[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6425479,"mediaKeyId","5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32","parentId",5884508,"title","New Hampshire police training agency says most 2019 audit findings resolved; work continues on job task analysis and physical-aptitude testing","audioSeconds",1867,"startMs",223000,"endMs",2090000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32&start=223&end=2090","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32/thumbnail_223000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6425479/New-Hampshire/New-Hampshire-police-training-agency-says-most-2019-audit-findings-resolved-work-continues-on-job-task-analysis-and-physical-aptitude-testing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6425479-ad1cae8a1d04223178e5fa2b85288be0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146924&Signature=hsC-65ii3ADWo9j-IypTYsrA0mkSrkXT-ki7REThmepKQpLZ8qQ0oBCzpoZC9Z0EGWz9QS2l0r-BUq9VhSJE65C1shfZ5wxmeLiejvkB6BbhvU5JvkK0f0aqbMxoO2lgXaRCuevJeQAUP1wHlR2KFsZ1x5dad50ZICUDuEzXnY7cVNqN2IAM~MZ1WB6LUldeM-zfMeQNu67YF6JtO4viafZliJYuSiQvpFWyXfrE~jc9Fu-cOZ~2sHCzFwEmbVeceHEb60BMWcNdPkAV7a7mLkldo9Yc0KEW6HjGXGrRhjHaaAQI6Z9VP5uK5oH0pNKGnCUgg7iOK9B8zKdzG6vZng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","NH Legislature","date","2025-10-03T15:40:34Z","article","John Skippa, director of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training, told the Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee that his agency has resolved most items identified in a February 2019 Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA) performance audit but is still working to finish several recommendations.

Skippa told the committee that the 2019 audit identified 16 issues and “all but 4 of them have been fully resolved.” He said the unresolved items include implementing a job task analysis (Observation 6), designing a physical aptitude test for officers, completing a strategic plan and performance measures (Observation 7), updating administrative rules (Observation 10), and improving the corrections advisory committee process (Observation 16).

The job task analysis produced by an outside vendor was funded by a year-end transfer of existing budget money, Skippa said, so the agency did not seek additional appropriations. The vendor also gathered data to inform a new physical-aptitude test; the state currently uses the Cooper test, which Skippa said has been in use since 2001 and measures mile-and-a-half run, push-ups and sit-ups. Skippa said stakeholders asked whether a different test that better reflects on-the-job tasks — for example, exiting a patrol car, negotiating stairs and barriers, and upper-body tasks required in arrests — would be more appropriate.

“We were able to secure a company that could conduct an independent and objective job task analysis,” Skippa said. He described plans to convene subject-matter-expert groups in October and November, drawing police executives, middle managers, prosecutors, mental-health professionals, victim-witness advocates and others to compare job-task analysis results with the existing curriculum. The agency plans to finish those meetings by the end of 2026 and then implement recommended curriculum changes that the council approves.

Major Adam Hawkins, who oversees the professional development bureau, was identified as working with subject-matter experts and fitness instructors to design the new physical-aptitude battery. Skippa said fitness instructors certified through Police Standards and Training will pilot candidate and incumbent tests so the agency can collect data before making changes to certification requirements.

Skippa also described an expected shift in use of impact tools, noting that baton training will remain available but will no longer be mandated as more departments adopt electronic weapons. “We still deliver the baton class in the recruit academy, but we’re seeing less and less agencies…actually issuing that particular device to their officers,” he said.

On governance and advisory processes, Skippa told the committee that the corrections advisory committee (created by statute at RSA 106-L:5) had been reconvened in 2020 and 2021 but that some statutorily identified membership positions later went unfilled. That gap, plus the committee’s membership (he said many members are senior administrators rather than front-line supervisors), limited the committee’s utility for shaping 1-to-5-year corrections officer training. Skippa said he has discussed membership and staffing issues with the new Department of Corrections commissioner and would prefer to try informal solutions with the commissioner before seeking statutory changes.

Representative Rosenwald asked how many recommendations from the related LIAC (Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency) report had been implemented. Skippa said he did not have a precise count at the hearing but would provide the information to the committee; he said the agency was responsible for about 22 of the LIAC recommendations and that most of those have been addressed.

The committee did not take any new policy votes on the recommendations at the meeting. Skippa gave a target of first-quarter (calendar-year) completion for the job task analysis deliverable and said broader curriculum amendments would follow after the subject-matter panels and council review.

Ending

Committee members thanked Skippa and his staff for the update and moved on to other agenda items. The committee chair noted the agency will return to the committee with further progress updates and any statutory or rulemaking proposals that result from the job task analysis and the subject-matter expert recommendations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Legislative Performance Audit Oversight Committee (10/03/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","John Skippa, director of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training, told the Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee that the agency has resolved all but four of the 16 items identified in a February 2019 performance audit and is still completing a job task analysis and a new physical-aptitude test.","taxTitle","Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee, Joint, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",75385,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6425467,"Legislative auditors give timelines for special-education, Education Freedom Accounts and Doorway program reviews",111,3684000,3795000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32&start=3684&end=3795","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32/thumbnail_3684000.jpg","/articles/6425467/New-Hampshire/Legislative-auditors-give-timelines-for-special-education-Education-Freedom-Accounts-and-Doorway-program-reviews","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6425467-079f58c68e303d1c28e4a3efc0aaff73/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146924&Signature=KJ9TrTIV3uUjjaEi9ymVCCICLdhlvXpNr44BcHHXWMwZ2067xTRS26uJzjmOoRSoAJlw0ptjEQt9YwHQAvhBohD5Hix9GX0Bm5PzUeF1y~2qgJ~FBxaWCm~45N0FYJsuFhS25uf6JSEku~gWkZMPGmgeTTQTfdE0H6yKhiIG8~GIRh~OkY9JIrTSob~Hs1cRUNiOnzJVh1S01dljes7ES5pdXcbda0kgIb8SfXk78SKsanAEGsNNiO7VmBjtFg~~mUBy4~PTppcrLprdsQNwmBN0gU4XyFYzhBGEx6ftK-INk-VUqsxBqAHBaA7e7dr0Y-U47qMj5aY1uNd1Cf9lJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christine Young, director of audits for the Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA), told the Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee that several ongoing audits are advancing but at different stages.

Young said the field work for the state oversight of special education is complete and that her team is drafting observations; a full draft report is expected sometime in 2026. For Education Freedom Accounts (EFA), field work is nearly finished and auditors have identified about 40 observations so far; 10 observations dealing with initial and continued eligibility have been completed. Auditors aim for a draft report by mid-spring with a presentation to the fiscal committee in summer.

On the Doorway program (substance-use screening and referral), auditors told the committee they are finding it difficult to isolate program financial activity in the New Hampshire First accounting system because costs are recorded across multiple accounts without a unique identifier. Young said the team is conducting a manual, time-intensive effort with Department of Health and Human Services staff to separate Doorway program costs from other substance-use programs; auditors currently target a draft audit in January or February with a final report to the fiscal committee in March or April.

Young and Jay Henry (performance audit supervisor) said they have sent 20 observations to the relevant department on the special-education audit and received responses on those items; they do not expect to send additional batches at this time because the department prefers to wait for a full draft report. Young said the number of observations in any audit can shift as work continues (some issues may be combined or split).

Ending

Committee members asked a few clarifying questions about statute changes affecting EFA reviews; Young confirmed auditors are accounting for recent legislative changes when drafting observations. The committee scheduled the next meeting for the first Saturday in November (tentatively Nov. 7) and asked staff to invite OPLC and the Department of Corrections to present status updates.","LBA audit staff told the Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee that field work on a special-education audit is complete and a full draft report is expected in 2026; Education Freedom Accounts and the Doorway program audits are expected to produce drafts in mid-spring and early next year respectively.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6425472,"OPLC reports progress on dental and naturopathic board audits, licensing portal and enforcement backlog",640,2102000,2742000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32&start=2102&end=2742","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5884508-aa41eb49906652f49417e3250db5ef32/thumbnail_2102000.jpg","/articles/6425472/New-Hampshire/OPLC-reports-progress-on-dental-and-naturopathic-board-audits-licensing-portal-and-enforcement-backlog","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6425472-8480db6b14ca330244b3801b81805b0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146924&Signature=ZxOjEYFQ28BiB16rIyus0fN~U3SfqP1uIpcubztsEK5F5UxX0zEItSj3tlkHHf4BylYHqiNU5C0XFE9d~A~v~-fk-ET6hqyhZUk~8eS6ZsfylHZ2ELhdMreKwMLMG9RM4jSmuqmmNcKpyU1ITRRRtKIiHLjMNQC1GUMSgjwIVvoRDCY9T5EVyFyAwi0XO-ZIE1c6PtukqX30I7sL7VeU8R37SZGIqMYsuq-vadQ7accEGkbzyiPQXoBCBgOVbTCnHjqC-kVTiLUP-ALKnQDTyaqPsblxKhpivhobDh09LOBht~WNpEitB-dkZ-ux~vJtRzsXTmOUYCtYNuJSR17nIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An executive director of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) told the Joint Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight Committee that the agency is making measurable progress on two audits and on modernizing licensing and enforcement systems.

The director (name not stated on the record) said the dental board audit contains 36 findings and the naturopathic board audit contains 18. Several observations are marked as partially resolved while OPLC completes rulemaking, policy development and information-technology work.

“We are actively working on building a library of policies…related to licensing, discipline, record keeping, and rulemaking,” the executive director said. She thanked Director Heather Kelly (director of operations) and attorney Nicholas Fry (general counsel) for their work and said many of the changes stem from recent statutory revisions to RSA 310.

OPLC said it has secured executive-council approval for a contract to build a new licensing portal and a back-end case-management system for enforcement. The director said that, if the contract proceeds as planned, the portal will automate many processes — for example, generating letters, queuing reminders and improving case tracking — and help address performance- and knowledge-management observations in the audits.

On the enforcement backlog, the director said the office inherited roughly 6,200 complaints when she took the job and has reduced that number to under 2,500 through record-review and case-management changes. She described an ongoing document-scanning project to digitize thousands of paper records and said the rate of scanning depends on available budget and contracts.

Regarding dental regulation, OPLC told the committee that the office supports dental-board rulemaking (the board sets scope and credential standards) and the office is standardizing disciplinary procedures so rules and enforcement are applied consistently across license types.

On naturopathic issues, the director said five items remained partially or fully unresolved: the board’s scope-of-practice definitions are under rulemaking; controls over otherwise unregulated drugs and the board formulary require attention; and the formulary advisory council has not met recently, delaying decisions about which drugs and authorities may be permitted. Senator Brown raised concerns about the composition and oversight of the formulary advisory council; the executive director said statutory changes and compact participation each have different policy effects and would be matters for the Legislature to consider.

Committee members asked about vacancies in OPLC, and the director said hiring is constrained by the broader state budget environment even though the office operates from a dedicated licensing fund. She said leadership is reviewing organizational structure to reassign duties and improve efficiency where possible.

Ending

Committee members thanked OPLC leaders for the update and asked staff to return with further progress reports and any rule or statutory proposals resulting from the audits.","Office of Professional Licensure and Certification told the legislative oversight committee it is actively addressing findings in two audits (36 dental, 18 naturopathic), implementing policies and rulemaking, building a licensing portal, and reduced its complaint backlog from about 6,200 to under 2,500.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

New Hampshire police training agency says most 2019 audit findings resolved; work continues on job task analysis and physical-aptitude testing

Legislative auditors give timelines for special-education, Education Freedom Accounts and Doorway program reviews

OPLC reports progress on dental and naturopathic board audits, licensing portal and enforcement backlog