HB 1664-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2024 SESSION

24-2644

09/05

 

HOUSE BILL 1664-FN

 

AN ACT relative to legal remedies for individuals who receive medical detransitioning.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Hoell, Merr. 27; Rep. A. Lekas, Hills. 38; Rep. Drago, Rock. 4; Rep. Kofalt, Hills. 32; Rep. Potenza, Straf. 19; Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Belcher, Carr. 4; Rep. D. Kelley, Hills. 32; Rep. Gagne, Hills. 16; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16

 

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill establishes standards for a cause of action to recover damages for injury caused by gender transition surgery, administration of puberty blocking drugs, and/or the administration of cross-sex hormones, and provides other related definitional changes.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

24-2644

09/05

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

 

AN ACT relative to legal remedies for individuals who receive medical detransitioning.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Medical Injury Actions; Definitions.  Amend RSA 507-E:1 to read as follows:

507-E:1 Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

I. "Action for medical injury" means any action against a medical care provider, whether based in tort, contract or otherwise, to recover damages on account of medical injury.

I-a.  “Cross-sex hormones” means testosterone, estrogen, or other androgens given to an individual in amounts that are greater or more potent than would normally occur naturally in a healthy individual of the same age and sex as defined in RSA 354-A:2, XIV-f for the purpose of assisting an individual in changing his or her gender identity.

I-b.  “Gender transition surgery” means a procedure which surgically removes an individual’s reproductive organs or secondary sex characteristics for the purpose of assisting an individual in changing his or her gender identity.

II.  "Medical care provider" means a physician, physician's assistant, registered or licensed practical nurse, hospital, clinic or other health care agency licensed by the state or otherwise lawfully providing medical care or services, or an officer, employee or agent thereof acting in the course and scope of employment.

II-a.  “Medical detransition” means treatment received by an individual for the purpose of reversing or mitigating the effects of gender transition surgery, cross-sex hormones, or puberty-blocking drugs and of restoring the secondary sex characteristics corresponding to the individual’s sex as defined in 354-A:2, XIV-f.

III.  "Medical injury" or "injury" means any adverse, untoward or undesired consequences arising out of or sustained in the course of professional services rendered by a medical care provider, whether resulting from negligence, error, or omission in the performance of such services; from rendition of such services without informed consent or in breach of warranty or in violation of contract; from failure to diagnose; from premature abandonment of a patient or of a course of treatment; from failure properly to maintain equipment or appliances necessary to the rendition of such services; or otherwise arising out of or sustained in the course of such services.

IV.  “Puberty-blocking drugs” means gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues or other synthetic drugs used to stop luteinizing hormone secretion and follicle stimulating hormone secretion, synthetic antiandrogen drugs to block the androgen receptor, or any other drug used to delay or suppress pubertal development in children for the purpose of assisting an individual in changing his or her gender identity.

2  New Section; Medical Injury Actions; Actions for Medical Detransition.  Amend RSA 507-E by inserting after section 4 the following new section:

507-E:5  Actions for Medical Detransition.

I.  Notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 508:4, any action to recover damages for personal injury to a person under 21 years of age, including emotional distress, caused by gender transition surgery, administration of puberty blocking drugs and/or the administration of cross-sex hormones may be brought by such person no later than 20 years from the date such person attains the age of 21.

II.  A plaintiff who brings any action listed in paragraph I shall be presumed to have met the plaintiff’s burden under RSA 507-E:2, I if the individual is infertile as a result of the treatment.  Such presumption may be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence.

3  State Commission for Human Rights; Definitions.  Amend RSA 354-A:2, XIV-e to read as follows:

XIV-e.  "Gender identity" means a person's gender-related identity, [appearance, or behavior,] whether or not that gender-related identity[, appearance, or behavior] is different from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or [assigned] sex [at birth].  Gender-related identity may be shown by providing evidence including, but not limited to, medical history, care or treatment of the gender-related identity, consistent and uniform assertion of the gender-related identity, or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is sincerely held as part of a person's core identity [provided, however, that gender-related identity shall not be asserted for any improper purpose].  Discrimination because a person has undergone a medical detransition as defined in RSA 507-E:1, II-a, shall be considered discrimination because of gender identity.

4  New Paragraph; State Commission for Human Rights; Definitions.  Amend RSA 354-A:2 by inserting after paragraph XIV-e the following new paragraph:

XIV-f.  “Sex” means the male and female biological sexes, as distinct from an individual's psychological or subjective experience of gender-related identity.

5  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBA

24-2644

12/11/23

 

HB 1664-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to legal remedies for individuals who receive medical detransitioning.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

Estimated State Impact - Increase / (Decrease)

 

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

FY 2027

Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

Revenue Fund(s)

None

 

Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Funding Source(s)

General Fund

 

Appropriations

$0

$0

$0

$0

Funding Source(s)

None

 

Does this bill provide sufficient funding to cover estimated expenditures? [X] No

Does this bill authorize new positions to implement this bill? [X] No

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes standards for a cause of action to recover damages for injury caused by gender transition surgery, administration of puberty blocking drugs, and/or the administration of cross-sex hormones, and provides other related definitional changes.

 

The Human Rights Commission indicates this bill would change the definition of “Gender Identity.”  By doing so, it would expand the protection for individuals who have undergone a medical detransition and protect such individuals from discrimination with inclusion in the category of gender identity.  If aggrieved, an individual would have the ability to pursue a charge of discrimination with the Human Rights Commission.  The Commission states there is currently no way to gauge the number of public interactions, trainings, queries, charges, or other activities the Commission will engage as a result of this bill.

 

The Judicial Branch states it is not possible to estimate how this change in law would impact the number of filings in the courts.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Human Rights Commission and Judicial Branch