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Advocates press for stronger oversight after bulletininvestigation; AG and medical examiner seek narrower referral language
Summary
After a series of investigative reports on abuse and neglect in developmental services, the committee heard broad support for SB 670 to strengthen the incapacitated and vulnerable adult fatality review process. The attorney general and chief medical examiner warned the original language could sweep in too many deaths and asked for tightened definitions.
Senate Bill 670, proposed after investigative reporting that documented systemic abuse and neglect, would strengthen oversight of developmental services and clarify membership and duties of the incapacitated and vulnerable adult fatality review committee. Disability advocates, families and protection-and-advocacy groups strongly supported the bill as a way to improve data access and to surface preventable deaths and systemic failures.
Isadora Rodriguez Lejean of the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities and Luis Esposito of ABLE New Hampshire urged inclusion of stakeholders with lived experience on the oversight body and better access to real-time data about incidents, reports and agency responses. "It is important to have access to data," one witness told the committee.
The Department of Justice and the Chief Medical Examinerraised drafting concerns. Chris Bond, associate attorney general, said the bill's original definitions of "incapacitated" and "vulnerable" could sweep in a very large number of adult deaths and create an untenable reporting burden; the chief medical examiner reported about 4,500 adult deaths reported to the office last year and warned that sending every case to the committee would overwhelm staff. The AG and CMEO asked the committee to refine definitions and consider narrower referral triggers so the committee can focus on deaths that are plausibly preventable or indicative of system failure.
Why it matters: Supporters said strengthened, confidential review and cross-agency reporting is necessary to restore trust and prevent avoidable deaths of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. AG and CMEO concerns focused on workload, confidentiality and the best use of investigative resources.
Next steps: Committee members asked for specific amendment language and gave stakeholders a one-week window to return suggested fixes. The chair said the amendment process and additional drafting would continue before any vote.
