A House Environment and Agriculture subcommittee agreed on Feb. 14 to retain HB 153 and pursue an amendment to create a study committee charged with developing statewide protocols and training resources for animal-cruelty investigations.

The subcommittee chair, speaking as the bill sponsor, said the bill would require at least one sheriff or deputy and one state trooper in each county to be trained in animal-cruelty law and investigative procedures. "I had put in a bill this year ... to require a sheriff or deputy in each county and 1 state trooper in each county be trained in animal cruelty," the chair said, explaining the intent is to create widely accessible expertise across the state.

The bill sponsor and multiple stakeholders told the panel that gaps in knowledge and uneven availability of animal-control officers leave animals and communities without consistent, timely responses. "When there's an animal in distress because someone is acting criminally cruel to this animal, ... there should be a police officer trained in animal cruelty that can respond to that case no matter where and when in the state it takes place," said Kurt Ehrenberg of the Humane Society of the United States.

Committee members and invited stakeholders discussed three broad models for providing statewide expertise: (1) a statewide roster of trained officers who could be called as a resource and reimbursed for response time, (2) a dedicated task force of officers assigned full time to animal-cruelty work, and (3) a small, permanent enforcement and investigative unit at the state level (for example, within the Department of Agriculture). John Skip, director of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training, said the agency already offers a two-hour introductory block for recruits and hosts additional resources on the Benchmark learning management system, but most more advanced training is voluntary and not mandated for in-service officers.

"At the academy level, yes ... the recruits complete the introductory program," Skip said. "It's not mandated for in-service officers." He also offered that his office could provide analytics showing how many officers have accessed the Benchmark resources to help assess training uptake.

Stakeholders emphasized limits on local capacity, the need for veterinary support and funding to pay for response and training. Jerry Sazula, former University of New Hampshire instructor and co-chair of the Governor's Commission on the Humane Treatment of Animals, pointed to available national training programs and existing local resources but warned that New Hampshire law and practice require state-specific instruction: "Anything that we would do would have to incorporate that to our class, which goes over New Hampshire law."

Sazula also described national training options and costs: "They will come to you. They're actually having an online Zoom for part of it in March. It's $450 for one officer. If you have three plus, it's 50% off." Participants suggested pursuing grant funding from national animal-welfare groups, using the state's cost-of-care fund to limit municipal fiscal exposure, or statutorily authorizing reimbursement for officers' time and travel.

The subcommittee also discussed practical obstacles: uneven veterinary availability for on-scene assessments, differentiated rules for livestock versus companion animals, and the need to align any new language with existing statutes (including RSA 644 and section RSA 644:8). Several members said prosecution resources and county attorneys should be included in any planning because prosecutions and courtroom presentation are integral to effective enforcement.

After discussion the panel agreed, by general assent, to retain HB 153 and pursue an amendment to create a study committee that would include representatives from Police Standards and Training, the State Police, sheriffs, chiefs of police, the Farm Bureau, veterinary groups, prosecutors, the Department of Agriculture and animal-welfare organizations. The chair said work on an amendment should proceed promptly because the legislature's amendment deadline is March 6.

The subcommittee did not record a formal roll-call vote; the group reached a consensus to move forward with drafting an amendment and involving the listed stakeholders.