SB 118-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/06/2025 0529s
2025 SESSION
25-0349
05/08
SENATE BILL 118-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Rep. Weber, Ches. 5; Rep. W. MacDonald, Rock. 16
COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill:
I. Adjusts the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents to reflect social security increases on an annual basis rather than the current 5-year adjustment.
II. Makes an appropriation to the department of health and human services to fund certain leave accrual and retention payments for temporary classified staff positions at the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility.
III. Establishes the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/06/2025 0529s 25-0349
05/08
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 Personal Needs Allowance of Residents of Nursing Homes. Amend RSA 167:27-a, II to read as follows:
II. Every [5 years] year, the commissioner shall make the adjustment for cost of living increases in the personal needs allowance to reflect social security increases.
2 Department of Health and Human Services; Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility Staff Transitioning; Certain Leave Accrual and Supplemental Payments; Supplemental Appropriation. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the sum of $160,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, is hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purposes of making certain leave accrual payments to temporary classified positions and any applicable bonus or retention payments prorated to the time worked in state service as part of staff transition at Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility. This appropriation shall be nonlapsing and limited to the purposes of this section. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
3 New Paragraph; Department of Health and Human Services; Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility; Establishing Fund. Amend RSA 126-A:5, by inserting after paragraph XXXVI the following new paragraph:
XXXVII. There is hereby established the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund. The department shall deposit revenue received through leasing Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility or any other administrative activities into the fund. For the biennium ending June 30, 2027, the department shall deposit all revenue into the fund up to a maximum amount of $3,000,000. Any funds in excess of such amount may be accepted with fiscal committee approval in accordance with RSA 14:30-a or if already included in the biennial state operating budget. The fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the commissioner for the purpose of supporting contractually required capital investments at Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility and may not be transferred or used for any other purpose.
4 New Subparagraph; Application of Receipts; Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility Capital Investment Fund. Amend RSA 6:12, I(b) by inserting after subparagraph (399) the following new subparagraph:
(400) Moneys deposited in the Hampstead hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund as established in RSA 126-A:5, XXXVII.
I. Section 1 of this act shall take effect January 1, 2026.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
25-0349
3/11/25
SB 118-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0529s)
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not 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 | $185,000 to $210,000 general funds; $25,000 to $50,000 federal funds | $50,000 to $250,000 general funds; $50,000 to $250,000 federal funds | $50,000 to $250,000 general funds; $50,000 to $250,000 federal funds | ||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund, Federal Funds | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $160,000 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to adjust the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents every year, rather than every five years as under current statute. The Department notes that nursing facility residents that receive Medicaid are expected to contribute part of their income to the cost of their care; the personal needs allowance is a small allowance that those residents are allowed to retain. An annual update to the personal needs allowance will therefore result in an indeterminable increase in state expenditures, since the Medicaid program will pay more for nursing facility services as the allowance increases due to inflation. There will be no fiscal impact in years ending in 0 or 5, as this is when the Department would adjust the allowance under current law. Since the Department is unable to predict inflation with a high degree of certainty, it assumes a cost increase of between $50,000 and $100,000 in FY26 and between $100,000 and $500,000 in subsequent years. This cost would be paid for with 50 percent state general funds and 50 percent matching federal funds.
In addition, the bill appropriates $160,000 in FY26 for the purposes of making leave accrual or other payments related to staff transitions out of the state classification system at Hampstead Hospital. Finally, the bill establishes a Hampstead Hospital and residential treatment facility capital investment fund, which is authorized to accept up to $3 million of revenue received through the lease of Hampstead Hospital. The fund may also accept federal or other funds approved by the Fiscal Committee, as well as funds appropriated as part of the state operating budget.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Feb. 14, 2025 | 2025-0295s |
| Feb. 20, 2025 | 2025-0529s |
| March 12, 2025 | 2025-0941s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 19, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| Feb. 19, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| March 6, 2025 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| March 20, 2025 | Senate | Floor Vote |
March 12, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0941s, 03/20/2025; Vote 6-0; CC; SC 13
March 6, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0529s, MA, VV; Refer to Finance Rule 4-5; 03/06/2025; SJ 6
March 6, 2025: Committee Amendment # 2025-0529s, AA, VV; 03/06/2025; SJ 6
Feb. 21, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0529s, 03/06/2025; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 11
Feb. 12, 2025: Hearing: 02/19/2025, Room 100, SH, 10:15 am, on proposed amendment # 2025-0295s; SC 10
Feb. 12, 2025: Hearing: 02/19/2025, Room 100, SH, 10:00 am; SC 10
Jan. 22, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Health and Human Services; SJ 3