2000 SESSION

00-2535

01/09

HOUSE BILL 1567-FN

COMMITTEE: Commerce

ANALYSIS

This bill extends the state employees' medical and surgical benefit package to domestic partners of employees.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

00-2535

01/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand

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

1 Medical and Surgical Benefits; Domestic Partners. Amend RSA 21-I:30, I to read as follows:

I. The state shall pay a premium for each state employee and permanent temporary or permanent seasonal employee as defined in RSA 98-A:3 including spouse and minor, fully dependent children, if any, and each retired employee, as defined in paragraph II of this section, and [his] retired employee's spouse, or retired employee's beneficiary, only if an option was taken at the time of retirement and the employee is not now living, toward group hospitalization, hospital medical care, surgical care and other medical benefits plan within the limits of the funds appropriated at each legislative session and providing any change in plan or vendor is approved by the fiscal committee of the general court prior to its adoption. Funds appropriated for this purpose shall not be transferred or used for any other purpose. For the purposes of this section "spouse" shall include a domestic partner in a domestic relationship as defined in paragraph III-a.

2 New Paragraph; Definition Added. Amend RSA 21-I:30 by inserting after paragraph II the following new paragraph:

III-a.(a) For the purposes of this section, "domestic partner" means an adult in a domestic partnership as set forth in subparagraph (b).

(b)(1) A domestic partnership exists when all of the following occur:

(A) Both persons have a common residence.

(B) One of the persons is an employee subject to this section.

(C) Both persons agree to be jointly responsible for each others basic living expenses incurred during the domestic partnership.

(D) Neither person is married nor a member of another domestic partnership.

(E) The 2 persons are not related by blood in a way that would prevent them from being married to each other in this state.

(F) Both persons are at least 18 years of age.

(2) A domestic partnership shall terminate when any of the following occur:

(A) One partner gives or sends to the other partner a notarized, written notice that he or she is terminating the partnership.

(B) One of the domestic partners dies.

(C) One of the domestic partners marries.

(D) The domestic partners no longer have a common residence. A temporary separation resulting from work, education, or health-related requirements shall not constitute the cessation of a common residence.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

00-2535

12/17/99

HB 1567-FN - FISCAL NOTE

FISCAL IMPACT: