics of a qualified candidate. The department of education shall promote the council, whenever possible, to public, public charter, private school and home school groups. The council shall accept candidate recommendations throughout the 2-year term. The speaker of the house shall make all appointments before the council’s first meeting. At the first meeting after the annual seminar, the members shall elect council officers for a term of one year. Prior to leaving office, council officers shall submit transactional documents to their successors through the legislative co-chairs.
II. The council shall set priorities, determine the function of any subcommittees, and adopt procedures and rules governing the council’s meetings and activities. The council shall have a designated member to take meeting minutes.
III. The council may provide testimony on pending legislation.
IV. Members of the council shall not be compensated, except that legislative members of the council shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the council.
V. Meetings of the council shall be open to the public, and all records of the council shall be public. A complete archive of the council’s records shall be kept in the house clerk’s office.
VI. The office of the speaker of the house of representatives and the office of the senate president may provide staff assistance to the council.
VII. The general court shall create and actively maintain a page on its website dedicated to the youth advisory council which shall feature information about the council, annual reports, and committee recommendations.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| March 11, 2024 | 2024-0944h |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 31, 2024 | House | Hearing |
| March 6, 2024 | House | Exec Session |
| March 6, 2024 | House | Floor Vote |
| April 3, 2024 | Senate | Hearing |
March 28, 2024: Hearing: 04/03/2024, Room 103, SH, 09:00 am; SC 13
March 26, 2024: Introduced 03/21/2024 and Referred to Executive Departments and Administration; SJ 8
March 21, 2024: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2024-0944h: MA VV 03/21/2024 HJ 9
March 21, 2024: Amendment # 2024-0944h: AA VV 03/21/2024 HJ 9
March 12, 2024: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2024-0944h (NT) 03/06/2024 (Vote 16-0; CC)
Feb. 14, 2024: Executive Session: 03/06/2024 10:00 am LOB 210-211
Jan. 31, 2024: Subcommittee Work Session: 02/15/2024 10:00 am LOB 104
Jan. 25, 2024: Public Hearing: 01/31/2024 10:20 am LOB 203
Nov. 28, 2023: Introduced 01/03/2024 and referred to Legislative Administration