SB349: (New Title) establishing a committee to study voluntary home visiting services for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

SB 349 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

9May2024... 1858h

2024 SESSION

24-2821

05/08

SENATE BILL 349

AN ACT establishing a committee to study voluntary home visiting services for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

SPONSORS: Sen. Whitley, Dist 15; Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Dist 21; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10; Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Rep. M. Murray, Hills. 37

COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill establishes a committee to study voluntary home visiting services for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

9May2024... 1858h 24-2821

05/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

AN ACT establishing a committee to study voluntary home visiting services for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

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

1 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study voluntary home visiting services for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

2 Membership and Compensation.

I. The members of the committee shall be as follows:

(a) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

(b) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.

II. Members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.

3 Duties. The committee shall study, receive public testimony through hearings and conduct work sessions to:

I. Study voluntary home visits for families with newborns, infants, and young children.

II. Identify the existing private and public entities that currently provide or may provide voluntary home visiting services to families with newborns, infants, and young children, including but not limited to midwives, doulas, primary care providers, community health centers, government agencies, federal and state contractors, and non-profit organizations.

III. Study the voluntary home visiting services provided by each entity including their purpose, processes of referral, frequency of visits, costs, funding sources, and outcomes as well as additional services and service providers that are or may be referred as a result of visits.

IV. Identify potential and demonstrated benefits and harms to families with newborns, infants, and small children resulting from voluntary home visiting services.

V. Study whether there is an unmet demand among the public for voluntary home visiting services in the various regions of the state and identify free market and public solutions for eliminating barriers to and improving access for the public’s unmet demand for voluntary home visiting services.

4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Three members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before October 1, 2025.

6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.