HB1277: requiring assisted living facilities to have certain security measures for residents.

HB 1277-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2003 SESSION

03-2205

01/10

HOUSE BILL 1277-FN

AN ACT requiring assisted living facilities to have certain security measures for residents.

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Bouchard, Merr 39; Rep. MacKay, Merr 39; Rep. DeJoie, Merr 39; Rep. Daniels, Merr 38; Rep. Seldin, Merr 39; Sen. Larsen, Dist 15; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1

COMMITTEE: Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

ANALYSIS

This bill requires assisted living facilities to have secure exits which alert staff if a resident leaves the facility between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03-2205

01/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three

AN ACT requiring assisted living facilities to have certain security measures for residents.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Statement of Purpose. The general court recognizes that healthy, ambulatory, non-dementia elderly are often subject to confusion due to "sun downing" (a phenomenon confusion toward the end of the day), confusion due to simple bladder infection, and confusion due to medication changes as well as other non-dementia-related issues. Therefore, for the health and safety of assisted living residents, whether the assisted living facility is licensed or not, the general court hereby requires that such facilities have secure exits to alert staff if a resident leaves such facility between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

2 New Section; Assisted Living Facilities; Secure Exits Required. Amend RSA 161-J by inserting after section 5 the following new section:

161-J:5-a Secure Exits Required in Assisted Living Residences and Housing for Older Persons. Assisted living residencies and housing for older persons shall have secure exits which shall alert staff immediately if a resident of such facility leaves the facility between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2005.

LBAO

03-2205

7/25/03

HB 1277-FN - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT requiring assisted living facilities to have certain security measures for residents.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The New Hampshire Association of Counties stated this bill will increase county expenditures by an indeterminate amount in FY 2005 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county and local revenue or state and local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

The Department of Health and Human Services indicated that Medicaid reimbursement to assisted living residences is not cost-based and the requirement will not impact state expenditures or Medicaid revenue received by the state.

The New Hampshire Association of Counties stated three counties operate facilities that would be required to have secure exits alerting staff if a resident leaves between 9 p.m. and 7a.m. The Association assumed the costs will be determined by specific requirements developed in the rulemaking process, and therefor, cannot accurately determine what those costs will be.