Assistance rendered under this chapter or N.H. Rev. Stat. Chapter 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. A parent shall be liable under this section only for assistance provided to a child under the age of 18, or for as long as the department of health and human services has the authority to recover support under Title IV of the Social Security Act. Such action shall be brought by the attorney general or the county attorney for the county in which any such relative resides when so requested by the commissioner of health and human services. Nothing in this section shall affect assistance eligibility or the amount of services for which an applicant or recipient may be eligible.