I. (a) The executive director of the office of professional licensure and certification shall assess annual or biennial license, certification, and renewal fees, as well as any necessary administrative fees for each professional regulatory board, council, or commission administered by the office. Such fees shall be sufficient to produce estimated revenues up to 125 percent of the total operating expenses for the office, as determined by averaging the operating expenses for the office for the previous 2 fiscal years.
(b) There is hereby established the office of professional licensure and certification fund into which the fees collected under subparagraph (a) shall be deposited. After paying all costs and salaries associated with the office, moneys in this fund shall lapse to the general fund at the close of each biennium.
I-a. There is hereby established a nonlapsing fund to be known as the New Hampshire health professionals’ program administration fund for the administration of the professionals’ health program, including the professionals’ health program in RSA 329:13-b, the alternative recovery monitoring program in RSA 326-B:36-a, and the impaired pharmacist program set forth in RSA 318:29-a, with a fee charged to licensees per year at the time of licensure renewal for the board of medicine, board of dental examiners, pharmacy board, board of nursing, board of veterinary medicine, board of psychologists, board of chiropractic examiners, board of mental health practice, midwifery council, board of registration in optometry, board of podiatry, licensed dietitians, and board of licensing for alcohol and other drug use professionals, not to exceed 125 percent of the actual cost of providing the services. Other health and technical professions boards may be added to program at the same annual fee per licensee. The moneys in this fund shall be continually appropriated to the office.
II. The rulemaking authority of the boards, commissions, and councils administered by the office of professional licensure and certification relative to fees is hereby transferred to the executive director of the office of professional licensure and certification to adopt such rules establishing fees on behalf of each board, commission, or council. Nothing in this section shall affect the authority of professional regulatory boards, commissions, and councils in the office of professional licensure and certification from exercising the other powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities granted by statute.
III. The office of professional licensure and certification shall be responsible for the financing of any interstate compact joined by the state that affects a profession governed by a board listed in 310-A:1-a. Such financing shall be from money deposited in the office of professional licensure and certification fund.
Source. 2015, 276:46, eff. July 1, 2015. 2018, 330:3, eff. July 1, 2018. 2019, 346:165, eff. June 30, 2019. 2020, 19:1, eff. Sept. 15, 2020. 2021, 91:81, eff. July 1, 2021; 205:2, Pt. IV, Sec. 1, eff. July 1, 2021.