Legislation Watch

HB652 Priority Legislation

Abolish the NH Family Court and. . . . .

Sponsor:  Representative Bernardy

Status:  Retained in Committee

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Bill Link: 

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=302&inflect=2

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This Bill Does the Following:

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1. Highlights the financial burden placed on taxpayers due to restitution arising from harm inflicted on unsuspecting victims from within the family court system – YDC, DCYF, BCSS.

2. Begins alleviating the burden on taxpayers by reforming the fundamentally flawed family court system thereby preventing the accumulation & commoditization of parents and children harmed.

3. Establishes family law statute aimed at restoring due process while prioritizing the prevention of the increasingly brash number of victimized parents and children.

4. Restores due process and accountability before relieving a parent and their child of their rights.

5. Reestablishes due process for New Hampshire families in all judicial cases by assigning the responsibility for civil and criminal matters back to the courts of law.

6. Transitions the family court Administrative Law Judges [ALJ's (aka Hearing Officers, Marital Master, Referee, i.e. Judge)] to the jurisdiction of oversight and accountability. Upholding both the DOJ and U.S. Supreme Court position on ALJ's lack of authority to remove freedoms and rights without due process.

7. Eliminates the multiple job titles in use for ALJ's and appropriately re-establishes the title of Judge for constitutional compliance within the NH Judicial Branch. 

8. Realigns to the NH Supreme and Superior Court to constitutional protections for all state citizens in all state courts.

9. Instills the alignment of due process and adjudication requirements, re-establishing one judge responsible and accountable for adjudicating orders in one case.

10. Halts current practices that inflict unnecessary harm by treating children and their families as commodities for the profit of stakeholders.

11. Reinstate ethical conduct and integrity across our branches of New Hampshire government.

12. Enacts a statute that communicates to private industry contractors that New Hampshire citizens expect high standards of professional accountability.

13. Addresses the state's critical situation stemming from two decades of family court practices.

14. Is a transitional statute and plan to reduce the financial impact on the state finances.

15. Provides in statute a strategic realignment of the state's family law services while providing for sustainability.​​

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Overall, HB652 seeks to alleviate the financial burden on taxpayers by tackling the significant shortcomings within the family court system and its practices. This initiative aims to prevent the growing number of parents and children who have been victimized, many of whom have endured years of unjust family separation and suffering.

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Additionally, the bill pursues the elimination of 'unregulated contract service billing practices' that are dependent on recommendations from Administrative Law Judges regarding 'family court order recommendations', which cause prolonged cases that generate money for the financial stakeholders without care or concern for the resulting pain and harm to parents and children. HB652 is carefully designed to restore due process in all state courts and establish a government office dedicated to family mediation, ensuring full oversight and accountability. HB652 also helps establish a state exit strategy and how to proceed forward when families require services for separating couples while eliminating the harmful impact and financial incentives that is the catalyst for harm and failure of due process in the current system.

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LISTEN: Bill Sponsor JD Bernardy speak about HB652 in a radio interview: https://1370wfea.com/morning-update/hb-652-how-it-impacts-you/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIy0lpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbgqSxN9-s5rpwGvky_VW9K2-nmL3qqF9yB23Zt0AVrFz0KYeJiT1IchSg_aem_7Rih8AcAxm2Uq6xv4ZTR6Q

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