I. Unless otherwise directed by the joint committee on legislative facilities, the director of legislative services is authorized to distribute official bound volumes of the Revised Statutes Annotated, replacement volumes thereof and periodic supplements thereto free of charge to each of the following: the clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States, each judge of the circuit court of the United States for this district, the district court of the United States for this district, the United States Department of Justice, the Library of Congress, the New Hampshire Historical Society, and a sufficient number of copies to the state library and law library for use and for distribution to each state or territorial library of the United States on an exchange basis. If any state or territory makes a charge to this state for copies of its laws such state or territory shall in a like manner be required to pay to the state library or law library a price for copies of the Revised Statutes Annotated which shall be determined by the joint committee on legislative facilities.
   II. The joint committee on legislative facilities shall determine the allocation of volumes of the Revised Statutes Annotated other than those provided for in paragraph I among the following:
      (a) For the legislative branch, to the director of legislative services, who shall distribute a sufficient number of copies to meet the needs of the general court and all of its agencies as shall be determined by the joint committee on legislative facilities.
      (b) For the executive branch, to the secretary of state, who shall distribute such copies to the officers, departments, divisions, boards, commissions and institutions of the executive branch as shall be directed by the governor and council.
      (c) For the judicial branch, to the clerk of the supreme court, who shall distribute such volumes to the supreme, superior and probate courts, which shall include retired judges of the courts mentioned, as shall be directed by the chief justice of the supreme court.
   III. The joint committee on legislative facilities is authorized to establish a charge for volumes allocated to the secretary of state for distribution under paragraph II(b) and to the clerk of the supreme court for distribution under paragraph II(c) to recover the actual costs incurred by the director of legislative services in having such volumes printed and distributed pursuant to RSA 20:2-b. The secretary of state and the clerk of the supreme court may each recover any charges for which he may be liable under this paragraph on a per volume basis from the persons to whom and the courts to which the volumes are distributed. If a charge is made for the printing and distribution of volumes, the secretary and the clerk shall remit the charge to the director of legislative services and the sums so received shall be credited to the legislative appropriation for joint printing and binding.
   IV. This section shall not be construed to limit any branch of state government from purchasing such volumes of the Revised Statutes Annotated as it may determine it needs in excess of the number of volumes allocated to it under this section.
Source. 1955, 231:3. 1970, 14:4. 1971, 300:1. 1973, 307:3. 1979, 380:3. 1994, 7:3, eff. April 5, 1994.