Section 310-A:163 Board.
I. There is hereby established a board of court reporters. The board shall consist of 5 members who shall be citizens of the United States and residents of this state appointed by the governor and council, 3 of whom shall be court reporters, one of whom shall be a public member and one of whom shall be admitted to practice law in the state of New Hampshire. The public member of the board shall be a person who is not, and never was, a member of the court reporting profession or the spouse of any such person, and who does not have and never has had, a material financial interest in either the provision of court reporting services or an activity directly related to court reporting, including the representation of the board or profession for a fee at any time during the 5 years preceding appointment. Each court reporter member shall have actively practiced court reporting for the chief means of livelihood for at least 10 years prior to appointment and shall have held a responsible position in charge of such work for at least 5 years prior to appointment, which may include the teaching of court reporting. Members shall be appointed for 5-year terms, except that no more than one appointed member's term may expire in any one calendar year. Appointments for terms of less than 5 years may be made in order to comply with this limitation. No appointed member shall be eligible to serve more than 2 full consecutive terms, provided that, for this purpose only, a period actually served which exceeds 1/2 of the 5-year term shall be deemed a full term. Upon expiration of a member's term, the member shall serve until a successor is qualified and appointed. The successor's term shall be 5 years from the date of expiration of the predecessor's appointment, regardless of the date of the successor's appointment. Vacancies occurring prior to the expiration of a specific term shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term. The governor and council may remove a board member for cause. Members of the board shall receive $25 for each day actually engaged in the duties of their office and shall be reimbursed for all actual travel, incidental, and clerical expenses necessarily incurred in carrying out the provisions of this subdivision.
II. The board shall hold at least 3 regular meetings each year and special meetings at such times as it may deem necessary. Notice of all meetings shall be given in such a manner as rules adopted by the board may provide. The board shall biennially elect or appoint a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. Three members shall constitute a quorum.
III. The board shall keep a record of its proceedings and a register of all applications for licensure, which shall show:
(a) The name, age, and residence of each applicant.
(b) The date of application.
(c) The place of business of such applicant.
(d) The applicant's educational and other qualifications.
(e) Whether or not an examination was required.
(f) Whether the applicant was rejected and the reasons for such rejection.
(g) Whether a license was granted.
(h) The date of the action of the board.
(i) Such other information as may be deemed necessary by the board.
IV. The records of the board shall be prima facie evidence of the proceedings of the board, and a transcript of such records certified by the secretary of the board under seal shall be admissible in evidence with the same force and effect as if the original were produced.
V. Biennially, on or before December 31, the board shall submit to the governor a report of the transactions of the preceding biennium, and a complete statement of the receipts and expenditures of the board. The secretary of the board shall publish a roster listing the names and places of business of all court reporters licensed under the board during February of each even-numbered year. Copies of this roster shall be mailed to each person so licensed, placed on file with the secretary of state, and furnished to the public upon request at a fee to be established by the board. The board may include in such roster any other information it deems appropriate.
Source. 2007, 300:1, eff. July 1, 2007.