HB 584-FN-A - AS INTRODUCED
2003 SESSION
05/01
HOUSE BILL 584-FN-A
AN ACT establishing the position of citizens' advocate in the department of environmental services and making an appropriation therefor.
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
This bill establishes the position of citizens' advocate in the department of environmental services.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03-0549
05/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three
AN ACT establishing the position of citizens' advocate in the department of environmental services and making an appropriation therefor.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Department of Environmental Services; Citizens' Advocate. Amend RSA 21-O by inserting after section 3 the following new section:
21-0:3-a Citizens' Advocate. There is established within the department of environmental services the position of citizens' advocate. The citizens' advocate shall be qualified to hold the position by reason of education and experience in the areas of environmental studies, science, and statistics. The citizens' advocate shall be responsible for evaluating on behalf of the public the risks and benefits of department actions, including performing a risk-benefit analysis of proposed rules, and shall act as a liaison between the department and the public. The salary of the citizens' advocate shall be as specified in RSA 94:1-a.
2 Compensation of Certain State Officers; Citizens' Advocate, Department of Environmental Services Added. Amend RSA 94:1-a, I(b) by inserting in Group EE the following:
EE Department of environmental services citizens' advocate
3 Appropriation. The sum of $100,000 is hereby appropriated to the department of environmental services for the biennium ending June 30, 2005, for the position of citizens' advocate established in section 1 of the bill. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
LBAO
03-0549
1/21/03
HB 584-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT establishing the position of citizens' advocate in the department of environmental services and making an appropriation therefor.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Environmental Services stated this bill will increase state expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2004 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county or local revenue or on county or local expenditures.
This bill appropriates $100,000 from the general fund to the Department of Environmental Services for the biennium ending June 30, 2005 for the purposes of this act.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department assumed the position of Citizens' Advocate would be filled in fiscal year 2004 at the minimum step in salary Group EE, with step increases in the following years. Additional money would be needed for a computer, office furniture and current expenses, such as supplies, copies, telephone and postage as follows:
FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Salary (Group EE) $50,082 $53,428 $56,763 $60,098
Benefits at 37% 18,530 19,768 21,002 22,236
Current Expense 1,500 1,000 1,000 1,000
Equipment 3,500 0 0 0
Total $73,612 $74,196 $78,765 $83,334
In addition to the costs identified above, the Department anticipates program staff would spend time reviewing analyses produced by the Citizens' Advocate and additional time revising proposed actions and rules. The Department cannot estimate the additional workload or staffing required for these tasks. The Department is not able to determine the amount of these additional state expenditures.