TITLE I
THE STATE AND ITS GOVERNMENT

Chapter 17-A
DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

Section 17-A:1

    17-A:1 Office Established. –
There shall be a director of legislative services, appointed as hereinafter provided, who shall have the following functions and duties:
I. To draft bills for both houses of the general court and the individual members and incoming members thereof, both during sessions and while the general court is not in session, and to check and examine all bills and joint resolutions prior to final engrossment.
II. Pursuant to the direction of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house, to perform or cause to be performed, as circumstances will permit, research and drafting service requested by any committee of the general court in connection with the performance of its functions; to give such consideration to and service concerning any measure before the general court as circumstances will permit and which is in any way requested by the house or senate or any committee of the general court having the matter before it; and to assist and cooperate with any interim legislative committee or commission. Research and drafting assignments made to him by joint or concurrent action of the general court shall be given priority over other research and drafting requests received.
III. The director shall perform a continuing review, revision and codification of the Revised Statutes Annotated, as amended, and all statutes of a public and general nature which are enacted at any session of the general court. The director shall prepare legislation providing for the revision and recodification of such statutes, and any revisions and recodifications contained in such legislation shall take effect only after they have been enacted into law.

Source. 1963, 297:1. 1975, 278:1; 465:5. 1987, 225:4, eff. May 18, 1987.

Section 17-A:2

    17-A:2 Appointment. – The joint committee on legislative facilities shall appoint the director of legislative services and fix his salary. He shall hold office for a term of 2 years coterminous with the biennial legislative term. He shall be chosen without reference to party affiliation and solely on the ground of his fitness, qualifications and experience to perform the duties of his office. In the performance of its duties under this chapter, said joint committee may act whether or not the general court is then in session; and 7 members thereof shall constitute a quorum.

Source. 1963, 297:1. 1975, 465:2. 1987, 225:5, eff. May 18, 1987.

Section 17-A:3

    17-A:3 Office. – The director of legislative services shall maintain a permanent office in the state house or legislative office building where he shall be provided with suitable and sufficient offices convenient to the chambers of the house and senate and shall be in attendance upon all sessions of the general court. Said office shall be kept open during the time provided for other state offices, and when the general court is in session at such hours, day and night, as are most convenient for members of the general court.

Source. 1963, 297:1. 1975, 479:3, eff. July 1, 1975.

Section 17-A:4

    17-A:4 Assistants. – The director may, subject to the approval of the joint committee on legislative facilities, appoint and fix the compensation of such additional professional, technical, clerical or other employees necessary to perform his functions and duties under this chapter. He may, subject to like approval, designate one of said employees to be his deputy to act in his absence.

Source. 1963, 297:1. 1975, 465:3, eff. June 22, 1975.

Section 17-A:5

    17-A:5 Repealed by 1987, 225:6, I, eff. May 18, 1987. –

Section 17-A:6

    17-A:6 Gender Neutral Drafting. –
I. It is the intent of the general court that the office of legislative services continue its efforts to draft all bills, resolutions and amendments using words that are neutral as to gender, to the extent practicable.
II. In addition, the office of legislative services shall continue to study the issues involved in gender neutral drafting, including the development and utilization of sexually neutral terms to replace masculine gender terms currently in use.
III. All members of the general court are encouraged to support the use of gender neutral terms in the drafting of legislation.

Source. 1994, 104:1, eff. July 10, 1994.

Section 17-A:7

    17-A:7 Legislation Relating to Unclassified State Officers. – Legislation establishing a new, upgraded, or downgraded state unclassified officer position under RSA 94 shall to the extent practicable, be drafted by the office of legislative services without a recommended salary allocation. Changes to the salaries of unclassified officers listed in RSA 94:1-a, I shall be adopted in legislation reflecting the review and allocation approval by the joint committee on employee classification pursuant to the procedure in RSA 94:1-d and RSA 14:14-c.

Source. 2006, 290:20, eff. June 15, 2006.

Section 17-A:8

    17-A:8 Constitutional Amendments; Style and Form. –
I. A new article or amended article of the constitution shall capitalize all proper nouns, phrases currently capitalized, and titles of all officers.
II. The secretary of state, the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, and the director of legislative services shall have the authority to publish the unnumbered articles of the constitution with the numbers used by convention and with titles approved by the legislature or a constitutional convention.

Source. 2012, 259:1, eff. June 18, 2012.