The Senate Children and Family Law Committee heard testimony in support of Senate Bill 23 during a public hearing at which proponents said the bill would broaden the state statute for endangering the welfare of a child and create felony alternatives for severe or repeated conduct.

Sen. Pat Long, R‑Manchester, introduced SB 23, saying the measure "is an important bill to strengthen the protection of children." Lieutenant Nick Georgioulis of the Manchester Police Department's juvenile and domestic‑violent unit described repeated cases where investigators believed the existing misdemeanor statute did not adequately address "horrific" home conditions or other conduct that put children at serious risk.

"So this stemmed from many cases over the years where just really horrific examples... kids living in complete squalor and filth," Georgioulis said. He told the committee the proposed language would allow prosecutors to pursue a class B or class A felony when the conduct created the potential for serious bodily injury or death, or when a pattern of repeated endangering behavior occurred within a defined period.

Georgioulis said prosecutors sometimes have used other felony statutes to try to reach the severity of conduct he described, but noted those statutes do not always align with the factual situations investigators encounter. He said the bill would provide clearer felony options "that more closely align with the conduct that's done in some of these cases."

Georgioulis cited a recent, publicly reported case involving five children and a parent in which the judge commented that the current statute did not permit a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the conduct. He argued SB 23 would better protect children and victims who are often among the community's most vulnerable people.

No formal committee vote on SB 23 was recorded in public testimony at this meeting. The committee closed the public hearing and later moved into executive session; subsequent public record shows action in executive session on Senate Bill 22 but does not record a public‑facing decision on SB 23 at this meeting.