Committee Summary for Senate Children and Family Law (01/30/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
SB76 0173s 00:04:36.680 - 9:03:32 AM	Public Hearing	relative to the office of the child advocate.	Long, Pat(D)
SB77 00:31:40.480 - 9:30:36 AM	Public Hearing	providing children in delinquency and children in need of services (CHINS) cases the identical types of psychological evaluations as children in child protection matters.	Altschiller, Debra(D)[CT]2024
SB77 00:41:46.040 - 9:40:42 AM	Executive Session	providing children in delinquency and children in need of services (CHINS) cases the identical types of psychological evaluations as children in child protection matters.	Altschiller, Debra(D)[CT]2024

SB76 0173s: Senator Long, Manchester Information Only00:04:36.680 - 9:03:32 AM; Senator Long introduced Senate Bill 76, explaining that the Office of Child Advocate was established in 2017 following high-profile child deaths in the child welfare system. The office's scope was expanded in 2020 to include oversight of all executive branch child-serving agencies and their service providers. The bill aims to clarify some outstanding issues from that expansion. An amendment, number 0173s, was introduced to address concerns from certain agencies about specific language in the bill.
SB76 0173s: Lisa Massio, Associate Child Advocate, New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate Support00:06:55.199 - 9:05:51 AM; Lisa Massio expressed support for Senate Bill 76, stating that it aims to clarify the scope and authority of the Office of Child Advocate. She detailed the expansion of their oversight from just the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to all executive branch agencies serving children, and how the bill seeks to resolve confusion and inconsistencies in the statute. The amendment addresses concerns from community agencies to ensure the office's oversight is limited to services provided under contract or agreement for children. She clarified that the bill does not expand their scope but provides necessary clarification.
SB76 0173s: John Williams, Director of Legislative Affairs, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Information Only00:17:49.720 - 9:16:45 AM; John Williams did not take a position on the bill but expressed interest in the clarification it seeks to provide. He highlighted the importance of clear statutory language and raised questions about potential unintended consequences of the proposed changes, such as whether the bill expands the Office of Child Advocate's authority. He pointed out specific sections of the bill that require further clarity, particularly regarding the handling of complaints and access to records, and deferred to the Attorney General's office for further interpretation.
SB76 0173s: Lisa Massio, Associate Child Advocate, New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate Support00:24:01.720 - 9:22:57 AM; In response to John Williams' testimony, Lisa Massio clarified that the bill aims to streamline processes and does not expand the office's authority. She addressed the concerns about the handling of complaints and the access to records, emphasizing that the changes would improve efficiency without changing the scope of their oversight. The amendment ensures that the office's reach is limited to services provided under contract for children, and she reiterated that the bill does not seek to expand their authority but to clarify existing provisions.
SB76 0173s: Emily Lawrence, Advocacy Director, Waypoint Support00:28:34.399 - 9:27:30 AM; Emily Lawrence from Waypoint expressed support for Senate Bill 76 with the amendment. She raised concerns about the language in the bill that could potentially allow the Office of Child Advocate to access all agency records, which she found too broad and vague. She emphasized the need for clarification to ensure that the office's access is limited to records related to services for children under contract. She believes the amendment proposed by Senator Long addresses these concerns.
SB77: Senator Aler Support00:31:40.480 - 9:30:36 AM; Senator Aler introduced Senate Bill 77, explaining that it rectifies an oversight from the previous year's Senate Bill 417. The bill aims to ensure that children in delinquency and children in need of services cases receive the same quality of psychological evaluations as those in child protection cases. He emphasized the importance of consistency across child welfare statutes and mentioned that representatives from the Children's Law Center and the Office of Child Advocate were present to provide technical support.
SB77: Lisa Wolford, Children's Law Center of New Hampshire Support00:33:42.320 - 9:32:38 AM; Lisa Wolford, the executive director of the Children's Law Center of New Hampshire, expressed strong support for SB77. She described the bill as a housekeeping measure to ensure that children in CHINS and delinquency cases receive the same quality psychological evaluations as those in abuse and neglect cases. Wolford emphasized the similarity of children across these systems, noting they often face poverty, trauma, and household dysfunction, and are frequently placed in the same residential facilities. She argued that there should be no distinction in the protections offered to children based on which part of the child welfare system they are involved in, and highlighted the need for consistency across the statutes.
SB77: Lisa Massio, Office of Child Advocate Support00:38:20.400 - 9:37:16 AM; Lisa Massio from the Office of Child Advocate expressed strong support for SB77 and provided background on the previous year's S417. She explained that S417 introduced new qualifications for professionals conducting evaluations, which went into effect in January. Massio pointed out that while S417 covered certain aspects of the child welfare system, it did not extend to all relevant statutes, which she believed was an oversight. She agreed with previous speakers that the bill would bring necessary consistency across the child welfare system and offered to present written testimony from Dr. Cassie Yakle, who helped draft the language for S417.
SB77: Committee Members Information Only00:41:46.040 - 9:40:42 AM; During the executive session, the committee discussed Senate Bill 77. They noted that the bill's language was already present in existing statutes and its passage would ensure consistency across different child welfare statutes. A motion was made and seconded to pass the bill as is, with all members in favor. The committee also briefly discussed other bills, including Senate Bill 23 and Senate Bill 76, but no actions were taken on these during the session.