§ 99-E:4 — Submission and Evaluation Procedures

I. Any person wishing to submit a suggestion for consideration under the suggestion and extraordinary service award program, or wishing to nominate a state employee for a suggestion or extraordinary service award, shall do so by submitting a written submission or nomination to the award evaluation committee in the department in which the nominee or person making the suggestion is employed.
II. The written submission or nomination shall include at least the following information:
(a) The name of the person who made the suggestion or performed the service.
(b) The job title or position of the person who made the suggestion or performed the service.
(c) The department, division, section, and office, if any, in which the person making the suggestion or performing the service is employed.
(d) The name of the immediate supervisor of the person making the suggestion or performing the service.
(e) The name, job title, and department of the person making the submission or nomination, if that person is someone other than the person who made the suggestion or performed the service.
(f) A detailed description of the suggestion or the service performed.
(g) If the submission or nomination involves a suggestion made by an employee:
(1) The approximate date that the suggestion was first made.
(2) The person to whom the suggestion has been conveyed.
(3) Whether or not the suggestion has been implemented and, if so, a description of the results of such implementation, including any savings realized or revenue generated and the method of calculation thereof.
(h) If the person making the submission or nomination is someone other than the person who made the suggestion or performed the service, whether the person who made the suggestion or performed the service is being recommended for a monetary award or for non-monetary recognition.
(i) Whether or not the suggestion or service is one for which the employee has been nominated for, or has received, some other form of award, and the nature or amount of the award received.
(j) The date and time of the filing of the submission or nomination.
III. Employees may jointly submit one submission or nomination, and may be jointly nominated for an award or recognition, provided that the submission or nomination clearly states that it is a joint submission.
IV. If the same suggestion or service nomination is submitted more than once, the first submission or nomination relating to the suggestion or service that is received by the departmental award evaluation committee shall be the submission or suggestion considered for an award or recognition, unless the committee making the determination, in its discretion, concludes that consideration of the first submission or nomination would result in significant injustice.
V. Within 60 days of receiving a submission or nomination, a departmental award evaluation committee shall inform the person submitting the nomination or suggestion, in writing:
(a) Whether or not the committee recommends an award or recognition; or
(b) That additional time is required for the committee to make its determination, specifying the amount of time required; and/or
(c) That additional information is needed. If additional information is needed, the committee shall specify the information required and, unless the additional information relates to the implementation of a suggestion under RSA 99-E:5, III, shall specify the date by which the information is to be provided. If the additional information is not received by the date specified, or any extended period of time allowed by the committee, the committee may decline to recommend the issuance of any award or recognition.
VI. Upon reaching a conclusion on a submission or nomination, or after failing to receive additional information in response to a request, a departmental award evaluation committee shall forward a copy of its recommendation to the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee, with a complete copy of all documents contained in the award nomination file, including, at a minimum, those specified in paragraph XII. If the final determination is that an award or recognition is recommended, the departmental award evaluation committee shall include in its determination the amount or nature of the monetary award or non-monetary recognition recommended.
VII. The state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee shall, within 60 days of receiving a determination from a departmental award evaluation committee, if any, or within 60 days of receiving a submission or nomination from another person, indicate in writing, with a copy to the person making the submission or nomination and the departmental award evaluation committee, if any, whether or not it concurs with the determination of the departmental award evaluation committee and:
(a) If it recommends an award or recognition, the nature or amount of the award or recognition recommended; or
(b) If it does not recommend an award or recognition, the reason therefor, which may include reliance upon the determination of any departmental award evaluation committee; or
(c) If it believes that the suggestion or nomination should be forwarded to the governor and council without determination or recommendation in accordance with paragraph IX, that the submission or nomination will be so forwarded; or
(d) If it believes that additional time is required for the committee to make its determination, the amount of additional time required to make the determination; or
(e) If it believes that additional information is needed, a specification of the information required and, unless the additional information relates to the implementation of a suggestion under RSA 99-E:5, III, the date by which the information is to be provided. Unless otherwise specified, any additional information requested by the committee shall be gathered by the committee that forwarded the determination for review, or if no lower-level committee has forwarded the determination for review, by the person making the submission or nomination to the committee. If the additional information is not received by the date specified, or any extended period of time allowed by the committee, the committee may decline to recommend the issuance of any award or recognition.
VIII. Final written determinations of the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee that recommend a monetary award or that recommend recognition by the governor and council shall be forwarded to the governor and council within 30 days of issuance.
IX. The state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee may, in the alternative to either recommending or declining to recommend a submission or nomination for award or recognition, or as an alternative to requesting additional information, forward the submission or nomination to the governor and council without determination or recommendation, with a complete copy of all documents contained in the award nomination file and a written explanation of the reasons why the committee has either not recommended, declined to recommend, or requested additional information. The governor, with the consent of council, shall take such action, if any, on the nomination or submission that they, within their discretion, deem appropriate.
X. If the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee, in its discretion, concludes that a suggestion that has been successfully implemented in a single department, division, office, or other subdivision of the state may result in additional benefit if implemented on a larger scale, the committee may so state in its submission to the governor and executive council. In such a case, an employee may, on one additional occasion, be considered for further or additional award or recognition for the suggestion.
XI. Any person believing that there is good cause for not submitting a submission or nomination to the departmental award evaluation committee may submit his or her submission or nomination to the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee. The state committee shall determine whether, in its discretion, it believes that there is good cause for not submitting the submission or nomination to the lower-level committee. If such good cause is found, the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee shall consider the submission or nomination in the first instance. If such good cause is not found, the committee shall refer the matter to the lower-level committee for initial determination.
XII. An award evaluation committee shall include in its file relative to a suggestion or nomination at least the following:
(a) The original written submission or nomination.
(b) All recommendations of award evaluation committees relative to the submission or nomination.
(c) Any calculations as to savings or increase in revenue, or other information, which the committee believes may be of assistance in determining the appropriate nature or amount of award, if any.
XIII. Files of award committees and documents contained therein shall not be deemed to be public documents or records within the meaning of, or subject to disclosure under, RSA 91-A, and meetings of award evaluation committees shall not be subject to the public meeting requirements of RSA 91-A, provided, however, that final written determinations and recommendations of award committees shall be subject to disclosure under RSA 91-A to the extent that such documents do not contain otherwise privileged or confidential information.
XIV. A quorum of the state suggestion and extraordinary service award evaluation committee shall be 4 members. If the absence of a quorum precludes the committee from acting within the time periods specified under paragraph VII, those time periods shall not apply and the committee shall instead act at a later meeting at which a quorum is present.

Legislative History

2005, 258:1. 2008, 89:3, eff. July 20, 2008.