New Hampshire State Senator Denise Ricciardi for NH Senate 9 (R-Bedford) has been invited to participate in a national policy roundtable hosted by the U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Washington, D.C.:
“Senator Ricciardi has been a tireless fighter and advocate for our state’s children and families,” said NH State Senate President Sharon Carson. “Her voice at the national level will no doubt be invaluable as these issues get discussed at State Houses across our country.”
In the New Hampshire Senate, Ricciardi has been a champion of policies that support vulnerable children, young mothers and working families. (SB614-FN) Her participation in this roundtable will provide an opportunity to share New Hampshire’s experiences while also bringing back innovative ideas to strengthen our state’s childcare network.
“This is an important issue affecting families not just in New Hampshire, but across the country,” said Senator Ricciardi. “I’m honored to represent New Hampshire in this conversation and look forward to working with leaders from across the country to find real solutions and get real results.”
Background: The roundtable, scheduled for April 13, 2026, will bring together leading experts from across the country to address the growing crisis surrounding access to affordable professional liability insurance for foster homes and child welfare agencies.
Senator Ricciardi was selected to participate in this discussion due to her leadership and work on child welfare and family-focused policy issues in New Hampshire.
Original Press Release from the NH Senate Republicans
Here is a summary of SB614-FN:
- SB614-FN as amended creates a joint self-insurance program in New Hampshire.
- This legislation specifically is based on existing law in the State of Washington.
- The focus is to help childcare providers reduce costs, especially around insurance.
- It allows certain nonprofit and for-profit organizations to pool resources as a way to have a program akin to conventional insurance.
- This would be done through the creation of a separate legal entity which acts on behalf of the qualifying organizations who pooled their resources.
- Similar programs exist in New Hampshire already, although regarding workers’ compensation.
- This would satisfy insurance requirements and would generally provide the needed coverage.
- More childcare is needed and we also want to keep our existing childcare companies. This bill is designed to support this goal.