NASW NH is actively involved with our State Legislature.
From professional and licensure issues to fighting for social justice, we are being heard. Our agenda is set by our Social & Legislative Action Committee with considerable input from our other Chapter Committees. Our lobbyist, Stuart Trachy, keeps us abreast of upcoming legislative hearings, votes, changes and actions.
During the NH Legislative Session, NASW NH Members receive regular email updates and calls to action. We also frequently let our
Facebook followers know about upcoming issues and victories.
Letters and Calls to Action
SB 6-FN-A-LOCAL - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES
02/14/2019 0188s
2019 SESSION
19-1115
05/04
SENATE BILL 6-FN-A-LOCAL
AN ACT relative to child protection staffing and making an appropriation therefor.
SPONSORS: Sen. Morgan, Dist 23; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Dietsch, Dist 9; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Rep. Wallner, Merr. 10
COMMITTEE: Finance
───────────────────
ANALYSIS
This bill makes an appropriation to the department of health and human services to hire additional child protective service workers and child protective service supervisors.
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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
SB 6-FN-A-LOCAL - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES
02/14/2019 0188s
19-1115
05/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
AN ACT relative to child protection staffing and making an appropriation therefor.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
AN ACT relative to child protection staffing and making an appropriation therefor. Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Appropriation; Department of Health and Human Services; Child Protective Service Workers. The sum of $1,998,005 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and the sum of $4,119,845 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, are hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purpose of hiring 27 child protective service workers in fiscal year 2020 and an additional 30 child protective service workers in fiscal year 2021. Of these amounts, $1,398,604 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 and $2,883,892 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021 shall be state general funds, and the remainder shall be federal funds. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for the general fund share of said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
2 Appropriation; Department of Health and Human Services; Child Protective Service Supervisors. The sum of $773,552 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and the sum of $1,703,152 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, are hereby appropriated to the department of health and human services for the purpose of hiring 9 child protective service supervisors in fiscal year 2020 and an additional 11 supervisors in fiscal year 2021. Of these amounts, $541,487 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 and $1,192,207 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021 shall be state general funds, and the remainder shall be federal funds. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for the general fund share of said sums out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
LBAO
19-1115
Amended 2/20/19
SB 6-FN-A-LOCAL- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2019-0188s)
AN ACT relative to child protection staffing and making an appropriation therefor.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
METHODOLOGY: This bill makes appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of funding the following positions: 27 child protective service workers and 9 supervisors in FY 2020 and an additional 30 child protective service workers and 11 supervisors in FY 2021. Per the Department, these positions will be funded with 70 percent state general funds and 30 percent federal funds
______________________
January 28, 2019
Senator Lou D’Allesandro
Senate Finance Committee
New Hampshire State Senate
107 North State Street
Concord NH 03301
Re: Senate Bill 1 – Relative to a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program
Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
My name is Lynn Stanley and I am the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, NH Chapter. I am writing to express our support of for Senate Bill 1.
When workers have the ability to care for loved ones during a time of need, we reduce the traumatic impact of stress on families. When families cannot take care of their loved ones there is a cumulative social and economic impact. Senate Bill 1 addresses this issue and takes a proactive approach to helping New Hampshire’s families, workforce, communities, businesses, and economy.
Research has shown that women who were offered paid leave had stronger work force attachment and positive increases in earning capability after their return to work as to compared to women who did not. Closing the life-time earnings gap and increasing gender equity is important to social workers as so many of our clients are directly impacted by having to make difficult decisions between caring for an infant, sick child, or ailing parent and their own financial stability. Further, research has shown that paid leave for family or medical issues helps strengthen the economy, lower the unemployment rate, and decrease the poverty rate.
Senate Bill 1 will support and strengthen our families and our economy.
Thank you for the opportunity to voice our support.
Sincerely,
Lynn Stanley, LICSW
Executive Director
NASW NH
______________________
January 25th - HB 113 Update
We have worked in collaboration with the Board of Mental Health Practice, New Futures, NH Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, NH Mental Health Counselors Association, and Representative McGuire towards a mutually acceptable bill. The bill now puts the matter back into the hands of the BMHP. For those who hold an MLADC and then pursue their LICSW, LMHC, or LMFT the BMHP may waive up to 1500 clinical supervision hours. We are reassured that the BMHP will be allowed to look at each individual initial (supervision agreement) application to make the determination. The bill also allows those who received their MSW in an advanced standing program to seek their MLADC. The bill will be reviewed in subcommittee on January 29th.
As an aside - I encourage all of us to remember that substance abuse disorder treatment, dual diagnosis and treatment, and behavioral health are all scopes of practice within the purview of social workers.
January 18, 2019
Dear Social Work Colleague,
I am sending you this email to urge you to support Senate Bill 6 (SB-6) which will be discussed this Tuesday at the Senate Finance Committee meeting. The bill (attached) provides significant support for hiring additional DCYF protection and support workers, as well as supervisors as requested in the funding priority list of the senior staff.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Jon Morgan (Dist. 23) along with Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Dietsch, Dist 9; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Rep. Wallner, Merr.
Given the new leadership in the House and Senate, as well as the change in the Executive Committee, this bill has a good chance of passing and being signed by he Governor.
This is an opportunity to begin to rebuild the DCYF staffing which was decimated in earlier cuts. Protection workers with caseloads of 33, when the national standard is 12, are unable to do the job. Burnout and turnover is high.
I urge you to contact your legislators and the Governor in support of SB-6 and to pass this along to members of your organizations. This is a unique opportunity to provide State and Federal funding to fix a broken system and to protect and support New Hampshire's at-risk children and their families.
Lawrence Shulman, MSW, Ed.D
Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, University at Buffalo
Member of the DCYF Advisory Board
_______________________________
January 8, 2019
Representative Marjorie Smith
House Judiciary Committee
New Hampshire House of Representatives
107 North State Street
Concord NH 03301
Re: House Bill 124 – An Act repealing the law relative to the buffer zones to reproductive health care facilities
Dear Ms. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
My name is Lynn Stanley and I am the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, New Hampshire Chapter. I am writing on behalf of NASW NH to request this committee ITL HB 124.
The text of the bill implies that Buffer Zones around reproductive health care facilities impede on the general public’s right to free speech. In fact, Buffer Zones provide some level of safety for both facility staff and the vulnerable women who access such facilities. There have been far too many occasions of staff or patrons of reproductive health care facilities being verbally or physically assaulted while on their way to work or when trying to access services. Many reproductive health care facilities provide essential services such as diabetes screenings, routine physical exams, and flu vaccinations. Some offer men’s health services, such as prostate cancer screenings. Repealing buffer zones around reproductive health care facilities elevate the moral values of a select few over the health of vulnerable men, women, and children in the state.
Additionally, Section I(d) of this bill claims that RSA 132:37 through RSA 132:40 has served no public purpose when, in fact, it serves to keep public sidewalks and roadways accessible to all members of the public, including those wishing to use the sidewalk or street to access destinations not related to a reproductive health care facility. Standing congestion on such public walkways and roadways creates a safety hazard for all members of the public, not just those trying to access health services.
The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. It is imperative that New Hampshire citizens have access to safe, affordable health care, without fear of being verbally or physically assaulted.
Thank you for the opportunity to voice our dissent.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn Stanley, LICSW
Executive Director
NASW NH
______________________________________
January 8, 2019
Representative Robert Renny Cushing
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
New Hampshire House of Representatives
107 North State Street
Concord NH 03301
Re: House Bill 189-FN – An Act establishing an exemption from criminal penalties for child sex trafficking victims.
Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
My name is Lynn Stanley and I am the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, New Hampshire Chapter. I am writing to express our support for HB 189-FN.
Every day, young children are bought and sold like slaves. These children are all around us, they are in our schools and in the houses next door. Human Trafficking and Slavery is a $150 billion industry; in some states, the average girl rescued from street prostitution is only 13-years-old. But human trafficking victims are not only “on the streets.” There are many tragic stories of parents victimizing their children to meet their substance use needs.
This bill makes it clear that children who are trafficked are victims. To charge a victim with delinquency, a misdemeanor, or a class B felony says that the victim consented to being trafficked; it says that the victim willfully and purposefully chose to be trafficked. This does not affect the criminal penalties for those who traffic children, it only affects penalties for the victims themselves.
The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. The State of New Hampshire has a duty to protect children who are victims and that protection should not entail punishing victims of human trafficking. NASW NH urges the members of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee to support HB 189-FN.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn Stanley, LICSW
Executive Director
NASW NH
______________________________________