TITLE I
THE STATE AND ITS GOVERNMENT

Chapter 17-E
JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE FACILITIES

Section 17-E:1

    17-E:1 Committee Established. – A joint committee on legislative facilities is hereby established.

Source. 1975, 430:1, eff. June 18, 1975.

Section 17-E:2

    17-E:2 Membership. –
The committee shall consist of:
I. The president of the senate or designee;
II. The speaker of the house or designee;
III. The majority leaders of each house, or designees;
IV. The minority leaders of each house, or designees;
V. The chairperson of the senate finance committee;
VI. The chairperson of the house finance committee;
VII. Two members of the house appointed by the speaker of the house; and
VIII. Two members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate.

Source. 1975, 430:1. 1995, 9:10. 2006, 146:1, eff. July 21, 2006.

Section 17-E:3

    17-E:3 Chairperson. – The chairperson for the committee shall rotate biennially between the president of the senate or designee and the speaker of the house or designee, provided that the speaker shall serve as the first chairman. In the event that the presiding officer or designee serving as chairperson resigns or for any reason is unable to serve, the other presiding officer or designee shall become chairperson, provided that such substitution shall not change the rotation hereinabove provided for.

Source. 1975, 430:1. 2006, 146:2, eff. July 21, 2006.

Section 17-E:4

    17-E:4 Meetings. – The committee shall meet as needed and at such other times at the call of the chair or upon written request of 4 members and any such special meeting shall be held within 5 days of such call or request.

Source. 1975, 430:1, eff. June 18, 1975. 2017, 156:128, eff. July 1, 2017.

Section 17-E:5

    17-E:5 House and Senate Subcommittees. – The house members, with the speaker as chairperson, shall be a subcommittee for legislative management for the house; and the senate members, with the president as chairperson, shall be a subcommittee for legislative management of the senate. All individual transfers within the house or senate appropriations in excess of $75,000 and all salaries of legislative attaches and other employees unless otherwise specifically provided by statute shall require the approval of the respective subcommittee. The salaries as determined hereunder shall be a charge upon the appropriation made for the legislature.

Source. 1975, 430:1. 2006, 146:3, eff. July 21, 2006. 2017, 156:128, eff. July 1, 2017.

Section 17-E:5-a

    17-E:5-a Powers and Duties. –
The committee shall have the following powers and duties:
I. To review and approve all joint legislative budgets.
II. To appoint the directors or heads of all joint legislative agencies, departments, or offices, and to establish the salary for such positions, except as otherwise provided.
III. To approve the appointment and compensation recommendations for the employees of the office of legislative services made by the director of that office, and the appointment and compensation recommendations made by the director or head of any other joint legislative agency, department, or office for the employees of those offices, except as otherwise provided.
IV. To establish a compensation and classification schedule for all employees of joint legislative service agencies, departments, and offices, except the legislative budget assistant and employees of that office. The house subcommittee shall establish salary schedules and benefits for all house employees. The senate subcommittee shall establish salary schedules and benefits for all senate employees.
V. To enter into contracts and hire consultants.
VI. To establish rules of procedure for the conduct of the business of the committee in accordance with rules of the house and the senate.
VII. To conduct its proceedings in compliance with the provisions of RSA 91-A.
VIII. To establish policies regarding the use of the facilities under control of the legislature in the state house, the legislative office building, the Upham Walker house, parking garages and lots, and any future facility that may come under legislative management.
IX. To perform all actions authorized by statute.
X. To study ways and means to improve legislative operation, facilities, and working conditions.
XI. Prior to the beginning of each biennium, to review sexual harassment policies of other jurisdictions and legislatures and adopt a sexual harassment policy consistent with best practices, which shall include procedures for the independent human resources professional in the general court administrative office to address sexual harassment complaints and ensure independence from the office of the senate president and the office of the speaker of the house of representatives. Prior to the beginning of each biennium, the committee shall determine whether to propose to the senate and house of representatives that each body shall propose by rule that all legislators, legislative officers, and legislative staff shall attend in-person education and training regarding sexual and other unlawful discrimination and harassment. The sexual harassment policy shall be posted online and shall be included in the ethics guidelines, statutes, and procedural rules booklet.

Source. 2006, 146:4, eff. July 21, 2006. 2019, 311:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2020.

Section 17-E:6

    17-E:6 Committee Records. – A record of the minutes of committee and subcommittee meetings shall be available to the public and shall be maintained in accordance with the provisions of RSA 91-A:2, II. The minutes shall include the names of members in attendance and of persons appearing before the committee, and a brief description of the subjects discussed, votes taken, and final dispositions of all actions. The minutes shall be available and open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting. The record of the minutes of the joint committee on legislative facilities and the house and senate subcommittees shall be available at the office of legislative accounting. For the purposes of this section, a business day means the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, excluding national and state holidays.

Source. 2002, 135:1. 2006, 146:5. 2007, 59:1, eff. July 31, 2007.

Section 17-E:7

    17-E:7 State House Visitor's Center Revolving Fund. – There is hereby established in the office of the state treasurer a nonlapsing fund to be known as the state house visitor's center revolving fund which shall be kept separate and distinct from all other funds. The state house visitor's center revolving fund shall be within the oversight of the joint legislative facilities committee established in RSA 17-E:1. Moneys received from the sale of merchandise at the state house visitor's center, including online sales, shall be deposited in such fund and used to purchase merchandise for the visitor's center. The amount in the fund shall not exceed $50,000 on June 30 of any fiscal year and any moneys in excess of said amount shall be deposited in the historical fund, established in RSA 177:8.

Source. 2005, 177:151, eff. July 1, 2005. 2016, 255:1, eff. June 30, 2016.

Section 17-E:8

    17-E:8 Naming of Areas of State House Complex. – No area within the state house complex, including buildings, interior rooms, and grounds shall be named or renamed unless the proposed name is recommended for approval by the joint committee on legislative facilities and approved by both the house of representatives and the senate.

Source. 2016, 291:3, eff. June 21, 2016.