NH Children’s Lobby

Legislature ends: Win, lose and wait

Although, children suffered major losses in the recently enacted budget, they fared somewhat better in non-budget, policy bills (see http://cfsnh.org/pages/advocacy/budget2011.html for more information on the budget’s impact on children).  Even within the budget itself, some major policy changes were adopted: the virtual elimination of CHINS (Children in Need of Services) and the elimination of juvenile diversion & prevention incentive funds are two leading examples.

Budget aside, child advocates were successful in turning aside bills that would have

• seriously weakened children’s protection from abuse and neglect (CACR 9; HB 40; HB 506, HB 375)
• repealed or reduced compulsory school attendance laws despite evidence that raising the drop out age to 18 played a significant role in reducing the state’s drop out rate (HB 429, HB 595), and
• taken the focus away from the best interests of children in settling parental residential responsibility (custody) disputes (HB 435, HB 538, HB591, HB 259)
• hurt children by encouraging increased litigation in divorce cases (HB587)
• reduced children’s standard of living by lowering child support payments to match the already insufficient foster care rates set by the state (HB563)

Some of these bills were not defeated but instead retained and will not be voted on until the legislature reconvenes in January. Others that were defeated have already been reintroduced and will need to be fought once again.  Retained or referred bills will generally be considered by the relevant legislative policy committees this fall, with recommendations to the full House or Senate due by early November. They will then be voted on during the first part of January. Preliminary work by the various committees suggests that child advocates will be successful in averting bad legislation. Bills that have been reintroduced are treated as new bills, and will start the entire legislative process over, which includes public hearings.

Children did lose a major bill this year when the legislature voted to overturn the Governor’s veto of HB 329, which will now require minors, even when it is contrary to their best interests, to notify their parents prior to obtaining an abortion.

Click here for a detailed list of the major bills dealing with children and families in the 2011 session of the legislature.