Committee recommends ITL on DCYF-reporting bill after debate over redundancy and need for oversight

The New Hampshire House Children and Family Law Committee voted to recommend inexpedient to legislate (ITL) on HB518, a bill that would have required additional reporting or oversight related to the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

Vice Chair Seidel moved the ITL motion and argued the bill was redundant because DCYF already reports to the Department of Health and Human Services and the legislature. "It just feels like it is a redundant bill," Seidel said.

Representative Love strongly opposed ITL and urged the committee to retain the bill as a tool to investigate alleged failings at DCYF. "DCYF is a mess," Love said during debate, listing child deaths and abuse allegations and urging a fact-finding mechanism to examine staffing, training and hiring practices.

Representative Pearson and other members noted existing oversight channels, saying the DHHS oversight committee and the DCYF advisory board routinely receive reports. "I chair DHHS oversight committee for the last five years... there is a DCYF oversight committee in itself," Pearson told the committee, and advisory-board members said monthly reports are provided by the commissioner.

Committee members debated whether the bill would be useful as a legislative tool. Some members favored an interim study so the committee could craft legislation with more detail; others said having the bill as a tool to require particular reporting items was important.

The clerk called the roll after discussion. Members recorded in the roll call included Representative Pearson, Representative McMahon, Representative Nelson, Vice Chair Seidel, Representative Corson, Representative Markell, Representative Petrino, Representative Sherr, Representative Levesque, Representative Greg, Representative Raymond and Representative Georges as saying yes on the ITL motion; one representative recorded a no vote during the roll call. Representative Love continued to press for tools to audit hiring and investigative practices at DCYF during discussion. The transcript does not provide a numerical tally announced on the record for that roll call in the excerpt provided.

Following the vote, committee members agreed there would be no minority report and directed continued work in committee forums and advisory boards. Several members urged pursuing additional mediation, oversight and improvements to DCYF processes through existing advisory structures and the subcommittee rather than by advancing the bill in its present form.