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Committee considers replace‑all amendment to align residential treatment placement language with prior 2024 laws
Summary
Senate Bill 161, a replace‑all amendment tied to last year’s overhaul of oversight for residential treatment placements, was presented to the Senate Children and Family Law Committee to correct technical inconsistencies and align statutory language with implementation practices DCYF has put in place.
Senate Bill 161 returned to the Senate Children and Family Law Committee with a "replace all" amendment intended to resolve technical inconsistencies that emerged during enactment of Senate Bill 417 and House Bill 1573 in 2024.
Regina Bursell, state senator for District 19 and the bill's prime sponsor, said SB 161 is remedial legislation requested by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Susan Larrabee, general counsel and legislative liaison for DCYF, told the committee that last year's bills expanded court and departmental oversight of residential treatment placements and that stakeholders worked over the summer to implement the new requirements.
Larrabee said the replace‑all corrects instances where language referencing "contract" rather than "license" remained in certain subsections, aligns circumstances in which director approval is required for out‑of‑New‑England placements with RSA 169‑F:19, and fixes a scrivener's error in a cross‑reference. Cassandra Sanchez, the state child advocate, and associate child advocate Lisa Masio appeared in support and said the amendment "accurately reflect[s] the intent" of the 2024 laws.
Committee members discussed the implementation steps DCYF and contractual partners took over the summer, including policy and SOP updates, staff trainings, revised forms and increased caseworker oversight of monthly in‑person visits. Larrabee and Sanchez said the replacement language is intended to achieve consistency across the statutory sections and the operational directives already issued by DCYF and the Bureau of Children's Behavioral Health.
In executive session, committee members adopted a technical amendment (2025‑0514s) by voice vote. Another motion recorded on the transcript recommended "not to pass as amended" at committee; transcript entries indicate further procedural votes and consent motions followed. DCYF and the Office of the Child Advocate said they will continue coordination with courts and stakeholders as the implementation proceeds.
