Bill > SB199

This bill establishes a new recruitment and retention program for New Hampshire state troopers, authorizing the Department of Safety to develop incentives to attract and keep qualified law enforcement personnel. The program allows the department to request fund transfers from the highway fund or other available sources to support recruitment efforts, which include signing bonuses for newly hired applicants who have not previously worked for the state within a specified timeframe (at least one year), and referral fees for current state employees in good standing (excluding those in human resources or hiring manager positions). The bill specifies that these recruitment and retention incentives are not considered gifts and that employee referrals for such incentives do not constitute a misuse of position. A contingent appropriation of $900,000 is included for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, which would be used for various recruitment strategies such as recruitment materials, in-state and out-of-state recruitment events, advertising, employee referral incentives, and sign-on bonuses (targeted at 65 recruits with a $10,000 bonus each). The bill emphasizes that these expenditures are a matter of public policy designed to benefit employees and the state, and are not subject to collective bargaining. Any requested expenditures will require approval from the joint fiscal committee of the general court, with the bill set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Government Affairs

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_docket.aspx?lsr=0335&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=SB199