HB 1272 – AS INTRODUCED

2008 SESSION

08-2470

01/03

HOUSE BILL 1272

AN ACT relative to “meetings” under the right-to-know law.

SPONSORS: Rep. Splaine, Rock 16

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

ANALYSIS

This bill requires bodies or agencies to hold nonpublic sessions under the right-to-know law for the purposes of strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining and consultation with legal counsel.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

08-2470

01/03

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight

AN ACT relative to “meetings” under the right-to-know law.

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

1 Right-to-Know Law; “Meetings.” Amend RSA 91-A:2, I to read as follows:

I. For the purpose of this section, a “meeting” shall mean the convening of a quorum of the membership of a public body, as provided in RSA 91-A:1-a, to discuss or act upon a matter or matters over which the public body has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power. “Meeting” shall not include:

(a) Any chance meeting or a social meeting neither planned nor intended for the purpose of discussing matters relating to official business and at which no decisions are made; however, no such chance or social meeting shall be used to circumvent the spirit of this chapter; or

(b) [Strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining;

(c) Consultation with legal counsel; or

(d)] A caucus consisting of elected members of a public body of the same political party who were elected on a partisan basis at a state general election or elected on a partisan basis by a town or city which has adopted a partisan ballot system pursuant to RSA 669:12 or RSA 44:2.

2 New Subparagraphs; Right-to-Know Law; Nonpublic Sessions. Amend RSA 91-A:3, II by inserting after subparagraph (i) the following new subparagraphs:

(j) Strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining.

(k) Consultation with legal counsel.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2009.