---
type: "Bill"
title: "adding post traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder to the definition of \"injury\" for purposes of workers' compensation, establishing the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders, and clarifying workers' compensation for firefighter and heart, lung, or cancer disease."
description: "adding post traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder to the definition of \"injury\" for purposes of workers' compensation, establishing the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders, and clarifying workers' compensation for firefighter and heart, lung, or cancer disease."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nh"
legislature: "New Hampshire General Court"
session: "2019"
identifier: "SB 59"
citation: "New Hampshire SB 59 (2019)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 1
action_count: 24
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2019-01-17"
last_action: "2019-07-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fce5629e-b875-4567-908d-2682e2f14f63"
source_url: "http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0500&sy=2019&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2019"
source_hash: "166a93d839f2144023c112da025f8e6bb38c52f7023dc577d5c636a9f46b4c8f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nh"]
---

# New Hampshire SB 59 (2019) — adding post traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder to the definition of "injury" for purposes of workers' compensation, establishing the commission to study the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders, and clarifying workers' compensation for firefighter and heart, lung, or cancer disease.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment #2019-2435e** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2019&id=2019-2435e&txtFormat=amend)

## Votes

- Ought to Pass w/Amendment — **23–0** (pass) · upper
- Concur — **20–3** (pass) · upper

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-01-17** Introduced 01/03/2019 and Referred to Commerce; SJ 4 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2019-01-23** Hearing: 01/29/2019, Room 103, SH, 01:15 pm; SC 8
- **2019-02-04** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2019-0187s, 02/14/2019; SC 10 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-02-14** Special Order to After Energy and Natural Resources, Without Objection, MA; 02/14/2019; SJ 5
- **2019-02-14** Committee Amendment # 2019-0187s, AA, VV; 02/14/2019; SJ 5
- **2019-02-14** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2019-0187s, RC 23Y-0N, MA; OT3rdg; 02/14/2019; SJ 5 `passage`
- **2019-03-21** Introduced 03/20/2019 and referred to Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services HJ 11 P. 69 `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2019-04-03** Public Hearing: 04/10/2019 02:00 pm LOB 307
- **2019-04-10** ==CANCELLED== Executive Session: 04/17/2019 02:30 pm LOB 307
- **2019-04-16** ==CANCELLED== Subcommittee Work Session: 04/17/2019 08:30 am LOB 307
- **2019-04-17** Public Hearing on non-germane Amendment # 2019-1516h (NT): 04/24/2019 10:00 am LOB 305-307
- **2019-04-24** Executive Session: 05/01/2019 10:30 am LOB 307
- **2019-05-01** Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2019-1676h for 05/08/2019 (Vote 19-0; RC) HC 23 P. 10 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-05-08** Amendment # 2019-1676h (NT): AA VV 05/08/2019 HJ 15 P. 30
- **2019-05-08** Ought to Pass with Amendment 2019-1676h (NT): MA VV 05/08/2019 HJ 15 P. 30 `passage`
- **2019-05-30** Sen. Cavanaugh Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, RC 20Y-3N, MA; 05/30/2019; SJ 18
- **2019-06-12** Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2019-2435e: AA VV 06/06/2019 HJ 18 P. 43
- **2019-06-12** Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2019-2435e Adopted, VV, (In recess of 06/06/2019); SJ 20
- **2019-06-28** Enrolled (In recess 06/27/2019); SJ 21
- **2019-06-28** Enrolled 06/27/2019 HJ 20 P. 53
- **2019-07-18** Signed by the Governor on 07/17/2019; Chapter 251 `executive-signature`
- **2019-07-18** I. Section 5 Effective 11/01/2020
- **2019-07-18** II. RSA 281-A:17, inserted by section 3, shall take effect 01/01/2021
- **2019-07-18** III. Remainder Effective 07/17/2019

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fce5629e-b875-4567-908d-2682e2f14f63`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Hampshire legislature records).