HB 291-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2023 SESSION
23-0530
04/08
HOUSE BILL 291-FN
AN ACT relative to false reports to certain departments.
SPONSORS: Rep. Infantine, Hills. 16
COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a criminal penalty for making a false complaint to certain departments.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0530
04/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to false reports to certain departments.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; The Liquor Commission; Criminal Penalty for False Complaint. Amend RSA 176 by inserting after section 19 the following new section:
176:20 Penalty for False Complaint. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or complaint against a liquor licensee to the commission for the purpose of harassing or damaging the reputation of the licensee or business owner shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
2 New Subdivision; False Complaint to the Department. Amend RSA 400-A by inserting after section 67 the following new subdivision:
False Complaint to the Department
400-A:68 False Complaint to the Department. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or complaint to the department for the purpose of harassing or damaging the reputation of a business owner shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
3 New Section; Department of Labor; False Complaint to the Department. Amend RSA 273 by inserting after section 10-d the following new section:
273:10-e False Complaint to the Department. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or complaint to the department for the purpose of harassing or damaging the reputation of a business owner shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
4 New Section; Unemployment Compensation; False Complaint to the Department. Amend RSA 282-A by inserting after section 167 the following new section:
282-A:167-a False Complaint to the Department. Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or complaint to the department for the purpose of harassing or damaging the reputation of a business owner shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2024.
23-0530
12/21/22
HB 291-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to false reports to certain departments.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ X ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
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STATE: | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
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COUNTY: |
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Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
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METHODOLOGY:
This bill establishes a criminal penalty for making a false complaint to certain departments which may have an impact on the New Hampshire judicial and correctional systems. There is no method to determine how many charges would be brought as a result of the changes contained in this bill to determine the fiscal impact on expenditures. However, the entities impacted have provided the potential costs associated with these penalties below.
Judicial Branch | FY 2023 | FY 2024 through 12/31/23 | FY 2024 (Starting 1/1/24 with repeal of Felonies First) | ||||||||
Violation and Misdemeanor Level Offense | $119 | $122 | $122 | ||||||||
Appeals | Varies | Varies | Varies | ||||||||
Judicial Council | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | |||||||||
Public Defender Program | Has contract with State to provide services. | Has contract with State to provide services. | |||||||||
Contract Attorney – Misdemeanor | $300/Case $70 administrative fee $100 incarceration fee (If applicable) | $300/Case $70 administrative fee $100 incarceration fee (If applicable) | |||||||||
Assigned Counsel- Misdemeanor. Travel time to court does not count toward the cap. | $90/Hour up to $2,000 | $90/Hour up to $2,000 | |||||||||
It should be noted that a person needs to be found indigent and have the potential of being incarcerated to be eligible for indigent defense services. Historically, approximately 85% of the indigent defense caseload has been handled by the public defender program, with the remaining cases going to contract attorneys (14%) or assigned counsel (1%). Beginning in March of 2021, the public defender program has had to close intake of new cases due to excessive caseloads. Due to these closures, the contract and assigned counsel program have had to absorb significantly more cases. The system is experiencing significant delays in appointing counsel and the costs of representation have increased due to travel time and multiple appointments. | |||||||||||
Department of Corrections | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | |||||||||
FY 2022 Average Cost of Incarcerating an Individual | $64,223 | $64,223 | |||||||||
FY 2022 Annual Marginal Cost of a General Population Inmate | $6,123 | $6,123 | |||||||||
FY 2022 Average Cost of Supervising an Individual on Parole/Probation | $688 | $688 | |||||||||
The Department notes any increase in the incarcerated population will have a direct impact on overtime costs given the Department’s history of challenges associated with recruitment. In addition, the NH State Prison for Men has a degrading infrastructure which will only be exacerbated if an increase in the incarcerated population were to occur. | |||||||||||
NH Association of Counties | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | |||||||||
County Prosecution Costs | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | |||||||||
Estimated Average Daily Cost of Incarcerating an Individual | $105 to $125 | $105 to $125 | |||||||||
Many offenses are prosecuted by local and county prosecutors. When the Department of Justice has investigative and prosecutorial responsibility or is involved in an appeal, the Department may be able to absorb the cost within its existing budget. However, if the Department needs to prosecute significantly more cases or handle more appeals, then costs will increase by an indeterminable amount.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Judicial Branch, Departments of Corrections and Justice, Judicial Council, and New Hampshire Association of Counties