HB 775-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0798
11/05
HOUSE BILL 775-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Nelson, Rock. 13; Rep. DeSimone, Rock. 18; Rep. Rice, Hills. 38; Rep. Scherr, Rock. 26; Rep. D. Paige, Carr. 1
COMMITTEE: Children and Family Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill directs the department of health and human services to issue a request for proposals for supervised visitation centers.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0798
11/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subdivision; Supervised Visitation Centers. Amend RSA 170-G by inserting after section 21 the following new subdivision:
Supervised Visitation Centers
170-G:22 Supervised Visitation Centers.
I. The department of health and human services shall contract with one or more qualified organizations to establish and operate a supervised visitation center in each county. The centers shall:
(a) Adhere to the Guiding Principles of Safe Havens; Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program developed by the United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.
(b) Seek community input regarding the center's planning and operation as well as technical assistance and training from organizations with expertise in the field of supervised visitation and/or other national technical assistance providers.
II. The department shall publish a request for proposals (RFP) to support a supervised visitation center in each county. The RFP shall require applicants to provide a detailed plan and budget to meet the anticipated needs of the county. Budgets shall address wages, benefits, on-site law enforcement, office space, training, and insurance. Plans shall address safety procedures as well as policies related to payment for services and clients to be served.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
25-0798
Revised 2/11/25
HB 775-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Indeterminable Increase up to $5,000,000 | Indeterminable $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 | Indeterminable $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 | ||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human (DHHS) services to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for supervised visitation centers.
The DHHS assumes the RFP would require the responding organization(s) to provide a detailed plan and budget to open and operate a supervised visitation center in each of the 10 counties in NH. Without the detailed plans and budgets, the DHHS is unable to accurately estimate the cost of contracting with these entities. The DHHS indicates that there hasn't been a state funded visitation center in NH to use as a fiscal reference for potential costs and funding needs. The DHHS states all supervised visitation centers in the state have closed, except the Strafford County Visitation Center which operates minimally and is operated by the county. In addition, a potential resource for funding information, the New Hampshire Family Visitation and Access Cooperative, is also no longer active.
The DHHS indicates, while the cost of the bill is indeterminable, it estimates the first year cost of opening and operating 10 supervised visitation centers would be greater than $5,000,000 and ongoing annual costs would range from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. These estimates are based on previous news articles regarding the closure of various centers. The DHHS assumes each of the 10 centers would require the following:
The DHHS states the bill would not have a fiscal impact on the Bureau of Child Support Services or the IV-D program and its related statutes and regulations.
The DHHS indicates it could absorb the operational costs associated with issuing an RFP for the contractor(s) to propose detailed plans and line-item budget costs as described in the bill
It is assumed that any fiscal impact would occur after FY 2025.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2025 | House | Hearing |
March 6, 2025: Public Hearing: 03/18/2025 10:30 am LOB 206-208
Jan. 23, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Children and Family Law HJ 3 P. 27